Ep. 55 with Brenda Brusegard | Founder, InformedTech - Reclaiming Your Hue

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Good morning, Brenda, Good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Kelly, how are you?
I'm doing great.
How are you?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
I am doing fantastic.
I am so thrilled to get startedwith this interview and have
our listeners hear more aboutBrenda and her journey into
entrepreneurship more aboutBrenda and her journey into
entrepreneurship.
But first, before we dive intoall of that, the meat and
potatoes I would love for you toshare with the listeners how it

(00:32):
is that the two of us areconnected.
Go Sure.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
So we have this connection that spans continents
now and pandemic challenges.
Yes.
So during COVID I was workingat an international school in
India and, like many people, Iwas essentially confined to my
home from March to October, andin India it was very extreme.

(00:58):
I couldn't leave my apartmentuntil about August.
I couldn't even walk outsidewith my dog.
It was very locked down.
So when we finally were able toget out, my husband and I
decided to go back to the US.
We're originally from theMinneapolis area, but we needed
a place to live and I didn'twant to stay in my parents'

(01:18):
basement.
So we ended up buying a houseand my brother-in-law, who's a
real estate agent, recommendedyou to help us with our mortgage
.
So we went through that process, which was complicated because
we were not employed full timein the US.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Right, but somehow we made it happen.
Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yes, it was.
I feel like it was a smallmiracle, but we got it done and
so that's great.
We saw we've got that house andit's fantastic.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, I do just want to take a hot second to walk the
listeners to through some ofthe challenges that we
encountered.
One we're spanning time zones,right, so there's the time
difference in like us being ableto communicate back and forth
one another, and I think we gotit down, we dialed it in.
However, that also came withcomplications of like you being

(02:17):
able to get documentation.
That was critical for us to beable to get in the underwriting
phase and have all of that takencare of, and that comes with
its own timeline.
So I mean, it was just theinternational component plus how
you guys were getting paid andthe manner of which like getting

(02:40):
that, that like cause it's notus dollars, right, it was there
was this conversion that neededto happen.
It was logistically like lookingback on that, I'm like for the
listeners, I'm no longer inmortgage, like if you've been
following the journey, I haven'tbeen in mortgage now for quite
some time a little less than ayear but I am just astounded at

(03:04):
the mortgage lenders that, likethat's their primary focus is
like people who are coming overand purchasing internet like on
an international scope.
It's it like it is a challenge,but like kudos to you guys that
was like my one.
We couldn't you for getting itdone.
We did it, we did it.

(03:26):
But what's so cool is like herewe are now and we are having
like.
What I loved is that you reachedout to me and thank you for
doing that when you were makingthis transition yourself, as you
saw that I had joined forceswith my husband and we
reconnected over zoom.
You shared your journey, Ishared my journey.

(03:48):
So let's pick up there and umand talk the listeners through,
like what came first for you,first and foremost, was it
entrepreneurship or was itmotherhood?
And then let's let's divefurther into it.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
Yeah, sure, so motherhood definitely came first
in my journey.
I spent the last 15 years ineducation as a librarian and
science teacher and a techperson, and this, like sequence,
has been significant becauseit's really informed how I am as

(04:25):
a mother and how I approachbusiness with empathy, with
patience and a focus on creatingsystems that allow for better
work life integration.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Ooh so good.
Thank you for elaborating onthat too, Cause I was going to
ask, hey, can you elaborate onthat?
Because I think that that's.
There's so many commonalitiesbetween, like, the world of
entrepreneurship, right, andthen how that applies to
motherhood.
And you're in this uniqueposition where, like, motherhood
came first right and you tooksome of what you had learned in

(05:00):
education being a librarian thetech part of it, the science
part of it and applied it tomotherhood.
But then how, how and whatyou're doing now.
So what is it that you aredoing now?

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Basically, I help women entrepreneurs manage their
tech stress and streamlinetheir processes so they can
scale their business and makemore money.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Okay, so we leaped right Like and that's my
apologies I like I kind ofleapfrogged over like this
humongous chunk of time, and soI think it was important for the
listeners to like understandwhat it is that you do now.
But let's, let's take a stepback.
So you had been in educationand how long you were in

(05:50):
education, for how long you mayhave mentioned it, but,
apologies, can you refresh mymemory?
15 years, okay, 15 years.
And when did your son arrive?

Speaker 2 (06:04):
Did your son arrive.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Two and a half years ago yeah, so two and a half
years ago, and you have beenoverseas for a good chunk of
time, so we had kind of filledthe listeners in on how it is
that we know one another.
You had made your trek frombeing in the international scope
back to the Twin Cities, butthen you went back

(06:31):
internationally, so can we givecontext to the listeners of what
that looked like?

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah, it's kind of confusing, but it's so cool.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Like I'm like living vicariously through you always.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yes, so about 11 years ago, I went to Ecuador.
First I was there for fouryears and then I moved to India,
and I was in India for a totalof six years, but two of those
years were online.
So even when we lived inMinneapolis, we were still
working in India, but also inreal time.

(07:23):
So I was working from 9 PM to 5AM.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Um, and then and now, uh, we live in Panama which is
so cool and and I'm sure likesuch a well, you tell me it
feels like it might be a starkdifference from that lifestyle
that you lived in in India towhat the lifestyle is now in

(07:47):
Panama.
Can you allude to it?

Speaker 2 (07:51):
yeah.
So India was very um, it wasit's complete opposite, I feel
what what my life here in Panamais like.
India is very busy, hustle,hustle and bustle, big city,
people everywhere, no space, nosidewalks.
It was hard actually.
We needed to leave Indiabecause it's not a great place

(08:12):
to raise small children.
We had to stay in our apartmentcomplex all the time.
To drive anywhere it would takean hour in traffic, so it just
wasn't what I wanted.
I wanted some more freedom, Iwanted grass, I want parks, and
I think this part of livingabroad really shapes your

(08:33):
perspective, and I have more ofthis global perspective and
appreciation for how otherpeople live 100% percent.

Speaker 1 (08:43):
Yeah, I mean, and and what's so cool, brenda, is like
you you're the first person whoI have had on that really is
like true international scope.
I've had an individual on fromCanada which I mean it is, it is
international, but it's Canada,you know and like.
So there's a lot ofcommonalities between the

(09:06):
lifestyle that's lived in Canadato the United States.
There are a lot of differences,but like when you go across the
pond and especially you know,like the India space, like wow,
I'm sure that the lifestyle isjust so different and how you

(09:26):
live your day-to-day you know,and and you, what's, what's fun
is like you had that perspectiveas what I like to call the
independent Brenda.
Right, like you and Matt weremarried, you were there together
, but you had this mindset oflike living in that, in that

(09:47):
realm, on an independent status,like you could kind of come and
go, go where you needed to,more freely than when you truly
were like pushed into motherhood.
Yeah, and it's just likeeverything just changes and I'm
sure it gets, it givesperspective to like the

(10:09):
lifestyle that's lived in Indiaand how motherhood is approached
too.
I would love for you to share alittle bit more about what you
saw in that scope and then howthat played into you becoming a
mother as well.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
Yeah, so I had to.
I needed a nanny, first of allbecause daycare is not really
like a thing in India.
Everybody has a nanny and theyou know your baby stays at home
.
So well, first of all, I waslucky enough because it's a
government regulation to havesix months paid maternity leave.
So I had the six months tospend with my son, which was

(10:53):
incredible, to bond.
But we brought a nanny onpretty early on I think a month
in because I wanted to have likea smoother transition to train
the nanny how I wanted to raisemy son, because it's different
how they treat babies there andkids in general, so I kind of
needed to ease her into how Iwanted to raise my son.

