October 23, 2025 • 31 mins
Welcome to Wickedly Branded: Marketing, Magic, and The Messy Middle, the podcast where real conversations meet real strategies. I'm your host, Beverly Cornell, founder and fairy godmother of brand clarity at Wickedly Branded. With over 25 years of experience, I’ve helped hundreds of entrepreneurs awaken their brand magic, attract the right people, and build businesses that light them up.
In Part 2 of her inspiring story, Téa Phillips, founder of ATS Innovations and creator of the MetaFlex Glove, shares how she built a purpose-driven business, raised capital as a woman founder, and learned to trust herself through it all. Together, Téa and Beverly explore resilience, clarity, and the courage to show up authentically, reminding us that when you believe in your voice, anything is possible.
Three Key Marketing Topics Discussed:
- The Confidence to Ask for More: Téa shares how breaking old money mindsets and valuing her worth fosters true confidence. When you recognize the value of your work, others will as well.
- Reframing Failure as Tuition: Beverly and Téa discuss how setbacks are lessons that drive growth, transforming mistakes into opportunities for clarity and long-term success.
- Authentic Branding and Feminine Leadership: Téa and Beverly redefine female entrepreneurship by encouraging authenticity and celebrating the courage to lead with soul over just strategy.
Follow Téa:
Téa Phillips | LinkedIn
Téa Phillips | Instagram
MetaFlex | Instagram
MetaFlex | Facebook
MetaFlex | TikTok
MetaFlex | Website
Dare to be Wickedly Branded
P.S. Take the first step (will only take you 3 minutes) to awaken your brand magic with our personalized Brand Clarity Quiz
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:00):
Welcome back to the Wickedly Branded Marketing
podcast and to part two of thisvery powerful and inspiring
conversation.
In our last episode, we laid thegroundwork and shared insights
you won't want to miss, andtoday we're picking up right
where we left off and takingthat conversation deeper,
unpacking the strategies, thestories, and the inspiration
(00:21):
that will help you bring yourbrand boldly to life.
If you haven't listened to partone yet, I recommend starting
there.
The link is in the description.
Uh, so you can follow the fulljourney.
So without further ado, let'sjump back into the conversation.
Tea (00:36):
So when I started ATS, I knew I start with the mission
and I start with the vision andour values.
And then when people come in, Ican tell them, here's what we're
doing.
And when I talk to my customers,I know exactly what we're doing.
So when you're starting yourbusiness, and if you don't have
it yet, I think one of the mostimportant things you can do,
like you said, is building thatsolid foundation upon which you
(00:59):
make your decisions.
Beverly (01:00):
That's an incredible insight, Tea.
And if you're listening rightnow and this resonated with you,
like you need to get back toyour why back to your purpose.
Back to that, the passion, thereason why you're doing the
thing you're doing, I'd love foryou to let us know in the
reviews Hey, this is important.
I need to do this work.
Let us know because it'simportant that you find value in
what we're talking about on thispodcast.
(01:20):
We don't just do this because,it's fun.
Don't get me wrong.
I love meeting people like that,but we do because we wanna help
you.
And when you tell us in thereviews and you share it, and
you talk about us and tag us, ittells us that it's resonating
for you.
And maybe there's some littlenugget of goodness there, some
magic that could help you getclearer and be able to take that
next step for your business.
(01:40):
That could get you to a wholenew level of awareness of
clients.
All kinds of things in our brandspark experience.
All we do is help you with yourclarity.
That's the foundation.
So if you need extra help, we'rehere for that too.
You don't have to do it alone.
'cause sometimes when you're inthe weeds, it's hard to see the
forest for the trees.
We're here to help you also getpast some of that and ask you
(02:02):
the right questions to get theclarity that you need.
Okay.
So based on that, what is onebelief or pattern that you've
had to release or let go of tobe more clear and finally sit in
your truth, your brand message,is there any money mindset?
Tea (02:17):
Raising money, it felt weird asking people for money.
When I first started.
I grew up, we didn't talk aboutmoney.
We live in a culture where it'schanging, but there was a time
you don't ask people what's yoursalary like?
And that is really important toask your coworkers if you have
coworkers, what they're making,and then negotiate for what
(02:38):
you're worth.
Because those companies, they'lltry to keep it from you.
But asking for money was weirdat first.
The whole entrepreneurialjourney has been a journey of
self-discovery andself-acceptance and self love,
and trusting myself.
And one of the things that I'mpracticing right now.
Is to be more cognizant of thewords that I say and the way
(03:03):
that I talk, because it's easy.
It was a pattern for me to saywhen something went wrong
something negative about myself.
Oh, I always mess this up.
Oh, I'm never good at this.
But now I'm like telling myself,oh, what a fun learning
experience.
I'm just changing the way that Isay things out loud and the way
that I think, and that ischanging the way that I feel.
(03:26):
Like you noticed earlier, Isaid, the next person I will be
hiring is this.
And it's because like I'mspeaking it into existence.
And your words are a way tomanifest things.
And your words create yourreality because they change the
way that you think.
And when you go into situationsbelieving that you will succeed,
you have a better shot atsucceeding because you're doing
(03:50):
all of the things as if youalready have it.
So I'm working on, my witchcraftand practicing using my voice
and using my minds and using mypower in a way to make these
dreams of mine a reality.
Which is a new way of living forme.
But has been really powerful.
Beverly (04:11):
I always say to my team when we learn something like we
made an error or something, Isaid, that's tuition.
So now you know, how do we solvethe problem?
And once you have enoughtuition, it's not an issue
anymore.
So it doesn't mean you need moretuition.
And I try to teach that to myson too.
Making mistakes is like a goodthing.
(04:32):
Make a mistake.
It's okay.
You learned.
So now that you've learned, makedifferent choices.
Tea (04:36):
Everybody makes mistakes, right?
Everybody has those days.
There was this movie, have youseen Meet the Robinsons?
It's a animated movie.
It's one of my favorite moviesof all time.
Everybody needs to watch MeetThe Robinsons.
Stop what you're doing afterthis podcast.
Turn it on.
Okay.
So Meet the Robinsons is areally inspirational story, and
it's about this young boy andlike his journey to becoming
(04:57):
this great inventor that changesthe world.
And what happens is he works onsomething and then he fails and
he gets downtrodden and then hegoes into the future and he's
able to be around people who,when he makes mistakes, they
celebrate his failure.
And then he sees like thisbeautiful world that it can be
created if you just keep movingforward.
(05:20):
And like the whole thing is keepmoving forward.
So for years and years, I havethis whiteboard.
But it says keep moving forwardand like the biggest words.
And it reminds me failure islearning.
It's tuition as you say.
And if you just keep movingforward, you're gonna get where
you're headed.
Beverly (05:35):
Just take the next step.
And I used the analogy of a car.
When you are at night and you'redriving to a destination, you
have lights and you can see sofar, you know where you're going
and you trust that you're gonnaget there'cause you know what
you're doing.
But you might take a wrong turn,but you've got the lights right
in front of you.
Just keep your eye on what'sright in front of you so you
don't get in a car accident.
(05:56):
Do those things and just knowthe direction you're going so
that you can at least get closerto where you're going.
It's so important to take thenext step.
