BIRD WILLIAMS: You're listening to Bird Means Business Episode 70.

Hello, hello! And thank you for tuning into Bird Means Business podcast. I'm your host, Bird Williams and I am so excited to talk with you today about holistic business, holistic health, with my incredible friend, Dr. Lauren Collins. First I want to say this. Good on you for carving out some time in your super busy, maybe hectic day, to really think about your business holistically, and your health as well. Now, like I said I'm going to have the incredible Dr. Lauren Collins on the show, and she really brings it in this episode. Let me give you a little bit of background on her. So Dr. Lauren is a chiropractor, an entrepreneur, a birth advocate, a wife, and a mama to the sweetest little boy, Luca. He is just adorable. Dr. Lauren loves using her wisdom as a holistic doctor and her life experience as a working mama, to support women through their health and motherhood journeys. When she's not serving you can find her tending to her plant babies. I am jealous because mine just died. It's fine. And enjoying the little things like a great cup of coffee, a walk with her boys are just a good read. And y'all, that's exactly why I want to have her on the show. I believe she does such a fantastic job of really finding that harmony or rhythm between being an entrepreneur and a mom and juggling all the things. So we're gonna get into a lot of really great topics, and you are really in for a treat. Let's dive in. 

Lauren, I'm so glad to have you on the show. Thank you for joining us.

LAUREN COLLINS: Of course. I'm excited to be here and to share with you guys.  

BIRD: This is gonna be so much fun. I know that you're a chiropractor and a doula focused on holistic health and the well-being of all of us mamas out here. So I would love for you to tell all of those who are listening, the story of why you became a chiropractor and really just how you got to where you are today with your practice.

LAUREN: Yeah, so it's one of those super long stories that I'll just share kind of the highlight. And I'll start with really an undergrad, is when I first got exposed to chiropractic. I started as a dance major and I evolved into me Minoring in dance and getting an exercise science health promotion degree. And I really didn't like that degree, to be honest. So I was like okay I have to do something after this to kind of keep learning and figuring out what direction I want to go with my career. In part of that process, I did an internship at a multidisciplinary clinic, and there was a chiropractor there. And I had never been exposed to chiropractic really. But I liked that he worked independently and that he got to be hands-on with his patients. So that kind of piqued me. And then I actually ended up needing chiropractic care for myself with a dance injury that I had, so I was referred to a chiropractor, by actually my Pilates and contemporary dance teacher. And I healed up really quickly. I was like, this is amazing! So then that kind of sealed the deal of like okay, this is what I want to do. So that's how I followed the path into getting into school. And then, about halfway through school, we take like an OB-Gyn, women's health type class. And we talked a lot about the challenges within the maternal health care system and just kind of what the standard of care was, and I was shocked. I was like, what? Women are going through this like this is what the experience is like with pregnancy and kind of what's out there. And so that piqued my interest with prenatal and postpartum pediatric care, and at that point, I decided I would really focus all of my specialized training on that. So I got my Webster certification, which is a prenatal adjusting certification, while I was still in school. I got my Doula training when I was in school so that kind of led me down the path to really getting focused on serving like women and small kids, and as they say, the rest is history.

BIRD: Amazing! Wow, what a journey. And tell me about what it was like, actually going into business for yourself. So after you left school and you decided okay, I'm gonna do this. What did all of that look like?

LAUREN: And so I had a lot of passion, and a lot of determination to stay within that focus that I wanted to have in my practice. And I ran into a lot of challenges with that one because honestly there just weren't jobs in that focus. So, the few places that I knew of because I was in Houston at the time. The few places that I knew of, I reached out and I was like, hey do you guys need an associate doctor, and there were no openings. So I was like okay I'll just interview for what I can find. And I interviewed at a sports place. I interviewed, like a high-volume place. I think it was like The Joint or somewhere like that. And I wasn't a good fit for what they needed, and the practices weren't really a good fit for what my skills and my passions were. So, with a little, you know, passion and just being naive and kind of like, I can do this. I'll just start my own. I decided to start because I didn't want to work outside of my field or just wait around and not work waiting for a job to open up. So I graduated in April. I got licensed in July. And I opened my practice in September. 

BIRD: Wow!

LAUREN: I hadn't even had a full-time job. My jobs had been in the fitness industry and dance because of my background. So I taught dance classes. I taught barre. But you know it's not like I had a corporate job where I kind of knew a little bit about business or how things are structured. I was literally flying by the seat of my pants. And I had a few thousand dollars saved up from when I was in school. And I had a $10,000 micro loan, and a $5,000 credit card. And that's what I started my practice with.

BIRD: I love it! Look at that. Wow, that's amazing. I didn't even know that about your journey.

LAUREN: Yeah, I wouldn't recommend that to anybody out there listening. Don't do that. But you know I had spent at this point, eight years in school. So I was like, I worked hard for this degree. Like I really love what I do, I just want to jump in. So, in retrospect, I could have taken a different path or maybe had a little bit more patience with how I started up and it would have been fine. But at the same time, I bootstrapped it and made it work and I've learned a lot along the way that those lessons are really still helping me out today now that I have more experience.