(11:18):
Um, babies there are like neverset down, they're always in
somebody's arms, for example,and I really wanted I have like
a Montessori type um belief thatyou know independence and they
I mean obviously not as asix-month-old doing things
himself right, at least he'slike not in somebody's arms all

(11:41):
the time.
Yeah, um, you know they do co-,co sleeping, so they they don't
have cribs and they co sleepfor a long time.
It's an approach and thatwasn't something that I wanted
for me.
So I know some people do that,which is fine.
It's just you know, it's apersonal choice.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, 100%, and neither good nor not good, it's
just, it's an approach and itseems to work for some people
and then for individuals like us, where we're like, I think that
that's we're going to try adifferent approach, and that is
allowing them to have their ownspace and us to have our own

(12:20):
space as well and create thatdivision.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
Another thing that's interesting there is that people
really feel like they can justtell you all these things about
how to be with your baby or howto how to be a mom, which, even
when I was pregnant, it was likeit was a lot, because women
that are pregnant in India theyare kind of they're treated like
queens, like you shouldn't belifting a finger, you should
barely be walking, um.

(12:51):
So that was very eye-opening.
And so when I was at workbecause I was working, um, and I
was in the library anytime Icarried like three books people
were like, can I help you?
Like, like, like no, I'm okay.
Like I can give you these threebooks.
Or in the lunch line it waslike a buffet with fruit.
I you wouldn't believe theamount of times where other

(13:14):
women told me that I shouldn'tbe eating pineapple and I was
like, cause they think that it'slike, doesn't it like kickstart
?

Speaker 1 (13:26):
the it's like it's supposed to up your body
temperature or something, hey,like a micro amount, I don't
know yeah, but how cool likeyou've got this really
interesting perspective of likethe massive differences between
what it looks like here in theStates and what it's like

(13:50):
internationally.
And and I am like mind blown atthe amount of time that was
provided for you to havematernity leave, like cause
that's.
That was a sore pain point forme in terms of the amount of
time that I was able to spendwith Maddie versus going back to

(14:14):
work, and the reality is isthat I was consistently checking
my email, even like within acouple days timeframe of Maddie
arriving, like that's in my.
For me personally, it wasn'thealthy.
Looking back on that.
It was mentally for me too muchof an overload.

(14:36):
But that's what it looks likehere in the States for
individuals, for entrepreneurs,for the mompreneurs of the world
, and so I am just like a bitenvious of this amount of time
and I've, I truth be told, I haddone some like digging into

(15:01):
like what does it look likearound the world for other
countries and their maternityleaves?
And it was just mind bogglingto me like the stark difference
between the United States andhow we as women are treated
versus other countries and andother parts of the world.

(15:21):
It's just so you know, and I'msure, like you said it, it
didn't come without its ownchallenges as well, in terms of
like when you were pregnant andall of this like unsolicited
advice that was being given toyou, and perhaps other
components of that too.
So can you speak to that,allude to that a little bit more

(15:43):
?

Speaker 2 (15:47):
that too.
So can you speak to that?
Allude to that a little bitmore?
Yeah, I like it was interestingto learn all of these like what
I kind of consider like oldwives tales, um, but I will say
that the support for the motherin India is huge.
Like the family comes together,they, they like do everything.
Now I didn't have a family, so,um, I mean a big family to come

(16:08):
take care of me, but normally,uh, you don't leave women.
The new moms don't leave thehouse for 40 days, like that is
like a standard.
You stay in the house, you'rewith the baby and everybody is
like taking care of you.

Speaker 1 (16:25):
So that that's kind of like how do you feel you saw
that play out in terms of, likethe, the different seasons of
lives, life that women and theirchildren and the families went
through after the fact, rightCause I'm sure, like you, had
been there for several years andso you saw all of all of that

(16:47):
around you.
How do you feel that perhapsbenefited?

Speaker 2 (16:56):
I think the support for the women is like it's so
strong that it's really powerfulto see, although I will say
that once you come back to work,there wasn't as much support.
There, for example, I mean, Iwas working in an organization
that employs mostly women.

(17:17):
There's constantly it was alarge school, so there's a.
There's always somebody onmaternity leave and like
somebody coming back and therewas no support for breastfeeding
.
Uh, when I came back, they toldme I said okay, where can I go
and pump?
They told me I could go to thenurse's office.

(17:38):
Now the nurse's office has likecurtains around the beds that
you can pull closed, but likethere's no private room or
anything, you're just likethere's like eight beds in there
with like curtains you can pullaround.
So the first time I went inthere to do it, the machine's
going and I can hear likeseven-year-olds being like
what's that noise?

Speaker 1 (17:58):
yeah, don't worry, just meet over at the pump.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
And I was like I can't do this, like I cannot,
like a seven year old could justopen the curtain right now.
Like I can't like I'm notrelaxed.
I'm not in the mental statethat I should be, so I really
had to like push for a room,which they finally did give me a
place that was more suitable.
But like I was just shockedthat there's no support, like

(18:28):
nobody had asked for that before, like I don't know, I was very
confused by the whole thing.

Speaker 1 (18:33):
But you.
But there were other women whowere nursing, Like when coming
back to work.
Yeah, that is.

Speaker 2 (18:40):
Yeah, I think they would go in the bathroom.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
Really interesting.
Yeah, that's.
That's fascinating the, thelength of time that is provided
for, that maternity leave andthe support and sort of this,
like bowing down to women asthey're pregnant and then after
the fact, but then that after,after is completely disregarded,

(19:07):
which is like if you, if you'regoing to take in the full
circle of like, all right, I'vegone through the labor, now I'm
staying home for maternity leave, I still want to continue to
nurse, and a lot of women try tonurse for as long as humanly
possible, which can be upwardsto a year plus, you know.

(19:28):
So it just, it completelydepends.
But really, really interesting,very interesting.
Now your son is two and a halfyears old, very close in age to
Maddie, like crazy close to theage of Maddie.
And so when, when did youdecide it's time to make a move?

(19:51):
And what?
What was the like decisionfactor for selecting Panama in
that environment?

Speaker 2 (20:02):
there's like a lot of factors that went into the
decision.
Um, well, we knew we wanted toget out of India because it
wasn't as family friendly as wewanted it to be, so that was
decision one.
Then it was a process of, okay,where are we going to go?
We go back to the states, butwe go to another country.
Um, we kind of really werefavoring somewhere with Spanish

(20:24):
speaking so that our son couldlearn Spanish.
Um, and so my husband startedapplying for jobs.
He's a administrator, he's inadministration now.
So I told him you know, whydon't you apply?
And I think I want to start myown company.
So, like, you get the job andwe'll go, based on what happens

(20:48):
with you.
So that's what happened.
He had lots of interviews andPanama just fit, but like,
checked all the boxes when hewas going through the process
Spanish speaking, really closeto home, same time zone, um,
cool.
So I think we talked about that?

Speaker 1 (21:07):
Yeah, I think we talked about that when we had
reconnected.
Um and I, I actually am like,wow, it's the same time zone,
but that makes sense at the sametime.
So, um, I, I wanna.
I caught that part where youmentioned I want to start a
business.