And that's all about trustingyourself too, and that
confidence thing.
Right now, it might not beperfect, but it's the next step.
And I do think that learning isan opportunity, right?
And sometimes when we make amistake, we can make it even
better because we have anopportunity to spend the time to
(06:18):
look at the system or process.
So I tell my team all the time,okay, this is a learning
opportunity.
What can we do better?
This is where the gold is.
This is where you make itmagical, is by giving the
attention and seeing where wecan be better.
So my next segment is my magicalhat round.
Ooh.
Sparkly and purple and all thethings.
(06:39):
And in this particular roundit's like a like a rapid fire.
There's a bunch of questions inthe hat and let's do it.
What is one thing you believedabout branding or marketing that
has turned out to be completebs.
Tea (06:51):
Girl, I didn't know anything about branding or
marketing when I got started.
I studied engineering.
So I recently learned that youdon't wanna post too much on
social media because then peopleget tired of seeing your stuff.
You only, you wanna post lessand more high quality.
Beverly (07:08):
That's a great tip.
Yeah.
Love it.
How do you want your customersto feel after working with you
or using your products?
Tea (07:15):
I want them to feel confident.
Beverly (07:17):
That's good.
It's empowering to be able tomove again.
What is the area you had tolearn the most?
Finance, hr, leadership,operations, or marketing?
Tea (07:27):
Marketing.
Numbers.
I got numbers, I got operations.
It's marketing.
Beverly (07:32):
You and I are right, and left brain, like totally
opposite numbers I hate, I likethe story that it tells, but I
don't wanna get into thosenumbers.
Yeah.
Tea (07:40):
I love being in Excel.
Beverly (07:41):
I love a good Excel spreadsheet.
Don't get me wrong.
'cause that's a systems thing.
If your business were an animal,which creature would it embody
and why?
Tea (07:49):
I wanna say polar bear.
'cause I just went to Canada andI think, it's like a lion.
It's like the fierce defender.
It protects.
Could it look like a polar bearand act like a lion?
Maybe.
Beverly (07:59):
Polar bears are vicious.
Tea (08:00):
They're vicious, but they're cute from afar.
Lions are also cute.
Probably a lion.
Let's go with lions.
Beverly (08:06):
They're pretty majestic and amazing.
Yes.
What's a surprising way thatyour personal values show up in
your business?
Tea (08:15):
I don't think it's that surprising.
I believe that healthcare is ahuman right.
I think that we shouldn'texploit the consumer and that we
should charge people a fairprice.
I believe in taking care ofpeople and that we're all in
this world together.
So I think having a healthcarecompany makes a lot of sense for
me.
I'm just doing it differently.
(08:35):
I really care about the culturewe're building.
I care that my employees arepaid fairly.
I care that every part of themanufacturing process is ethical
and sustainable.
So I'm doing it differently, butI'm doing it in a way that I
think it should always be done.
Beverly (08:51):
Very cool.
If you could wave your ownversion of a magic wand and
solve one current challenge foryour business, what would it be?
Tea (08:58):
It's always finance.
We're always limited.
I want to grow faster and Iwanna reach more people.
And I wanna invent more I wannahire the people that do the
things so that I can just spendall day inventing new problems.
And the limiting factor isalways just cash flow until we
get to the size of a hugecorporation which we're well on
(09:19):
our way.
But yeah, I think that everybodycan attest to that.
Beverly (09:24):
Yeah, you're right.
Have you ever thought aboutquitting and what pulled you
back?
Tea (09:28):
I I applied for some full-time roles when I had to
move in with my parents.
I applied for some part-timejobs.
I applied for some full-timejobs.
I knew that if I workedfull-time somewhere, I would
build ATS slower.
But it got to the point where Ineeded money.
And then there was also the timewhen I started the business and
I, again, just took a full-timejob instead of pursuing the
(09:51):
business full-time.
Because it's always access tocapital.
It's always finance.
That's one of the great limitingfactors.
I think it needs to be easier toaccess finance.
We need to innovate, think ofhow beautiful the world can be
if all of our great ideas wereeasier to bring to life.
Beverly (10:09):
I feel like it's harder for women too to
Tea (10:11):
get financing.
Girl, 2%.
Of venture capital funding goesto women.
Yep.
2%.
And you'll hear people say,there just aren't enough women
founders, and that is a lie.
The truth is, you need someone'strust for them to invest money
in you.
And people seem to trust peoplethat you know, look and think,
(10:35):
and have had the sameexperiences in them.
Historically, women have beenleft outta the workforce.
Women until the seventiesweren't able to own their own
bank account or get their ownbusiness loan.
So we have historically beenexcluded from these spaces, but
we're making enough noise.
Things are changing.
Businesses led by women,outperform businesses led by
men.
(10:55):
Financially it's a fact, we makemore money.
We make it faster and we do itmore sustainably every single
time.
But right now access to capitalis absolutely limited.
And I think because I think partof the reason that it took me so
long to raise money is becausethose investors, they just
didn't relate to me.
And I finally found people thatwere willing to bet on me.
(11:16):
And it was mostly people thatwere local to Tennessee, so they
could relate to me that way.
But most of my investors aremen, and most of the people I
pitched are men.
And I think some of'em justdidn't take me seriously, which
is their loss
Beverly (11:27):
I love that so much.
So I have a magic wand.
This is my magic wand and I'mgonna wave it and we're gonna go
back in time and I want to talkto Tea when she graduated from
high school.
And I wanna give her a piece ofadvice that you wish she had
now, that would've saved yousome grief and time and maybe
energy if she knew it earlier.
Tea (11:46):
I'd say leave that man.
I'd say choose yourself.
Love yourself.
You will make your dreams cometrue.
Don't put all your energy insomebody else.
Put your energy into yourself.
Don't let other people dim yoursparkle and your shine.
Love yourself.
Trust yourself.
Do only things that feel good toyou.
(12:07):
I've learned that now and I'mgrateful for it.
But 18-year-old Tea liked to putother people before herself and
she felt like that's what shewas supposed to do.
But that's not what you'resupposed to do.
Beverly (12:18):
You can't really be anything for anyone if you're
not filled up yourself.
Tea (12:21):
Yes.
Fill your own cup and then youcan start to pour into others.
But you gotta start by fillingyour own cup.
Yeah.
Beverly (12:27):
But society doesn't work that way.
Tea.
That's the unfortunate part.
Women are put into thisimpossible balance thing where
we're supposed to be balancingall the things and doing all the
things, and I think that'sshifting, which is good.
But it's an impossible vision.
And I joke all the time about Ineeded a wife when I started so
that she could support me whileI did my business.
(12:48):
And so many men have wivessupporting them to get their,
but we haven't had that kind ofsupport.
We've had to be our own support.
There are some, don't get mewrong, but there's always
exceptions.
But if I only had a wife, wow.
How much further would I be?
Tea (13:01):
So I was talking to a friend last night and they're
like, what can I do to supportyou?
You're doing a lot, what can Ido?
And I was like, you can comecook me dinner.
The truth is, we are breakingfree of that.
Yeah, we're breaking free.
We're finally women have moreequality at least in America
than we have.