(21:28):
So was the business idea whatyou're doing now, or was it
something different?
At that time she said somethingelse for the listener, for
people who are listening,because we only have the audio,
she was shaking her head.
No, so, brenda, would you wouldyou mind sharing a little bit
more about, like initially, whatthat idea was and then how we

(21:52):
got to where we're at now?

Speaker 2 (21:56):
so my initial idea was I'm really I love technology
, integrating technology.
At my school.
I did lots of professionaldevelopment for the teachers and
everybody there and I wasreally into AI at at the school
I was at and helping shape thepolicy and get tools on board so
that we could work with it,with the students.

(22:18):
So I thought, okay, I can takethis and I can help other
schools and I could be like aconsultant for AI in education.
And as I started going intothat journey, I realized that
schools are really big andcomplicated and I had been

(22:40):
working in schools for 15 yearsand I know how big and
complicated they are and I justthought it takes forever for
anybody to change, to reallywant to change.
Um, and I wanted to be a changemaker, like I really wanted to
change lives, and the more Ithought about it, the more I

(23:02):
thought I don't think it's goingto work in education Like well
it's just a I need to do yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yeah, we had a pretty extensive conversation about
this and just to to refresh someof the listeners of what my my
past looks like like my mydegree is in elementary
education.
Looks like like my my degree isin elementary education and
here in the states that the theworld of education it's.
It's a beast and it's differenthere than it is in other

(23:33):
countries.
And still you have somebodythat is brenda, who has worked
in the education spaceinternationally, who's also
saying the same thing like it'sjust like.
Once you get into, like the, the, even the higher ed component
of it, trying to like breaksomething that's like, or, let

(23:58):
me back up, fix something thatis, in essence, broken and
implement something that trulycould help benefit the system,
benefit those who are workingwithin the system but, most
importantly, benefit thechildren, who are the reason

(24:20):
education is in place.
It's rearing of children, andso I feel like it's backwards.
It's like we're not actually asa world, considering first and
foremost the kids and the impactand then everything else around
it.
But I'm sure you can argue likethe systems, processes,

(24:41):
procedures, like, get that inplace first and have really good
systems, processes andprocedures first and then.
How does that go down?
What do you think?

Speaker 2 (24:56):
yeah, I think also one of the I'm.
You know, now that I'm out ofeducation, I'm sort of like
questioning everything, likewhat is the point?
Where is this all going?
What are we preparing studentsfor?
Because the world is changingand disciplinary knowledge used
to be king.
It used to be what you know,and it's changing.

(25:20):
As long as you know how toproblem solve and find the
information, you don't need toknow everything.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
it's more about skills and that's not what
students are assessed on andmeasured on okay, so a little
bit off the heels of what we'reactually focused on here for the
interview, but, you know,perhaps we can tie it in some
way, shape or form, as, as aprevious librarian, like that

(25:53):
was something that you primarilyfocused on.
Like librarians are the wealthof knowledge right, and so I.
So, for you, having been inthat position and where you're
at now and having this likestark realization and this like
aha epiphany of like what, whatis happening, and like how do

(26:19):
you see librarians?
Like the future of of thatwithin the education system,
like going, when do you foreseethat and what happens with them?

Speaker 2 (26:33):
So for years now, I mean, we've been saying that
digital citizenship skills inschools are really important,
like students using thecomputers responsibly and how
they're messaging people, likejust how to work with your
computer and along with that,it's how you're accessing

(26:55):
information, questioninginformation where it came from,
basically media literacy typeskills, and we're going to need
this even more in this new ageof information overload, like
there is information everywhereand it's exhausting to sift

(27:16):
through it.

Speaker 1 (27:17):
It truly is, and so, yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
I was just going to say, having these skills of
being able to cut out the noise,figure out what to focus on,
what to pay attention to, whoyou can trust Because now I mean
with AI and the images and theAI video, like being able to
figure out what is real and whatis not it's kind of crazy.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
It really is.
It's it's mind boggling to mejust in, in what I have seen and
the evolution, even within thelast year, of those like digital
images that AI has been able tocreate Like.
At first I was like, oh okay,this is just not going to cut,
it's not going to cut it.
And now you know, even in avery short period of time and

(28:08):
progression, of how AI is likeevolving, I'm like I wouldn't, I
would not have even been ableto tell.
And even with video, even withvideo, it is just, it's crazy
cool, but it's crazy scary atthe same time too.

(28:29):
I'm sure that there's a warningin all of this as well.
But let's get back to Brenda,and where you were at with
initially making the transitionto Panama, wanting to start your
own business, tackle theeducation system, realizing

(28:49):
that's just not going to cut it.
And so let's, let's pick up atthat point, and then I'll bridge
over to what it is that you'redoing now and really dive
headfirst into that.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
So I started working um on a contract basis with an
ed tech company that I reallyliked and it's a very small
company, like they don't reallyeven have a marketing department
and I was helping them withsales of their product in the
K-12 space.
And that was a contract job.

(29:24):
I didn't want it to be full timebecause I knew I wanted to
start consulting, but I kind ofneeded to dip my toes into the
business side of a businessbecause I've always been in
education, which is different.
I've been on, like, the buyingside but not the selling side,
and I needed to hone thoseskills and learn.

(29:44):
And so through that position Irealized because it's such a
small company and they didn'thave the funds to like hire more
people that I needed to makethe job there more efficient by
streamlining processes andimplementing systems using

(30:05):
leveraging AI where I could tohelp me get things done that
were, quite frankly, timeconsuming and not money making
activities.
So I'm talking like email ormaking presentations or videos
and just trying to get thingsrunning on its own versus me

(30:30):
having to like do everything.
So I started exploring how Icould do this at that job and
then through that I streamlineda lot of things.
And I thought and I startedtalking to friends and family
about like what I was doingthere, and everybody was like,
oh my gosh, can you help mefamily about like what I was
doing there?

Speaker 1 (30:49):
and everybody was like oh my gosh, can you help me
?

Speaker 2 (30:51):
and so that's how the idea came, because I just was
like doing it anyway for peopleand like giving them ideas or
sparking ideas for how theycould use technology or AI more
in their life in personal lifeor in their business life and

(31:11):
every single person was likethis is so helpful.
Thank you so much, and I justrealized I wanted to help more
people.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
And you've niched down even more so since the last
time that we connected Cause I.
I feel like at at that point,and that was only like earlier
this year, not too long ago,like less than four months ago,
where you were like I want tohelp you know, small businesses,
I believe, is what you and now,yeah, each down even more,

(31:43):
which is cool.
It can be super scary to nichedown, but I don't think people
understand that in doing so, youcan get so clear in your
messaging to people, that is,women, about how you can help
serve them.
So what?
What caused the change for you?

Speaker 2 (32:06):
I just realized that I've been sitting in lots of you
know, tech trainings andmeetings about tools and
webinars and it's all men.
It's all men and I was justlike, where technology is?
A lot of men, the male heavyposition.
Tech sales is heavy with men.

(32:28):
I was just at a conference thislast weekend and it was 90% men
and I just thought to myself Ireally want to work with women
because women business ownerswe're amazing.
Like, not only are we runningthe family, you're also running
a business, and I want to bringclarity to women and to help

(32:53):
them streamline so that they canjust be even more awesome and
not have to look at their phoneafter 5pm.
Like because you know thingsare still running in the
background without you having topay attention to it.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
How cool is that and I'm sure that there is some like
going off for individuals whoare listening right now, like
that's me.
That is seriously me.
Like I, I run the household,I'm the CEO, I'm the CEO of my
household.
I'm sure you're the CEO of yourhousehold, like I know, being

(33:31):
the C.
So it's, it's a load.
You know, you really thinkabout the load that we as women
carry, and it is not to diminishor dismiss the load that men
carry too, because if they aretruly like the CFOs or like the
heads of the households, thenthat's, that's a load too, and I

(33:54):
mean it in in both a positiveand then also, like you know,
it's heavy Sometimes.
It's a heavy, heavy thing tocarry, but if you can get
coefficient in the streamliningof, like what does everything
look like, from chores tomanaging household tasks, to

(34:17):
what you're doing within yourbusiness, amen, hallelujah, yes,
yes, yes, you know it's like wewill, we'll take that and we'll
run with it as as, as quicklyas we can, and so I love that
you have one.

(34:37):
It really came out of likerecognition of this tech space
that it is heavily maledominated, and I think of a few
people that I've come acrosshere in the Twin Cities who are
in that tech space, who I'm likeunheard of Right, and we have
this dialogue of like that'sunheard of and they're even
saying like yes, it is, and yetthey're still able to make you

(35:02):
know waves for themselves andkind of pave this pathway for
themselves to help support in away that otherwise you wouldn't
initially get from a, from a manthat is, it's just a kind of
touch that you can get from,from working with somebody who

(35:24):
perhaps is just a little bitmore nurturing or has a firm
understanding of, like the loadas women that we carry.
Knowing that there is this ideaof like managing the household
as the CEO, but then alsoworking in a business and
managing the business as well,it's wild, it's crazy.

(35:45):
This is a, this is a phenomenonand a dynamic that we can
certainly explore.
So let's do it.
I want to, I want to go throughthis, because talk myself and
talk the listeners through likewhat that looks, the dynamic of
that, what it looks like for youin your household and then in
making this transition into yourbusiness, into being a

(36:09):
mompreneur.
What has it all looked like orhow has it shifted for you as
well?

Speaker 2 (36:17):
In terms of.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
In terms of like.
So you nodded your head like,yes, I'm the CEO of the
household, right, but then youalso are now managing a business
.
Like what does that dynamiclook like?

Speaker 2 (36:31):
yep.
Well.
So one thing is boundaries,yeah, needed in both the
household life with my two and ahalf year old as well as in the
business.
So, like I said, said you know,checking email after 5pm.
I don't want to do that and Idon't have notifications for

(36:56):
email on my phone.
I can only get to it if Ipurposefully click on the app,
like I have email but I don'twant to be prompted, because if
you get the ding, if you get thenotification, you're going to
look at it, but if you don't getthe notification you don't
think about it, unless you'relike waiting for an email and

(37:18):
then, whatever, you open the app, but I'm out of sight, out of
mind.
I love that.
So, making sure to set up theseboundaries and being
intentional about what do you,what do you want in your
business, what do you want inyour home life, and then working

(37:42):
every day towards that, thosegoals, doing small things, what
can I do today to get to thislarger goal?
And I write down in a notebookevery morning like what am I
going to do to get to this othergoal today?

Speaker 1 (38:01):
It's so fascinating.
I can literally like look backand see, even from moments ago,
when we were talking about beingin education, versus what we're
talking about now, and how youreyes light up, how you've

(38:21):
perked up a little bit more, andso this is important.
It really is.
I was just re-listening to theepisode that's going to be
dropping this next Tuesday and,interestingly enough, we were
talking about this intersectionof like being passionate about
what you do and having like it'sthe evidence is so clear.

(38:45):
Like I'm so passionate aboutwhat I'm doing, I'm setting my
goals and stuff.
But having boundaries is soimportant too, because if you're
one of your goals is to be ableto spend quality time with your
family which I'm just readingin between the lines, brenda,
like I'm reading in between thelines of that that that's

(39:05):
probably something that's prettyimportant for you.
Like, if one of your goals isto be able to spend more quality
time with your family, then youhave to have boundaries set up
no matter how passionate you areabout what it is that you're
doing.
Those boundaries are still veryimportant, but I love seeing you

(39:26):
light up, because I talk a loton the podcast and with guests
about, like, what's your aim,where are you aiming at?
Like, what are your selfguiding principles?
Like, what's that overhead foryou?
And if, if you're setting yourgoals and you've got the passion
and the drive behind it, it'shard for business to not follow

(39:53):
so long as you've got theboundaries and the parameters
set up in place.
And what's so cool is now youare in the space capitalizing
and utilizing AI, which ishelping so many people to be
more efficient, even down tolike.
I'll give an example of how I'm,you know like, even down to

(40:16):
like, how I'm responding in anemail to have it sound a little
bit more polished, just a littlebit more polished.
Like, have it sound like me,but just polish it up, you know
like.
And the efficiency of thatcommunication, like, if you're
not using AI, you're missing out, you're leaving money on the

(40:43):
table.
So I love seeing you light upin terms of like this, this area
of working on something thatyou know is so beneficial for
women women in business butbeneficial for you because it,

(41:04):
like you're a woman in business,helps your business, but it
helps you in your home life andthat CEO of the household too.
Like the proficiency, theefficiency, I love it.
So let's talk through like whathave your what's your guiding
principles looked like throughall of this?

Speaker 2 (41:26):
Um, so like there's sort of three things that I
would say that are overarching,like the core of like who I am.
One is global connection.
I've always loved traveling,you know, going different places
, learning, like when you travelyou learn so much, and I've

(41:47):
just learned a lot and I love it.
Every trip is a learningexperience and I want my child
to see the world asinterconnected and diverse and I
want to approach business thesame way, se different

(42:09):
perspectives being open-minded.
So one of the first pillars isglobal connection.
The second is technology hasjust always been my thing.
I love.
You know, when the iPads cameout and I was in education, I

(42:30):
loved, like playing with newapps and like being the go-to
teacher to like show otherteachers different apps and
stuff, and I love evaluatingtechnology to figure out is this
really serving me and thenfiguring out if it's not finding
something else that will servemy needs better Awesome.

(42:52):
And then the third pillar iscontinuous learning and
education.
Like I, like I said, I love, Ilove reading, I love learning, I
love talking to people, andthen I like to share the
information as well, because Iwant to help other people.

Speaker 1 (43:11):
It's so evident that that's the case, and we'll be
sure to drop in the show noteshow people can get connected to
you, but what I want to refer tois what you're doing on social
media at the current moment,which is that educating of like
ways to implement AI to allowthis proficiency and the

(43:34):
efficiency in day-to-dayroutines.
The last one that I saw waslike packing your travel bag and
how quickly you were able to dothat because of utilizing AI.
I was like, oh my word, I don'ttravel that often, so that's
like not applicable.
But in those moments wheretravel has been a thing like the

(43:58):
time that has been spentpacking, thinking, wondering
what's the weather going to belike else?
Do I need to pack?
Am I missing something?
Did I pack this?
Like, oh my gosh, it's like ittakes a lot of brain power for
me and it's it really is amentally exhausting process, and

(44:22):
so when I saw that, I was like,oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
I will be sure, especially getting kids packing
their bags.