We're getting it rolled back,but right now we're in a time
where we're a little more freeat least with the bank account
(13:22):
and the business loan side ofit.
And we're starting to talk toeach other and feel more
empowered and feel like I don'thave to do it like this.
And it is very difficult and itcan feel impossible and
overwhelming, but I promise youit's possible.
But I do also think that.
We need more community.
And a lot of it has happened inpartnership wherein one person
(13:43):
works and the other person worksat home because that's work.
Cooking, dinner, keeping thingsclean, doing the laundry, like
taking care of everything,that's a job.
But I think there is partnershipand then there is also community
wherein I'm trying to get mygirlfriends together more often
and have dinner parties and likeall take care of each other.
And I think when we get to wherewe have more community, we'll
(14:05):
feel a lot more free andfulfilled as well.
Beverly (14:09):
Yes.
I think we need each other,tribally community-wise.
Women have historically had agroup of people that have helped
them, raise kids and do things.
They've never really done italone.
And for whatever reason, thelast couple of generations we
decided we wanted to do it aloneor we needed to.
I've really struggled with thatbecause being an army spouse, we
move every two to three years.
I don't have my friends andfamily and I have to make
(14:30):
friends and family.
And it's really hard to leaveyour children with strangers in
this day and age.
So you end up doing everythingyourself because you don't trust
anyone and it's super hard.
And you do that and then yourhusband's deployed and you
really are doing it all byyourself because he is gone.
And there's a lot of messymiddle in all of that has been
very challenging.
And I call it the shouldsuitcase of society.
(14:52):
Society says you should be ableto handle it.
You should be able to do it all.
Oh, you should be able to havethe balance.
You should be able to be anamazing boss, but not be bossy.
You should be able to own yoursexuality, but not be a slut.
You should be all these shoulds.
Yeah.
That it's very hard to walk thisline and not mess up in some
way.
(15:12):
And it's this constant, voice ofwhat we should be doing.
And so I say throw the shouldsuitcase to the side and look at
what you feels good for you,what you want to do, what brings
you joy, and lean more fullyinto that, even if it goes
against the shoulds.
Tea (15:28):
Amen.
I think we don't listen to thoseshoulds.
I like to not listen to otherpeople and just do what I like
to do.
And I have felt more fulfilledthan ever.
Yes.
Don't listen to the judgmentalwhatever.
You should.
You should, you shall no girl,don't talk to me like that.
Beverly (15:44):
Men have created a world of business that they,
that somehow has trickled towomen.
Women don't do business the sameway as men.
No.
And it's okay that we don't runa business the same way that we
don't start it the same way thatwe like.
It's okay.
And I love that you gave somestatistics about how women can
run a business more profitably,faster, more sustainably.
(16:06):
But I feel like men have not onpurpose.
I love men.
Don't get me wrong.
Men, don't come for me please.
But I feel like we've lived in asociety that has given us so
much of what was done before.
That's what we're supposed to donow, but we don't have to do it
that way.
And I tell my clients all thetime.
You can design the exactbusiness that works for you and
for your life.
And it's not about hustle.
(16:26):
It's not about balance.
It's about what works for you.
It does might not work for me,but it works for you.
You create it.
You can be intentional aboutyour time.
If you understand what works foryou, then build it around that.
Yeah.
I remember a time where, we hada foster child who we adopted,
and I was home alone.
My husband was at training forsix weeks.
I don't get maternity leave as abusiness owner, like that
(16:49):
doesn't happen.
Yeah.
A solopreneur like, haha, that'sa good one.
So I had him on my shoulder at3:00 AM writing proposals like,
you do what you need to do.
And that was what I needed to doat the time.
And there were many, manymeeting where he was crying.
I had to pick him up.
He was in the meeting.
I was still a very smartbusiness woman.
I happened to have a baby on myshoulder and so you can design,
(17:12):
and my clients, the ones that Ilove, were part of that.
And they never, ever oncethought, oh, she's not a good
business person, or she's not agood marketer.
They were like, good for her.
Like she's able to bring herbaby, do the thing like you can
create, look at her.
Go.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Those are the kind of people Iwanted to work with.
So it was like that experience.
Drew the other moms to mybusiness, it drew other people
(17:34):
like me struggling with the samethings because I was living it
It's freeing and liberating whenyou can do the things that
actually make you happy, whatyou need to do.
Tea (17:44):
There is no path that works for everybody.
Everybody's path is differentand if you try to fit yourself
into a box, you're gonna cut offparts of yourself.
Beverly (17:53):
And it's a too small of a box.
I don't wanna be in the box.
The box is the wrong shape andthe wrong size.
Yes.
Yes.
Probably isn't pinky pink and itdoesn't have sparkles.
And I want all the things yes.
Okay, I'm gonna wave the one andI'm going to talk to Tea.
What would 18-year-old Tea thinkof Tea now?
What would she say to you?
Tea (18:10):
She'd say, whoa.
She'd be like, yes, finally18-year-old me would be very
happy with me.
She'd be very proud of me.
She'd be like, you're still inTennessee.
But other than that, she'd belike, this is the greatest.
Your life is amazing.
I never saw where I was going.
I always knew that I would findmy way, but I felt very limited
(18:34):
in saying, this is what I'mgonna do, because I didn't know.
I had never seen it done before.
And I think I've found it beinga founder.
Being a healthcare founder,helping people.
It's not like I invented thislittle cool gizmo, like I
invented this cool medicaldevice that's like changing
people's lives and helping them.
(18:56):
And yeah.
Other than still living inTennessee, I love Tennessee, but
I was born and raised here.
I've been here my whole life.
I thought I'd be somewhere elseby now, but and I will be
eventually when the time isright.
But I have invested intoTennessee, and Tennessee has
invested into me, and I havegreat friends and it's a good
place for me to grow my businessright now.
She'd be really happy with me.
(19:17):
She'd be really proud.
She might be like, where is myboyfriend?
Weren't we gonna marry him?
But she'd be happy to know thatI have a cat.
I love my cat.
I always wanted a cat when I wasyounger, but I couldn't have
one.
And now I'm living my life.
And I live alone and I have thisbeautiful place that has so much
random art on the walls and I amcooking delicious dinners.
(19:41):
And, I'm really enjoying my lifeand I think she'd be proud of
me.
Beverly (19:45):
How does it make you feel to have her be proud of
you?
Tea (19:48):
I don't wanna cry, but she's been through a lot.
She's been through and she willgo through more and I am at a
really good place right now.
And I know I'm gonna go throughbad things again, but I'm gonna
overcome them.
It is.
I do in some sense feel likeI've made it because I've built
a life that I am happy with.
Which is really nice becausemost of the time I'm like, oh, I
(20:09):
have such a long ways to go.
'Cause I've set these goals formyself that are like years in
advance.
And I'm like, oh, I can't waittill I get to that.
But I'm already like thinkingyou've given me the opportunity
to think, wow I made it18-year-old, Tea would say she's
made it.
Beverly (20:23):
We talk about this a lot in the podcast, that we are
notorious for moving thegoalposts on ourselves.
Oh yeah.
For successful high achievingwomen, we are like, okay, did it
next.
And not taking the time.
I ask a question in the magichat that says what is success to
you and have you achieved it?
And so many people are like,yeah.
It takes'em a second to actuallyacknowledge that they've
(20:44):
achieved something and they'reall badass, wonderful women.
You have built businesses anddone these things.
There should be no question.
Yeah.
But there is this side of usthat's, it's just never enough.
We have to do more.
And I'll tell you, as you growyour business, here's a bit of
advice from a little bit of anolder business person is I'm at
the point now where if I sell mybusiness, who am I outside of my
(21:05):
business?
Tea (21:06):
Oh yeah.
So you have to figure that out.
And be your own person.
Yeah.
Beverly (21:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
Like now you build this thingand it's amazing and it's just
so awesome and it's sointegrated into who you are.
And now how do you let it go?
And what does it look like foryou?
Letting it go.
So as I scale, and if I sell itor if I give it to my family, or
if I whatever, then who am I inthat
Tea (21:33):
I think I'm in a unique position where I've always
wanted to sell it.
I'm like, I'm building this tosell it.
And at this point I'm like maybeI can't find somebody who's
gonna keep it affordable andlike maybe I can't find somebody
who's gonna align with themission and the vision and the
values.
I think I will.
But I might have it longer thanI plan to.
But I've always wanted to sellit.
(21:54):
And my goal, I haven't thoughtabout who am I, but I have
thought about what I'm gonna do.
And what I'm gonna do is I'mgonna go see the world.
And I'm gonna travel and I'mgonna go live in this country
for the six months and in thiscountry for a few years and just
like experience all of thesedifferent cultures.
And that's my goal.
It's, helping people right now.
(22:16):
And it's always gonna be helpingpeople.
But it's helping people withMeta Flex and then getting to
invest in myself.
And I'm trying to also invest inmyself right now because that's
how you stop burnout.
And stay Resilient is doingthings that get you into your
flow state, doing things thatrelax you, doing things that
make you happy.
(22:36):
But I'm really excited to seewho Tea is gonna be once she
sells ATS will she be an artist?
Will she be a musician?
Is she gonna go back to thetheater?
Who knows.
I
Beverly (22:49):
love the uncertainty.
Entrepreneurs love to buildstuff, so you might build
something else.
I've got
Tea (22:53):
more ideas.
Yeah.
I already know the next thingI'm gonna do and I'm just trying
to stop myself from doing it.
But I'm probably gonna do itpretty soon because why not?
I gotta a good idea.
Somebody else is gonna have it.
I could do some real cool stuffwith it and make money from it.
Beverly (23:07):
So i'm gonna wave my wind.
We're gonna go way into thefuture.
Okay.
And we're gonna be.
Listening to your eulogy, and Iwould love for you to share with
me what you think the biggestimpact you will make on the
world that people will talkabout Tea and what she did while
she was here on earth.
Tea (23:23):
There's a lot of things I wanna do.
I wanna help people.
I wanna make a lot of money.
I wanna make a stupid amount ofmoney, and then I wanna build
hospitals and libraries.
I wanna build trains.
That's how you lift people outof poverty.
In Tennessee where I live,there's not enough public
transportation and people can'tget jobs that are over here
(23:45):
because their car, they have toget an oil change or they have
this$600 car repair.
Public transportation is gonnalift people in Tennessee out of
poverty and probably a lot ofother places in the world, and
it'll just make us all moreconnected.
I wanna help I just wanna leavean impact making the world a
better place.
And I think I can, I think withenough hard work, I can do it in
(24:07):
a large scale, so I just amtrying to impact as many people
as I can and have a really goodlasting impact.
Which is why I'm gonna buildthis business and I'm gonna
build another business and I'mprobably gonna build another
business.
And I'm gonna find a way to makea lot of money in a really
ethical and sustainable way sothat I can do things that I know
(24:27):
need to be done.
I feel a heavy sense ofresponsibility and I also wanna
have people around that love meand that I love and have a
really fulfilling personal lifetoo.
Beverly (24:39):
With that being said ,I'm gonna wave my wand and
we're gonna come back to presentday.
And I would love for Tea to talkabout what it means to be
wickedly branded to you.
How do you show up as Wickedlybranded?
And what advice would you giveto our listeners to be more
wickedly branded?
Tea (24:56):
I think it's showing up and presenting authentically and in
a way that you feel comfortableand proud of.
I recently brought on a brandmanager and she's really smart.
And she's got a journalismbackground and she's a great
storyteller and she doesmarketing and she has an eye for
things.
And so she's helping me acceptall of these dreams that I have
(25:18):
of myself, of Tea is so cool andTea is smart, and Tea is kind,
and Tea is fashionable and Teais stylish.
And how do we confidently bethat person?
Because it's easy for me with mypast to make myself small, to
fit into places and to makemyself less, to make other
(25:40):
people comfortable.
And I am practicing lovingmyself and showing up in a way
that makes me feel good.
It's learning for me right now.
I'm practicing, I'm paying mytuition.
Beverly (25:53):
So what advice would you give to our listeners to be
more wickedly branded, do youthink?
Tea (25:58):
In my practice I think you find when you feel your best,
and that's can be hard to do,especially if you're a woman
'cause you're hormones and every28 days, like every day you were
feeling different.
But what outfit did I reallylike twirl around in, what was I
wearing when I couldn't stopstaring at myself in the mirror?
(26:19):
That's the lipstick I need towear when I do this thing.
And it's choosing and allowingyourself to feel good.
And when you feel good.
You perform better and you caninspire people and pull people
to you and you're more magneticand you're just like happier and
living your life in a reallyhappy way.
(26:40):
So I'd say just pay attention tothe way you feel when you dress
this way or speak that way, orare doing that activity.
And chase the things that makeyou feel good.
Beverly (26:51):
Yeah.
That's the clarity part.
When you're in the thing thatmakes you feel good, like you
are magic.
You are magic.
I love that so much.
Tea, this was so good.
Where can listeners connect withyou and your work?
Learn more about all theinventions you have that are
coming soon.
And if I need it right now,where do I buy this glove?
Tea (27:13):
I've got all the answers.
You can find me on LinkedIn.
Follow me.
I'm also on Instagram, I finallymade a public facing Instagram
where I can talk to everybody.
So find me.
It's like Tea s Phillips.
And then for Meta Flex.
Meta Flex has an Instagram, it'sMeta Flex glove on Instagram and
(27:33):
Facebook and TikTok.
If you wanna buy gloves, it'smeta flex glove.com.
That's M-E-T-A-F-L-E-Xglove.com.
Sign up for our email newsletterand you'll know when new
products are launching.
You'll get exclusive discountsand you'll stay up to date on
all of the news.
So definitely our email list isthe place to be.
(27:56):
We've got educational contentthat comes out there.
We give discounts on theproduct, and you're the first to
know and be able to purchase anynew thing that I launched.
And we have a history of sellingout, you really wanna be one of
the first to know.
Beverly (28:10):
Good.
This has been so fun, Tea.
Thank you so much.
Tea (28:13):
Thank you.
I've loved being here.
This is so fun.
Beverly.
Beverly (28:16):
This has been an incredible conversation and to
my listeners, I really hope thatthis episode, lit a little bit
of a fire in you and gave yousome new ideas and a way to be
more mindful, to get in theflow, to give yourself more
grace when you show up to makemistakes.