Speaker 1 (44:35):
Yeah, it's just that adds just another mental load
onto that.
But, you know, I think it's socool that you're taking a piece
of your past that is educationand kerplunking it on top of
what you're doing now, and it'sso cool to see that coming
through with what you're doingon social media and and

(44:56):
educating.
And so I want to talk throughlike what has that education
piece look like?
Like the importance of that andpeople to understand how AI can
truly support them.
Like that education piece, liketying that into, like why it's

(45:17):
important for people as well.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
So I think one of the things is, with AI, it's not
necessarily about the tool, it'sabout problem solving.
So you need to have theseskills to first of all, identify
that you have a problem.
I think that's step one.
Like people actually don'trealize they have problems that

(45:43):
could be solved, Like you don'tin your mind think it's a
problem.
So you need to like have thisskill of being able to realize
that this could be better.
Like packing my suitcase.
Like it shouldn't take me, itshouldn't even take me an hour
to pack my suitcase.
This is something that you know.

(46:05):
I go on a weekend trip.
It should, it should take 10minutes.
There should be a system therein place where I know everything
I need to pack.
I can, I can.
I can even speak to the AI andsay you know I can document
everything I'm going to packtoday, and then when I come back
, I tell that I can also go backinto the thread and say

(46:26):
everything I didn't use or whatwas I missing, and then the next
time I pack, it's like done,like I just have the list.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
Yeah it takes no time yeah, yeah.
So you've created a system.
That's one you can make it likeit's already efficient, but
going back for the next goaround whether it be travel or
something else in business youcan go back to it and go, uh,

(46:56):
here's, here's what I've learned.
Is didn't work, or am I missinganything here?
And it can just keep.
You know, like all I can thinkabout is like just making things
better, like narrowing it down,like funneling it down so much
that it's just so precise inthat, so it's so cool, I you

(47:17):
know.
One thing that I do want tostart to weave into this
conversation is what it haslooked like in in starting the
business.
You've got a toddler, I've gota toddler.
I know how busy body toddlersare, and so talk me through,

(47:40):
talk the listeners through, theshift over to living in Panama.
What does that look like interms of like care?
Do you have him going todaycare?
Is he staying home with you?
How does that kind ofintermingle with how you're
operating your business?
Talk us through that.

Speaker 2 (47:57):
Yeah, so we, I do have a nanny here in Panama.
Anybody that's had a toddlerknows it's really hard to get
any work done when the toddler'sat your feet.
So thankfully, you know, we, wedo have a nanny here.
So she comes and she's here allday and then leaves around 430

(48:23):
or five around the same time myhusband gets home, around the
same time my husband gets home.
So that support has been huge.
But I will say like, so I havemoved.
This is my third country thatI've moved, and creating this
like village again, likestarting over everything, is a

(48:45):
lot, I mean new.
You know, you have to figureout where to go to the doctor,
you have to figure out transport, where you're going to live,
and friends and a nanny, andit's just there's so much.
And then on top of that, thistime around I decided to start a
company that I've.

(49:05):
You know I've never owned abusiness before, so that was
even more change.
It's kind of crazy.

Speaker 1 (49:12):
Yeah, it is.
You've got, you have twodifferent panel windows that are
operating right now, right Likeyou're transitioning into this
new environment and we're goingto go back and reference again
the you know, being CEO or headof the CEO of the household and
you it's you're in charge of,kind of creating this like

(49:35):
environment for all of you, sothat there's just like
cohesiveness, and so workingthrough that also working
through everything with businessas well, and then like having
time for yourself too yeah youknow that's yeah it.

(50:00):
It is a lot, and so, you know,one of the prevailing questions
that is coming to mind for me islike what has what has the
harmonization of that looks likefor you, having some time to
yourself, keeping thecohesiveness?
I'm asking a couple differentquestions, so I'll let you kind

(50:20):
of unpack as you see fit, brenda, but like time for yourself.
You've started a business whereyou help other women be
efficient and proficient withtheir businesses.
How are you taking what you'relearning and applying it to what

(50:41):
you're doing in your day to dayas well?
And I do think somehow that cankind of play into that self
care.
So let's let's start with thatlast question and then maybe see
how we can fit that intoself-care for yourself.

Speaker 2 (51:12):
I love learning and so I have to remember that I
should just learn through myclients and what they need.
And so every time that I workwith somebody, they they have,
you know, different problems intheir business that they'd like
to streamline or just makebetter.
And then I think about wefigured, we worked through that
and I think about how I, how Icould apply this to my business,
or if I need to apply it to mybusiness so that I can scale.

(51:36):
Because recently I had a clientwhere I helped them optimize I
helped her optimize her intakeform on her website so that she
could get more follow-ups onleads, because the follow-up was
not happening before, like theywould get one email and then
basically forgotten about andnot reached out to again.

(51:57):
And if you know sales, you haveto reach out multiple times
usually to actually make thesale yeah.
so once we got some of thesesystems in place in her business
, she started getting way moreclients and now drowning in
emails and because she has somany clients which is a whole

(52:19):
other issue to tackle.
So once we like solve one thing,it's like OK, now we have to
move on to the next thing tosolve.
Once we like solve one thing,it's like okay, now we have to
move on to the next thing tosolve.
So I have worked with finding asolution to this email problem
and you know, you don't knowthat things out there even exist

(52:42):
.
So I have found a solution forher that will label every single
email that comes inautomatically and draft a reply
based on all her previous emails, because this is actually a
she's a lawyer and so you don'twant ai to just like search the
open internet for an answer.
It needs to be about, it needsto be trained on her previous

(53:06):
emails and replies that she'swritten to other people so that
it doesn't give the wronginformation.
So, anyway, it drafts the emailand, it's incredible, it drafts
it immediately and leaves it ondraft.
So you still have the power tosend and edit, but like having
things labeled like needs areply or important, and then

(53:28):
having the reply already donefor you just have to open it,
read it, send.

Speaker 1 (53:34):
It's incredible it's so incredible.
It it's so incredible like I amperplexed right now, but so
fascinated at the same time, andand it you know I've I've been
in the loop of chat GPT, forinstance, because I know that

(53:54):
there's so many other AIplatforms out there, but chat
GPT, like several years I'veknown about that, using for
probably a year and a halfmyself.
I'm using for probably a yearand a half myself, more so now

(54:18):
than ever, probably multipletimes a day, right, but like I
don't think I've ever gone tothis like email is.
Email is like a prevailingissue for me.
Like so I this is triggering mea little bit.
Like I'm like I want that.
Like I want that, yeah, and soit's.

(54:38):
It's really cool.
It's cool for you to likerealize this nice little loop
that's happening for you as well.
Like you're you're seeing howit's it's happening for you as
well.
Like you're you're seeing howit's impacting other people for
their businesses and that theefficiency like I'm sorry that I
keep repeating that wordeveryone, but like that is the

(55:01):
best way to to put this, tolabel it as like efficiency and
then being able to come fullcircle and go ah, but I can do
that in my business too, andlet's just kind of keep this
really beautiful circle going.
Okay, so you, you, you did areally nice job of answering

(55:22):
that, but I want to dive deeper.
Like let's talk about that.
I cannot help, but like thinkyou've recognized that there's a
way to utilize AI to ask someof these questions of, like what
could self-care look like forme?
Like how can I be better?
I know you've talked aboutboundaries as well, but like,

(55:45):
let's really dive into like whatdoes self-care look like for
Brenda in all of this?
How, how have you like put Idon't want to say put yourself
first, but like, for lack ofbetter words, I'm just going to
use that because I do think thatfilling our cup as women, as
mothers, like understanding wewear all of these other hats,

(56:08):
but like, how are we focusing onKelly, brenda, you know, go
down the list of women.