But most of all, I hope you areinspired to take some action.
The next step, the next thing,because here's what I think is
(28:37):
so important.
You matter.
Your message matters.
Your work matters, and the worldneeds to hear what you have to
say.
Marketing isn't just about.
Visibility.
It's about the impact thatyou're making.
And Tea is making some amazingimpact in the world.
It's about connecting with theright people.
That feels true to you.
So for me, it was those motherswho understood the baby on my
(28:59):
shoulder.
So keep showing up, keep sharingyour brilliance and keep making
magic in the world.
And hey, if you ever feel stuck,know that you don't have to do
this alone.
We're here to help you turn yourmarketing and your brand from a
spark into a wildfire.
But until next time, dare to bewickedly branded.
Welcome back to the Wickedly Branded Marketing
podcast and to part two of thisvery powerful and inspiring
conversation.
In our last episode, we laid thegroundwork and shared insights
you won't want to miss, andtoday we're picking up right
where we left off and takingthat conversation deeper,
unpacking the strategies, thestories, and the inspiration
(00:21):
that will help you bring yourbrand boldly to life.
If you haven't listened to partone yet, I recommend starting
there.
The link is in the description.
Uh, so you can follow the fulljourney.
So without further ado, let'sjump back into the conversation.
Tea (00:36):
So when I started ATS, I knew I start with the mission
and I start with the vision andour values.
And then when people come in, Ican tell them, here's what we're
doing.
And when I talk to my customers,I know exactly what we're doing.
So when you're starting yourbusiness, and if you don't have
it yet, I think one of the mostimportant things you can do,
like you said, is building thatsolid foundation upon which you
(00:59):
make your decisions.
Beverly (01:00):
That's an incredible insight, Tea.
And if you're listening rightnow and this resonated with you,
like you need to get back toyour why back to your purpose.
Back to that, the passion, thereason why you're doing the
thing you're doing, I'd love foryou to let us know in the
reviews Hey, this is important.
I need to do this work.
Let us know because it'simportant that you find value in
what we're talking about on thispodcast.
(01:20):
We don't just do this because,it's fun.
Don't get me wrong.
I love meeting people like that,but we do because we wanna help
you.
And when you tell us in thereviews and you share it, and
you talk about us and tag us, ittells us that it's resonating
for you.
And maybe there's some littlenugget of goodness there, some
magic that could help you getclearer and be able to take that
next step for your business.
(01:40):
That could get you to a wholenew level of awareness of
clients.
All kinds of things in our brandspark experience.
All we do is help you with yourclarity.
That's the foundation.
So if you need extra help, we'rehere for that too.
You don't have to do it alone.
'cause sometimes when you're inthe weeds, it's hard to see the
forest for the trees.
We're here to help you also getpast some of that and ask you
(02:02):
the right questions to get theclarity that you need.
Okay.
So based on that, what is onebelief or pattern that you've
had to release or let go of tobe more clear and finally sit in
your truth, your brand message,is there any money mindset?
Tea (02:17):
Raising money, it felt weird asking people for money.
When I first started.
I grew up, we didn't talk aboutmoney.
We live in a culture where it'schanging, but there was a time
you don't ask people what's yoursalary like?
And that is really important toask your coworkers if you have
coworkers, what they're making,and then negotiate for what
(02:38):
you're worth.
Because those companies, they'lltry to keep it from you.
But asking for money was weirdat first.
The whole entrepreneurialjourney has been a journey of
self-discovery andself-acceptance and self love,
and trusting myself.
And one of the things that I'mpracticing right now.
Is to be more cognizant of thewords that I say and the way
(03:03):
that I talk, because it's easy.
It was a pattern for me to saywhen something went wrong
something negative about myself.
Oh, I always mess this up.
Oh, I'm never good at this.
But now I'm like telling myself,oh, what a fun learning
experience.
I'm just changing the way that Isay things out loud and the way
that I think, and that ischanging the way that I feel.
(03:26):
Like you noticed earlier, Isaid, the next person I will be
hiring is this.
And it's because like I'mspeaking it into existence.
And your words are a way tomanifest things.
And your words create yourreality because they change the
way that you think.
And when you go into situationsbelieving that you will succeed,
you have a better shot atsucceeding because you're doing
(03:50):
all of the things as if youalready have it.
So I'm working on, my witchcraftand practicing using my voice
and using my minds and using mypower in a way to make these
dreams of mine a reality.
Which is a new way of living forme.
But has been really powerful.
Beverly (04:11):
I always say to my team when we learn something like we
made an error or something, Isaid, that's tuition.
So now you know, how do we solvethe problem?
And once you have enoughtuition, it's not an issue
anymore.
So it doesn't mean you need moretuition.
And I try to teach that to myson too.
Making mistakes is like a goodthing.
(04:32):
Make a mistake.
It's okay.
You learned.
So now that you've learned, makedifferent choices.
Tea (04:36):
Everybody makes mistakes, right?
Everybody has those days.
There was this movie, have youseen Meet the Robinsons?
It's a animated movie.
It's one of my favorite moviesof all time.
Everybody needs to watch MeetThe Robinsons.
Stop what you're doing afterthis podcast.
Turn it on.
Okay.
So Meet the Robinsons is areally inspirational story, and
it's about this young boy andlike his journey to becoming
(04:57):
this great inventor that changesthe world.
And what happens is he works onsomething and then he fails and
he gets downtrodden and then hegoes into the future and he's
able to be around people who,when he makes mistakes, they
celebrate his failure.
And then he sees like thisbeautiful world that it can be
created if you just keep movingforward.
(05:20):
And like the whole thing is keepmoving forward.
So for years and years, I havethis whiteboard.
But it says keep moving forwardand like the biggest words.
And it reminds me failure islearning.
It's tuition as you say.
And if you just keep movingforward, you're gonna get where
you're headed.
Beverly (05:35):
Just take the next step.
And I used the analogy of a car.
When you are at night and you'redriving to a destination, you
have lights and you can see sofar, you know where you're going
and you trust that you're gonnaget there'cause you know what
you're doing.
But you might take a wrong turn,but you've got the lights right
in front of you.
Just keep your eye on what'sright in front of you so you
don't get in a car accident.
(05:56):
Do those things and just knowthe direction you're going so
that you can at least get closerto where you're going.
It's so important to take thenext step.
And that's all about trustingyourself too, and that
confidence thing.
Right now, it might not beperfect, but it's the next step.
And I do think that learning isan opportunity, right?
And sometimes when we make amistake, we can make it even
better because we have anopportunity to spend the time to
(06:18):
look at the system or process.
So I tell my team all the time,okay, this is a learning
opportunity.
What can we do better?
This is where the gold is.
This is where you make itmagical, is by giving the
attention and seeing where wecan be better.
So my next segment is my magicalhat round.
Ooh.
Sparkly and purple and all thethings.
(06:39):
And in this particular roundit's like a like a rapid fire.
There's a bunch of questions inthe hat and let's do it.
What is one thing you believedabout branding or marketing that
has turned out to be completebs.
Tea (06:51):
Girl, I didn't know anything about branding or
marketing when I got started.
I studied engineering.
So I recently learned that youdon't wanna post too much on
social media because then peopleget tired of seeing your stuff.
You only, you wanna post lessand more high quality.
Beverly (07:08):
That's a great tip.
Yeah.
Love it.
How do you want your customersto feel after working with you
or using your products?
Tea (07:15):
I want them to feel confident.
Beverly (07:17):
That's good.
It's empowering to be able tomove again.
What is the area you had tolearn the most?
Finance, hr, leadership,operations, or marketing?
Tea (07:27):
Marketing.
Numbers.
I got numbers, I got operations.
It's marketing.
Beverly (07:32):
You and I are right, and left brain, like totally
opposite numbers I hate, I likethe story that it tells, but I
don't wanna get into thosenumbers.
Yeah.
Tea (07:40):
I love being in Excel.
Beverly (07:41):
I love a good Excel spreadsheet.
Don't get me wrong.
'cause that's a systems thing.
If your business were an animal,which creature would it embody
and why?
Tea (07:49):
I wanna say polar bear.
'cause I just went to Canada andI think, it's like a lion.
It's like the fierce defender.
It protects.
Could it look like a polar bearand act like a lion?
Maybe.
Beverly (07:59):
Polar bears are vicious.
Tea (08:00):
They're vicious, but they're cute from afar.
Lions are also cute.
Probably a lion.
Let's go with lions.
Beverly (08:06):
They're pretty majestic and amazing.
Yes.
What's a surprising way thatyour personal values show up in
your business?
Tea (08:15):
I don't think it's that surprising.
I believe that healthcare is ahuman right.
I think that we shouldn'texploit the consumer and that we
should charge people a fairprice.
I believe in taking care ofpeople and that we're all in
this world together.
So I think having a healthcarecompany makes a lot of sense for
me.
I'm just doing it differently.
(08:35):
I really care about the culturewe're building.
I care that my employees arepaid fairly.
I care that every part of themanufacturing process is ethical
and sustainable.
So I'm doing it differently, butI'm doing it in a way that I
think it should always be done.
Beverly (08:51):
Very cool.
If you could wave your ownversion of a magic wand and
solve one current challenge foryour business, what would it be?
Tea (08:58):
It's always finance.
We're always limited.
I want to grow faster and Iwanna reach more people.
And I wanna invent more I wannahire the people that do the
things so that I can just spendall day inventing new problems.
And the limiting factor isalways just cash flow until we
get to the size of a hugecorporation which we're well on
(09:19):
our way.
But yeah, I think that everybodycan attest to that.
Beverly (09:24):
Yeah, you're right.
Have you ever thought aboutquitting and what pulled you
back?
Tea (09:28):
I I applied for some full-time roles when I had to
move in with my parents.
I applied for some part-timejobs.
I applied for some full-timejobs.
I knew that if I workedfull-time somewhere, I would
build ATS slower.
But it got to the point where Ineeded money.
And then there was also the timewhen I started the business and
I, again, just took a full-timejob instead of pursuing the
(09:51):
business full-time.
Because it's always access tocapital.
It's always finance.
That's one of the great limitingfactors.
I think it needs to be easier toaccess finance.
We need to innovate, think ofhow beautiful the world can be
if all of our great ideas wereeasier to bring to life.
Beverly (10:09):
I feel like it's harder for women too to
Tea (10:11):
get financing.
Girl, 2%.
Of venture capital funding goesto women.
Yep.
2%.
And you'll hear people say,there just aren't enough women
founders, and that is a lie.
The truth is, you need someone'strust for them to invest money
in you.
And people seem to trust peoplethat you know, look and think,
(10:35):
and have had the sameexperiences in them.
Historically, women have beenleft outta the workforce.
Women until the seventiesweren't able to own their own
bank account or get their ownbusiness loan.
So we have historically beenexcluded from these spaces, but
we're making enough noise.
Things are changing.
Businesses led by women,outperform businesses led by
men.
(10:55):
Financially it's a fact, we makemore money.
We make it faster and we do itmore sustainably every single
time.
But right now access to capitalis absolutely limited.
And I think because I think partof the reason that it took me so
long to raise money is becausethose investors, they just
didn't relate to me.
And I finally found people thatwere willing to bet on me.
(11:16):
And it was mostly people thatwere local to Tennessee, so they
could relate to me that way.
But most of my investors aremen, and most of the people I
pitched are men.
And I think some of'em justdidn't take me seriously, which
is their loss
Beverly (11:27):
I love that so much.
So I have a magic wand.
This is my magic wand and I'mgonna wave it and we're gonna go
back in time and I want to talkto Tea when she graduated from
high school.
And I wanna give her a piece ofadvice that you wish she had
now, that would've saved yousome grief and time and maybe
energy if she knew it earlier.
Tea (11:46):
I'd say leave that man.
I'd say choose yourself.
Love yourself.
You will make your dreams cometrue.
Don't put all your energy insomebody else.
Put your energy into yourself.
Don't let other people dim yoursparkle and your shine.
Love yourself.
Trust yourself.
Do only things that feel good toyou.
(12:07):
I've learned that now and I'mgrateful for it.
But 18-year-old Tea liked to putother people before herself and
she felt like that's what shewas supposed to do.
But that's not what you'resupposed to do.
Beverly (12:18):
You can't really be anything for anyone if you're
not filled up yourself.
Tea (12:21):
Yes.
Fill your own cup and then youcan start to pour into others.
But you gotta start by fillingyour own cup.
Yeah.
Beverly (12:27):
But society doesn't work that way.
Tea.
That's the unfortunate part.
Women are put into thisimpossible balance thing where
we're supposed to be balancingall the things and doing all the
things, and I think that'sshifting, which is good.
But it's an impossible vision.
And I joke all the time about Ineeded a wife when I started so
that she could support me whileI did my business.
(12:48):
And so many men have wivessupporting them to get their,
but we haven't had that kind ofsupport.
We've had to be our own support.
There are some, don't get mewrong, but there's always
exceptions.
But if I only had a wife, wow.
How much further would I be?
Tea (13:01):
So I was talking to a friend last night and they're
like, what can I do to supportyou?
You're doing a lot, what can Ido?
And I was like, you can comecook me dinner.
The truth is, we are breakingfree of that.
Yeah, we're breaking free.
We're finally women have moreequality at least in America
than we have.
We're getting it rolled back,but right now we're in a time
where we're a little more freeat least with the bank account
(13:22):
and the business loan side ofit.
And we're starting to talk toeach other and feel more
empowered and feel like I don'thave to do it like this.
And it is very difficult and itcan feel impossible and
overwhelming, but I promise youit's possible.
But I do also think that.
We need more community.
And a lot of it has happened inpartnership wherein one person
(13:43):
works and the other person worksat home because that's work.
Cooking, dinner, keeping thingsclean, doing the laundry, like
taking care of everything,that's a job.
But I think there is partnershipand then there is also community
wherein I'm trying to get mygirlfriends together more often
and have dinner parties and likeall take care of each other.
And I think when we get to wherewe have more community, we'll
(14:05):
feel a lot more free andfulfilled as well.
Beverly (14:09):
Yes.
I think we need each other,tribally community-wise.