Speaker 2 (56:17):
Yeah, so for me it's the morning time.
Um evenings I'm too tired tofocus on myself.
You know, it's very drainingfull day.
So the morning is the bestbecause my husband leaves, he
goes to work the nanny's hereearly and I go out, I take the

(56:38):
dog for a walk that's when I canlisten to my podcasts, and then
, you know, I make my coffee andthen I get ready for the day
and I write in my my journal thegoals, like I had said, and
what I'm going to do today toget to those goals.

(56:59):
So, and that is for me, theself care, is this morning
routine.

Speaker 1 (57:07):
I'm with you, sister.
The the morning for me is likemission critical and I can tell
like if even 15 minutes of thattime is shaved off, it does, and
it's not like it completelyderails the rest of my day, but
it certainly has an impact.
Like I'm very rigid anddisciplined about what that

(57:30):
morning routine looks like forme, and so it's really
interesting how impactful thatcan be to set the tone for the
rest of the day.
I love it.
It's so cool.
I like to call it the bookends.
Like what does your morningroutine, what does your evening
routine look like?
And I hear you.

(57:50):
I hear you when you say, likethe evenings I'm just drained.
You're like trying to put thetoddler down for bed and then,
like, oh, my word.
So yeah, I completely understandthat.
Now we've talked a little bit,kind of briefed on, on, you know

(58:12):
, your support, the supportnetwork.
It's obviously beinginternationally, like you've got
family here in the States, youdo not have family there, so
you're really relying on yourhusband and your child to seek
that support, but like what hasthe support and that village
looked like for you?

(58:34):
as you've, you know, created afoundation for yourself there in
Panama, but then extensivelytoo, like you know, as you
extend and I can imagine thatyou know parents' support might
be there as well as much ashumanly possible.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
So let's talk through that support might be there as
well, as much as humanlypossible.
So let's talk through that.
Yeah, so it's a little bit.
It can be a bit isolating,especially this year, because
I'm not in a school and usuallythe school is like that's your
community.
There's other teachers there,you can relate to them, they're
going through all the same stuffas you and I in the library.

(59:13):
People are coming all day longand I can chit, chat and, you
know, make these connections,but that none of that is
happening this year because I'mat home.
So I've discovered some othergroups through Facebook and
there's also this WhatsApp,which is like the way that

(59:34):
people communicate outside ofthe US.
I feel like it's like notreally used in the US, but
everybody outside is likeWhatsApp and WhatsApp groups.
So I've made connectionsthrough there to women and
mothers and that has helped.
I will say that, being globalnow and having those connections

(01:00:01):
with people in Asia, I lovethat I can text somebody at any
time of the day.
Any time of the day there'salways somebody awake.
And that was really helpful forme when, at two in the morning
when I was feeding my son youknow, as a new mom, I could text
home and people would reply, orif it was you know, vice versa.

(01:00:25):
Like I just had connection 24seven because of the time zones.
Yeah, that's always somebody Icould message.

Speaker 1 (01:00:35):
Yeah, that's so cool.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
And even now.

Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
I do love, though, that you are intentional, Like
you have been intentional, aboutgoing.
I know that in making thistransition, it's been hard,
right, Like that in in goinginto a new environment.
There's already so much that istaking a mental load on you and
that is like okay, the travelfrom India to Panama, getting

(01:01:02):
stuff from India to Panama, it'sso.
It's like such a mental loadhaving a toddler in the mix of
all of that.
What do travel plans look like?
Where are we going to live?
What is that environment goingto look like?
How do we ensure that we're ina safe area?
You know it's like it's such amental load on you, but, yeah, I

(01:01:24):
can imagine that incrediblychallenging, but that you didn't
go into this state of likevictimhood by any stretch of the
imagination, which can be easyto do when under a stressful
situation like moving, butmoving internationally adds a
whole other layer of complexionto it, and so you were so

(01:01:48):
intentional about going.
I understand how important itis knowing that I'm not in an
environment that supports likelike building a community.
Working from home is sodifferent.
You are, you're confined toyour own space, and so, unless
you're being intentional aboutgetting out there to meet other

(01:02:08):
people.
You're going to sit andruminate in your own thoughts,
which can be a very dangerousplace to be for some of us, and
so I love how you've beenintentional about getting on
those apps, using WhatsApp to beable to, like, get the
connectivity.
Have you found success in allof that too, Brenda?

Speaker 2 (01:02:33):
Yeah, I mean, um, I've there's a group of women
that have we've connected, um,they're all, most of them own
their own businesses here inPanama and live here, um, and
we've met up quite a few times.
We have like this little group,and I'm hosting a barbecue in

(01:02:54):
like a week with a bunch of thewomen, so I feel like that's a
big success.
That group that has formed, andthat formed recently, like it
wasn't like I found I don't know.
We all sort of found each otherat the same time.
It was kind, kind ofinteresting.
We were all looking how wefound each other.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
No, it's so cool.
I mean I you know, in justlistening to my podcast up until
this point, I, like faith issuch an important component to
me and so I like to take thoseinstances as like little God
winks, like that I don't thinkanything doesn't happen for a

(01:03:35):
reason Like I don't think thatthere's coincidences by any
stretch of the imagination,that's just who I am.
I've found that that's actuallya strength of mine, and doing
the strength finders and havingan analysis of that it's a
strength of mine.
So I'm going to embrace it inthis moment and go.
That is.
It's so cool that, like, againgoing back to that

(01:03:56):
intentionality of understanding,I can't just sit here and work
from home and not be aroundother people outside of my
husband and my and my son.
I need to get out there, I needto put myself out there.
I need to put myself out therein a completely new environment
where there isn't any like warm,like connection or thread of

(01:04:21):
connection from anybody else.
It's so cool and that takes alot of courage, and so I just
want to commend you in thismoment for having the courage
and intentionality.
So I just want to commend youin this moment for having the
courage and intentionality.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
I mean.
Making friends as an adult ishard, Like it's hard.
You usually find friendsbecause you're, you know, at
ECFE together or something, butlike I don't have that, so where
am I going to find friends?

Speaker 1 (01:04:50):
What's cool is technology has been such an
integral part of that.
Using an app like WhatsApp hasbeen integral in being able to
make that connection.
And now look, what's beingbuilt from that is you've got
this community of women who arein very, very similar positions

(01:05:11):
right, like they own businesses.
I'm certain that a lot of themare mothers themselves.
So these mompreneurs, whothere's so much relatability and
then building on that communityand going, hey, come on over,
let's have, let's have abarbecue, let's you know, have
some drinks together, whateverthat looks like for that

(01:05:32):
particular environment, and andlet's just talk and connect.
It's so cool, I love it.
I love it.
Well, I think we have, we'vecovered so much ground.
We're not quite done yet, butwe're going to start to land the
plane, as I like to say, and soone of my questions that I'd

(01:05:52):
like to ask you as we are doingso is who would be like a really
good connection for you rightnow?
And it could be just on apersonal note or it could be.
You know, like I'm.
This is what I'm focusing on inconnection for my business.

Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
I'm looking to connect with women that would
like to up their technology gamein their business.
Love to just have aconversation like zero
commitment.
Love just helping peoplebrainstorm.
I think, like I had mentionedbefore, people a lot of times

(01:06:32):
don't realize that things couldbe better.
Like you, just kind of put upwith it because you don't know
that there are solutions outthere.
Totally so anybody that feelslike they want to have more
boundaries with their businessbecause technology can help with

(01:06:54):
that, so that's, that's thebiggest one.