Women have historically had agroup of people that have helped
them, raise kids and do things.
They've never really done italone.
And for whatever reason, thelast couple of generations we
decided we wanted to do it aloneor we needed to.
I've really struggled with thatbecause being an army spouse, we
move every two to three years.
I don't have my friends andfamily and I have to make
(14:30):
friends and family.
And it's really hard to leaveyour children with strangers in
this day and age.
So you end up doing everythingyourself because you don't trust
anyone and it's super hard.
And you do that and then yourhusband's deployed and you
really are doing it all byyourself because he is gone.
And there's a lot of messymiddle in all of that has been
very challenging.
And I call it the shouldsuitcase of society.
(14:52):
Society says you should be ableto handle it.
You should be able to do it all.
Oh, you should be able to havethe balance.
You should be able to be anamazing boss, but not be bossy.
You should be able to own yoursexuality, but not be a slut.
You should be all these shoulds.
Yeah.
That it's very hard to walk thisline and not mess up in some
way.
(15:12):
And it's this constant, voice ofwhat we should be doing.
And so I say throw the shouldsuitcase to the side and look at
what you feels good for you,what you want to do, what brings
you joy, and lean more fullyinto that, even if it goes
against the shoulds.
Tea (15:28):
Amen.
I think we don't listen to thoseshoulds.
I like to not listen to otherpeople and just do what I like
to do.
And I have felt more fulfilledthan ever.
Yes.
Don't listen to the judgmentalwhatever.
You should.
You should, you shall no girl,don't talk to me like that.
Beverly (15:44):
Men have created a world of business that they,
that somehow has trickled towomen.
Women don't do business the sameway as men.
No.
And it's okay that we don't runa business the same way that we
don't start it the same way thatwe like.
It's okay.
And I love that you gave somestatistics about how women can
run a business more profitably,faster, more sustainably.
(16:06):
But I feel like men have not onpurpose.
I love men.
Don't get me wrong.
Men, don't come for me please.
But I feel like we've lived in asociety that has given us so
much of what was done before.
That's what we're supposed to donow, but we don't have to do it
that way.
And I tell my clients all thetime.
You can design the exactbusiness that works for you and
for your life.
And it's not about hustle.
(16:26):
It's not about balance.
It's about what works for you.
It does might not work for me,but it works for you.
You create it.
You can be intentional aboutyour time.
If you understand what works foryou, then build it around that.
Yeah.
I remember a time where, we hada foster child who we adopted,
and I was home alone.
My husband was at training forsix weeks.
I don't get maternity leave as abusiness owner, like that
(16:49):
doesn't happen.
Yeah.
A solopreneur like, haha, that'sa good one.
So I had him on my shoulder at3:00 AM writing proposals like,
you do what you need to do.
And that was what I needed to doat the time.
And there were many, manymeeting where he was crying.
I had to pick him up.
He was in the meeting.
I was still a very smartbusiness woman.
I happened to have a baby on myshoulder and so you can design,
(17:12):
and my clients, the ones that Ilove, were part of that.
And they never, ever oncethought, oh, she's not a good
business person, or she's not agood marketer.
They were like, good for her.
Like she's able to bring herbaby, do the thing like you can
create, look at her.
Go.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Those are the kind of people Iwanted to work with.
So it was like that experience.
Drew the other moms to mybusiness, it drew other people
(17:34):
like me struggling with the samethings because I was living it
It's freeing and liberating whenyou can do the things that
actually make you happy, whatyou need to do.
Tea (17:44):
There is no path that works for everybody.
Everybody's path is differentand if you try to fit yourself
into a box, you're gonna cut offparts of yourself.
Beverly (17:53):
And it's a too small of a box.
I don't wanna be in the box.
The box is the wrong shape andthe wrong size.
Yes.
Yes.
Probably isn't pinky pink and itdoesn't have sparkles.
And I want all the things yes.
Okay, I'm gonna wave the one andI'm going to talk to Tea.
What would 18-year-old Tea thinkof Tea now?
What would she say to you?
Tea (18:10):
She'd say, whoa.
She'd be like, yes, finally18-year-old me would be very
happy with me.
She'd be very proud of me.
She'd be like, you're still inTennessee.
But other than that, she'd belike, this is the greatest.
Your life is amazing.
I never saw where I was going.
I always knew that I would findmy way, but I felt very limited
(18:34):
in saying, this is what I'mgonna do, because I didn't know.
I had never seen it done before.
And I think I've found it beinga founder.
Being a healthcare founder,helping people.
It's not like I invented thislittle cool gizmo, like I
invented this cool medicaldevice that's like changing
people's lives and helping them.
(18:56):
And yeah.
Other than still living inTennessee, I love Tennessee, but
I was born and raised here.
I've been here my whole life.
I thought I'd be somewhere elseby now, but and I will be
eventually when the time isright.
But I have invested intoTennessee, and Tennessee has
invested into me, and I havegreat friends and it's a good
place for me to grow my businessright now.
She'd be really happy with me.
(19:17):
She'd be really proud.
She might be like, where is myboyfriend?
Weren't we gonna marry him?
But she'd be happy to know thatI have a cat.
I love my cat.
I always wanted a cat when I wasyounger, but I couldn't have
one.
And now I'm living my life.
And I live alone and I have thisbeautiful place that has so much
random art on the walls and I amcooking delicious dinners.
(19:41):
And, I'm really enjoying my lifeand I think she'd be proud of
me.
Beverly (19:45):
How does it make you feel to have her be proud of
you?
Tea (19:48):
I don't wanna cry, but she's been through a lot.
She's been through and she willgo through more and I am at a
really good place right now.
And I know I'm gonna go throughbad things again, but I'm gonna
overcome them.
It is.
I do in some sense feel likeI've made it because I've built
a life that I am happy with.
Which is really nice becausemost of the time I'm like, oh, I
(20:09):
have such a long ways to go.
'Cause I've set these goals formyself that are like years in
advance.
And I'm like, oh, I can't waittill I get to that.
But I'm already like thinkingyou've given me the opportunity
to think, wow I made it18-year-old, Tea would say she's
made it.
Beverly (20:23):
We talk about this a lot in the podcast, that we are
notorious for moving thegoalposts on ourselves.
Oh yeah.
For successful high achievingwomen, we are like, okay, did it
next.
And not taking the time.
I ask a question in the magichat that says what is success to
you and have you achieved it?
And so many people are like,yeah.
It takes'em a second to actuallyacknowledge that they've
(20:44):
achieved something and they'reall badass, wonderful women.
You have built businesses anddone these things.
There should be no question.
Yeah.
But there is this side of usthat's, it's just never enough.
We have to do more.
And I'll tell you, as you growyour business, here's a bit of
advice from a little bit of anolder business person is I'm at
the point now where if I sell mybusiness, who am I outside of my
(21:05):
business?
Tea (21:06):
Oh yeah.
So you have to figure that out.
And be your own person.
Yeah.
Beverly (21:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
Like now you build this thingand it's amazing and it's just
so awesome and it's sointegrated into who you are.
And now how do you let it go?
And what does it look like foryou?
Letting it go.