Speaker 1 (01:07:01):
I love it.
It's a really nice ask as well,so I appreciate it.
You know, something that I justcame to mind is I would like to
, I would like to take anopportunity right now to
actually go a little bit deep inin terms of like through all of
this I can imagine just in, inmaking a transition and then

(01:07:26):
living on an international scope.
It's probably come with a fairshare of amazing, amazing
moments and complete ups orpeaks, as I like to say, but it,
it, it has had to have comewith some of its valleys as well
, and so are you willing toshare maybe this moment in time

(01:07:48):
that was particularlychallenging for you and how you
worked through that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:55):
Yeah.
So I would say one of my darkestmoments was when I was eight
months pregnant in India.
It was just before the schoolyear was going to end and I had
a conversation with my male bossabout my position that I was
going to be coming back to aftermy six month maternity leave,

(01:08:17):
because I gave birth during thesummer when school was closed,
and then I was going to bereturning to work in January
after the holiday break and hetold me they'd hired someone to
cover my role during my absence.
He told me they'd hired someoneto cover my role during my
absence and this person would bestaying on when I returned in
January.
But I was sort of readingbetween the lines and that meant

(01:08:39):
that my job could be eliminatedat the end of the school year
and I was still going to bestaying one more year in India
because of my husband's job.
So when I expressed concern,his response totally stunned me
and what he told me was mostwomen don't come back from

(01:09:01):
maternity leave to their jobs,like he's basically preparing
for me to quit.
And when I assured him that Iwould be returning, he said I'm
sorry, but you're not a mom yetand you don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:09:19):
Fascinating.

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
He also go ahead what you go ahead.
I was going to say.
He also was coming to Indiafrom working in Europe where
women get up to three yearsleave, so not all of that is
paid, but I think a lot of womentake that and so they tell you

(01:09:43):
they're going to come back andthen they take their unpaid
leave.
So I think that was sort of hisbackground.
But like I was shocked andfloored that he said that to me
and the head of HR was sittingthere and she didn't say
anything.

Speaker 1 (01:09:58):
The assumptiveness that was taken and I mean I
can't fault him right, becausehe's just learning from the
experiences that he's gonethrough, right.
But I do think, wow, quiteassumptive for you to to take
that stance, to take thatapproach, and especially with a

(01:10:19):
woman who is originally from theUnited States and again, not,
it's not like a great mindset tolike take a stance on, but like
, coming from the states wherewe we work ourselves to death
sometimes, like, yeah, buddy, I,I understand that perhaps

(01:10:40):
you've been burned in the past,but I want, like there's,
there's a desire here and thereis something fair about like
when we become moms, there is amental shift.
We just fundamentally change aswomen.
But at the same time, at thesame time, that assumptiveness

(01:11:03):
is never fair, it isn't like.
So that is tough, that's anincredibly tough place,
especially when you are bankingon a financial position to be in
place and now you sort of feellike the rug's been pulled out
from underneath you.

Speaker 2 (01:11:24):
Yeah, so I the fear and uncertainty around that that
was at the end of May, the fearand uncertainty around that
that was at the end of May Then.
And then I just had to notthink about it.
I had to like compartmentalize,like I had such fear and
uncertainty about my job at theend of the next school year that
I couldn't even think about it,and that really changed my

(01:11:50):
perspective on employment, likeI previously.
You feel secure in your job andyou that's part of the reason
why you work for someone is thissecurity.
And then, when that's gone, Irealized if I was going to face

(01:12:11):
this uncertainty anyway, I'drather it be on my own terms.
And that's really when Irealized that I wanted to be my
own boss and take control of myown professional destiny,
especially as a mother.

Speaker 1 (01:12:27):
So the itch to become an entrepreneur really, really
probably started even beforeyour son was born.

Speaker 2 (01:12:35):
But yeah, that conversation really changed me.

Speaker 1 (01:12:41):
How incredible.
But also, again, with with nothaving the certainty of what
having a position could looklike just is unnerving,
completely unnerving.
Having a position could looklike just is unnerving,
completely unnerving.
I'm sure many, many women whoare listening right now can, can
relate in some way, shape orform of what that has looked
like, because so many haveactually come from an

(01:13:02):
environment of a corporatesetting and you know the there's
so many women who I've had onthat corporate environment is
women who I've had on thatcorporate environment is a
little, it's a bit sticky rightand so it's tough when you go on
maternity leave and, dependingon what industry you're in, it

(01:13:22):
can shift and change, whichmeans your position is maybe no
longer available.
And I think about what we gothrough just in terms of, like,
the changes with our body, thehormonal changes that are
happening, you know, goingthrough that labor and delivery,

(01:13:46):
and then you know you again,your world just fundamentally
changes the second that yourchild is set on you, you know,
or that you're able to hold them.
It's things perspective,perspective changes, like you
understand, you just become likesomething's something bigger is
happening than just me myselfand I, or me and my husband, or

(01:14:10):
me and my significant other,like something bigger is
happening and and when you alsohave, you know, uncertainty
about financial security as well, oof.
So I'm sure that the listenersare dying to know like what did
that?

Speaker 2 (01:14:36):
to know, like, what did that?
What did the story pan out to?
Look like it was.
Uh, there was no clarity for avery long time.
Um, at one point I got called inon my maternity leave in
November and the the man told methat I'd be going to the other
school and be the librarian atthis other campus that the
school had, which I was prettyupset about because I had been

(01:14:57):
building this library program atmy school for five years and
they were just wanted to, like,transfer me, like it felt like
they wanted to throw me away.
That might make sense, like Ididn't.
It was like I don't.
Clearly you don't understandwhat I've done here with the
library program.
Um, you don't know what it waslike before I came, because this

(01:15:20):
was a newer um male in the role, like he.
He hadn't been there since Istarted, like he came in later,
so I felt that made me feelreally icky, that I could just
be tossed aside, but it was, butI.
But yet I could tell he me feelreally icky that I could just
be tossed aside, but it was, butI.
But yet I could tell he wantedme to be grateful that I still
had a job.
So that was really hard.

(01:15:40):
And the person that came in tohelp during the maternity leave
she actually went to that manand said I'm not going to take
her job.
So, yeah, she stuck up for me.
She said, if it needs to be,then I'm not going to work here

(01:16:02):
anymore.
She was ready to give up herjob, but at the end of the day
it got worked out and they keptus on both the next year and
then I left.
Look at that, but without herstanding up for me.

Speaker 1 (01:16:17):
I mean that was really incredible that somebody
would give up their job that shetotally advocated for you,
knowing the the hard work andthe dedication that you had put
into building what they had inplace there in the library space
, and I mean that's like it.

(01:16:39):
You just don't hear of thathappening all too often, and so
what an incredible journey thatyou, that you experienced
through all of that, I'm surethat it was.
It was peace of mind and somuch like profound appreciation
for that.

Speaker 2 (01:16:57):
That woman and her stepping up yeah, that took that
took her as well yeah, it tooka long time for that whole
situation to sort of be resolved.
So I would say it took almost ayear, from that May until the
next year in May, for everythingto be like I get to stay in my

(01:17:20):
job, because it was like a lotof back and forth.

Speaker 1 (01:17:23):
Yeah, holy cannoli, that's again unnerving to be in
a circumstance like that and andfeel this uncertainty of, like,
what could happen.
You know yeah so, but it all, itall worked itself out, and
again I like to to do this.
You know, like, hey, that's alittle bit of a god wink, but at

(01:17:44):
the same time, brenda, I amjust floored that you had this,
this nudge that happened to youand so, very early on, began
this thought process of likedoesn't have to be like this.
It doesn't have to look likeconsistently being in this
position of feeling unnerved orthat having this uncertainty.

(01:18:06):
Like I'm going to create youknow, entrepreneurship comes
with uncertainty Like you'rereally stepping out there,
you're taking a leap of faithand so the courage to do so.
Like you're created, you'regoing into an uncertain place to
try to create more certaintyfor yourself in the long term

(01:18:26):
and it to build it.
Yeah, it really does.
But it first takes this leap offaith, and so I commend you,
for, you know, sometimes it justtakes working through some of
that ick in order to come out onthe other side and go, no more,
I'm gonna do this, or making it, you know, making a transition

(01:18:48):
to a different part of the world, for your eyes to be completely
open and go, yep, now's thetime, now's the time for me to
do this.
So thank you for thank you foryour vulnerability and sharing
that.
Um, that that certainly iscompletely a relatable
circumstance, though it looks alittle bit different, you know,
a little bit shade of coloringfrom one person to the other in

(01:19:12):
terms of uncertainty andfinancial stability.
So, all right, now we're goingto start to land the plane.
What is a piece of advice thatyou would give a younger version
of yourself, knowing all thatyou know to date?

Speaker 2 (01:19:38):
I'd tell my younger self that the global perspective
you're gaining through theseinternational moves is going to
become your superpower.
The challenges of rebuildingsupport systems and adapting to
new environments are actuallypreparing you for
entrepreneurship in ways youcan't see yet.
I'd also say trust yourinstinct and simplify.

(01:20:05):
In technology, in business, inlife.
I mean.
Going through theseinternational moves, I've had to
, like, get rid of so much stuff.
You know, like, what do Iactually need?
Do I need this thing?
And that the passion you havefor learning and sharing

(01:20:27):
knowledge is not just a personalinterest.
It's going to become thefoundation of how you help
others transform theirbusinesses.

Speaker 1 (01:20:37):
Beautifully stated.

Speaker 2 (01:20:39):
And then and then, finally, I tell my version of my
younger self when someone triesto put you in a box or tell you
what you will or won't do as amother, stand firm in your own
knowing.
You understand yourself betterthan anyone else ever will.

Speaker 1 (01:20:59):
Mic drop oh good, I was like, oh my gosh, that's so
good, so amazing.
Thank you for sharing that youryounger version of yourself is
applauding right now.
I'm applauding for you.

Speaker 2 (01:21:19):
Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:21:20):
Now how about a piece of advice you would give a
woman right now?
That's nibbling on the edges ofentrepreneurship nibbling on

(01:21:41):
the edges of entrepreneurship.

Speaker 2 (01:21:41):
Oh boy, I would say go for it and make progress,
take steps, take action.
And so like this, this thingthat I do every day with writing
down a big goal and what I'mgoing to do today, just start
with that, Like, what do youwant to do maybe a year from now
?
Like what do you want in life,Because you're not going to get

(01:22:03):
anywhere without knowing whereyou want to be.
Like you cannot make steps togo there unless you actually
have an idea of what you want.
And what you want might changebased on steps you take.
But taking action and makingsteps on a daily basis is what

(01:22:23):
you should focus on love it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:27):
And for those of you who are listening, just go for
it.
I feel like every, every singlewoman that I have asked that
question of has has just alwaysbeen like, literally they're
like, oh boy, and then it alsobecomes so crystal clear like,
just do it.

(01:22:47):
You know, it's like I like to,I like to say it like Nike
slogan just do it, just go forit.
But also understand thatthere's like actionable steps
that can go to that and it'sjust taking those little baby
steps, and sometimes it requirestaking a little bit bigger step
or that bigger leap of faith,but just taking, you know, small

(01:23:08):
, little actionable steps atfirst, whatever your comfort
zone is.
You'll thank yourself later.
Your younger, the youngerversion of you, looking at all
of it, is going to go.
Thank you, thank you so much.
Just do it.

Speaker 2 (01:23:24):
Yeah, it's.
It's really easy to get stuckin a like self-critical state
where you're like, oh, thisisn't good enough.
Or you know, I've worked withbusiness owners about their
websites.
You know like, oh, I'm waiting,I'm waiting, I want to fix this
, I want to fix that.
And it's like just put it outthere and fix it later, like

(01:23:45):
right, like just release it andthen, and then iterate so good
and a true testament to whatthey, what you're doing and how
you're supporting people too.

Speaker 1 (01:23:57):
You're kind of giving them the little like tough love
, the nice little nudge likejust whatever, who cares?
Like nobody really is going togive you know a lickety split
about like little nuances withyour website, like you're going
to look back on that and justtotally regret not doing it
sooner rather than later.
So, brenda, thank you so much.

(01:24:19):
I have appreciated doing thisreconnection and knowing that
you're in Panama.
Just it's so cool.
I love it.
I'm so happy for you and takingthat leap of faith for yourself
and what you're doing and howyou're supporting women in this
tech space.
That it's just it's it'sevolving and changing at such a

(01:24:39):
rapid pace and for you to be atthe forefront of that and be
able to like kind of filter thatfor people and put it into like
layman's terms so that they cancreate this, you know,
simplicity for themselves andthe efficiency.
It's just incredible and it'sso, so needed.
So thank you for spearheadingthat and and being at the

(01:25:03):
forefront of that.
How can people get connected?

Speaker 2 (01:25:08):
so I have my website, which is informedtechio.
I have my LinkedIn, which isBrenda Bruzegard, which will be
in the show notes, becausethat's too complicated to spell,
and then I think it's simple,but I also, I just let them
click.
And then I also have anInstagram that I've recently

(01:25:31):
started.
It's called AI by Brenda.
And you can find me there.

Speaker 1 (01:25:36):
You know we alluded to like one of your recent posts
about the travel hacks, right,like hacking your travel, and in

(01:25:56):
creating simplicity with thatand doing that so in like 10
minutes or less, packing isincredible, so like that, and
having that as like a quickreference point is so cool.
So I would highly highlyrecommend for any of the
listeners right now who justwant some like tips and tricks
on simple ways to implement AIinto what you're doing, even on

(01:26:21):
a day-to-day basis, personally,but then on the professional
side as well.
But we'll be sure to dropeverything into the show notes
so that if somebody is likeinterested in taking that a step
further, then they can.
They have access to yourwebsite, they can get connected
to you on LinkedIn and then takethe next steps to have a
conversation with you.
So, brenda, so good to see you.

(01:26:45):
I hope that barbecue goes wellwith all of the women who are
going to be coming over.
Barbecue goes well with all ofthe women who are going to be
coming over.
Good for you for hosting.
I'm so, so happy for you and soglad that the women who are
listening right now have theopportunity to connect with you
further to really create thoseproficiencies and the

(01:27:06):
efficiencies in the business.

Speaker 2 (01:27:08):
Yeah, and I'm excited to connect.
I love it.

Speaker 1 (01:27:11):
I love it.
I hope you have a great rest ofthe day and we'll we'll
obviously stay connected.

Speaker 2 (01:27:17):
All right, sounds good.
Bye.

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Ep. 55 with Brenda Brusegard | Founder, InformedTech

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ep. 55 with Brenda Brusegard | Founder, InformedTech