So as I scale, and if I sell itor if I give it to my family, or
if I whatever, then who am I inthat
Tea (21:33):
I think I'm in a unique position where I've always
wanted to sell it.
I'm like, I'm building this tosell it.
And at this point I'm like maybeI can't find somebody who's
gonna keep it affordable andlike maybe I can't find somebody
who's gonna align with themission and the vision and the
values.
I think I will.
But I might have it longer thanI plan to.
But I've always wanted to sellit.
(21:54):
And my goal, I haven't thoughtabout who am I, but I have
thought about what I'm gonna do.
And what I'm gonna do is I'mgonna go see the world.
And I'm gonna travel and I'mgonna go live in this country
for the six months and in thiscountry for a few years and just
like experience all of thesedifferent cultures.
And that's my goal.
It's, helping people right now.
(22:16):
And it's always gonna be helpingpeople.
But it's helping people withMeta Flex and then getting to
invest in myself.
And I'm trying to also invest inmyself right now because that's
how you stop burnout.
And stay Resilient is doingthings that get you into your
flow state, doing things thatrelax you, doing things that
make you happy.
(22:36):
But I'm really excited to seewho Tea is gonna be once she
sells ATS will she be an artist?
Will she be a musician?
Is she gonna go back to thetheater?
Who knows.
I
Beverly (22:49):
love the uncertainty.
Entrepreneurs love to buildstuff, so you might build
something else.
I've got
Tea (22:53):
more ideas.
Yeah.
I already know the next thingI'm gonna do and I'm just trying
to stop myself from doing it.
But I'm probably gonna do itpretty soon because why not?
I gotta a good idea.
Somebody else is gonna have it.
I could do some real cool stuffwith it and make money from it.
Beverly (23:07):
So i'm gonna wave my wind.
We're gonna go way into thefuture.
Okay.
And we're gonna be.
Listening to your eulogy, and Iwould love for you to share with
me what you think the biggestimpact you will make on the
world that people will talkabout Tea and what she did while
she was here on earth.
Tea (23:23):
There's a lot of things I wanna do.
I wanna help people.
I wanna make a lot of money.
I wanna make a stupid amount ofmoney, and then I wanna build
hospitals and libraries.
I wanna build trains.
That's how you lift people outof poverty.
In Tennessee where I live,there's not enough public
transportation and people can'tget jobs that are over here
(23:45):
because their car, they have toget an oil change or they have
this$600 car repair.
Public transportation is gonnalift people in Tennessee out of
poverty and probably a lot ofother places in the world, and
it'll just make us all moreconnected.
I wanna help I just wanna leavean impact making the world a
better place.
And I think I can, I think withenough hard work, I can do it in
(24:07):
a large scale, so I just amtrying to impact as many people
as I can and have a really goodlasting impact.
Which is why I'm gonna buildthis business and I'm gonna
build another business and I'mprobably gonna build another
business.
And I'm gonna find a way to makea lot of money in a really
ethical and sustainable way sothat I can do things that I know
(24:27):
need to be done.
I feel a heavy sense ofresponsibility and I also wanna
have people around that love meand that I love and have a
really fulfilling personal lifetoo.
Beverly (24:39):
With that being said ,I'm gonna wave my wand and
we're gonna come back to presentday.
And I would love for Tea to talkabout what it means to be
wickedly branded to you.
How do you show up as Wickedlybranded?
And what advice would you giveto our listeners to be more
wickedly branded?
Tea (24:56):
I think it's showing up and presenting authentically and in
a way that you feel comfortableand proud of.
I recently brought on a brandmanager and she's really smart.
And she's got a journalismbackground and she's a great
storyteller and she doesmarketing and she has an eye for
things.
And so she's helping me acceptall of these dreams that I have
(25:18):
of myself, of Tea is so cool andTea is smart, and Tea is kind,
and Tea is fashionable and Teais stylish.
And how do we confidently bethat person?
Because it's easy for me with mypast to make myself small, to
fit into places and to makemyself less, to make other
(25:40):
people comfortable.
And I am practicing lovingmyself and showing up in a way
that makes me feel good.
It's learning for me right now.
I'm practicing, I'm paying mytuition.
Beverly (25:53):
So what advice would you give to our listeners to be
more wickedly branded, do youthink?
Tea (25:58):
In my practice I think you find when you feel your best,
and that's can be hard to do,especially if you're a woman
'cause you're hormones and every28 days, like every day you were
feeling different.
But what outfit did I reallylike twirl around in, what was I
wearing when I couldn't stopstaring at myself in the mirror?
(26:19):
That's the lipstick I need towear when I do this thing.
And it's choosing and allowingyourself to feel good.
And when you feel good.
You perform better and you caninspire people and pull people
to you and you're more magneticand you're just like happier and
living your life in a reallyhappy way.
(26:40):
So I'd say just pay attention tothe way you feel when you dress
this way or speak that way, orare doing that activity.
And chase the things that makeyou feel good.
Beverly (26:51):
Yeah.
That's the clarity part.
When you're in the thing thatmakes you feel good, like you
are magic.
You are magic.
I love that so much.
Tea, this was so good.
Where can listeners connect withyou and your work?
Learn more about all theinventions you have that are
coming soon.
And if I need it right now,where do I buy this glove?
Tea (27:13):
I've got all the answers.
You can find me on LinkedIn.
Follow me.
I'm also on Instagram, I finallymade a public facing Instagram
where I can talk to everybody.
So find me.
It's like Tea s Phillips.
And then for Meta Flex.
Meta Flex has an Instagram, it'sMeta Flex glove on Instagram and
(27:33):
Facebook and TikTok.
If you wanna buy gloves, it'smeta flex glove.com.
That's M-E-T-A-F-L-E-Xglove.com.
Sign up for our email newsletterand you'll know when new
products are launching.
You'll get exclusive discountsand you'll stay up to date on
all of the news.
So definitely our email list isthe place to be.
(27:56):
We've got educational contentthat comes out there.
We give discounts on theproduct, and you're the first to
know and be able to purchase anynew thing that I launched.
And we have a history of sellingout, you really wanna be one of
the first to know.
Beverly (28:10):
Good.
This has been so fun, Tea.
Thank you so much.
Tea (28:13):
Thank you.
I've loved being here.
This is so fun.
Beverly.
Beverly (28:16):
This has been an incredible conversation and to
my listeners, I really hope thatthis episode, lit a little bit
of a fire in you and gave yousome new ideas and a way to be
more mindful, to get in theflow, to give yourself more
grace when you show up to makemistakes.
But most of all, I hope you areinspired to take some action.
The next step, the next thing,because here's what I think is
(28:37):
so important.
You matter.
Your message matters.
Your work matters, and the worldneeds to hear what you have to
say.
Marketing isn't just about.
Visibility.
It's about the impact thatyou're making.
And Tea is making some amazingimpact in the world.
It's about connecting with theright people.
That feels true to you.
So for me, it was those motherswho understood the baby on my
(28:59):
shoulder.
So keep showing up, keep sharingyour brilliance and keep making
magic in the world.
And hey, if you ever feel stuck,know that you don't have to do
this alone.
We're here to help you turn yourmarketing and your brand from a
spark into a wildfire.
But until next time, dare to bewickedly branded.
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