BIRD: Wow, that's incredible. And I salute you because you basically were in a situation where you're like, I could go and do some completely different jobs, or do something that I'm not as passionate about, or I don't feel as purposed to do. Or I can like look around and see what I do have. And though it's risky and scary, and maybe a little cray-cray. I'm gonna just go out there and make it happen. I know when we launched The League, we read this book. I can't remember the author. But it was called, "Everything to Gain, Nothing to Lose", or something like that. And that's kind of where we were at 25, or however old we were 26, 27. Like, we don't have a whole lot to lose. Yes, of course, there's the financial consideration, right? And that's something you want to be wise about. But it's like we really felt like this is something we could do well with, and we can pay back debt. And it was like, let's go for it. And it's easier in my opinion, to do those kinds of things when you are young and you don't have like a mortgage or kids and all the things. Not to say that anyone listening, if you do have that, then you can't, you know, pursue your dreams. But it's even more risky. You do have more to lose. So I relate with that part of your story for sure.

LAUREN: Yeah, we were in the same place for sure. Because I think I was, actually it might have been right at the same. I was 26 and my husband was 27, and we just had an apartment. We didn't have a car note. Super old, paid-off car. We were sharing one car at the time which, that's another story for another day. And we were like, alright, you know, I'm just going to go for it. And I have to credit my husband because he was working a corporate job at the time, and was super supportive. And I'm pretty sure we paid my rent for my office for like a couple months using like his Christmas bonus one year, which he didn't love. But we made it happen, so.

BIRD: Wow that speaks so much to support too. I did a Instagram story today where I like zoomed in on Terry using my computer to do some, answer some... Actually honestly he was just getting back to some tough reviews we got that were like super unfair reviews. People are kind of really nervous about things opening back up and coming back to the gym. Anyway, not to get sidetracked. But I zoomed in on him saying like he's just the best business partner ever. I can't imagine doing this without him. And even though your husband isn't in business with you at the office. Having that marital support, having that support from a family member, maybe it's even if someone's listening, a roommate or a friend. Like that is huge because entrepreneurship is hard, and lonely, and challenging. And so when you feel like you're all alone, it just exacerbates all of that. So I love that he was able to even take his precious bonus and say, for you girl. I'm gonna support you. Awesome, I love it.

Well, I want to know what holistic health means to you. And when I saw that on your Instagram bio, I resonated because I preach holistic business practices as well. So kind of just tell me what you think of when you think of holistic health.

LAUREN: Yeah, I definitely think about looking at the whole person and not even necessarily as it relates to your physical health and your habits, right? So, I think a lot of times we think about holistic health, in a sense, your nutrition, and your fitness, and your mental, emotional health. Those things. But also you want to consider your environment. What's going on in your life? What different stages and growth and challenges might be going on, just in your life in general? All of those things affect your health. I think there's a lot of similarities between holistic health and holistic business actually because I think with business we think about the numbers. We think about the profit. We think about the operations, the systems, like kind of all of the nuts and bolts of business. But then, your business is going to affect your relationships. It's going to affect your actual personal health and well-being, so you have to consider those factors as well. And I think the same is true of our health as it relates to our lives and our bodies as well so the physical things are super important too. How you're resting, how you're moving, what your nutrition is. But also, you know, how are your relationships? How's your spiritual life? How is your mental emotional health? Are you going through any big changes in your life that you know your body might be experiencing a higher level of stress and having to adapt to? So taking a look at all of those different aspects of our health is what being holistic means to me.

BIRD: Oh I love that so much. And like you said, it's getting out of the box of what you think health might be, even as it relates to your physical health. And that's what I think of when I think about a chiropractor or a doula. You were my first chiropractor, you know when you were here in Houston. And it blew my mind that, oh wow, I had had my first son. I was pregnant with my second when I was seeing you. And like, oh wow, actually going to a chiropractor can help me have an easier birth. I had him in like four hours. And I know you were doing all kinds of adjustments. So again, not just thinking about, am I eating the right foods and drinking enough water or getting enough rest. It's also like what are other acupuncture or other types of health options that I have, that might be a little bit out of the box. And same goes for a doula. I have natural births. And so I was introduced to this concept of a doula when I started having kids. And it's so foreign to so many people and I get so many questions about having natural birth and home birth. And it's amazing because I think so many people would actually really resonate with it and enjoy a home birth or that natural birth process. They just don't really know about it. So it's education and it's kind of stepping out and like, you know, learning and kind of putting yourself out there. But I love that you believe that, but then you also practice it in what you do.

LAUREN: Yeah, when you were saying that it made me think about how I think in our society we've kind of moved into a place where there's a lot of emphasis on individualism. So, that can be, whether it's with business. Like you're the business owner, you're figuring it out. You're doing all the things. But you know I know something that you're big on, and that you talk a lot about on the podcast is things like securing your money team. Like yes, you're an amazing CEO, but who's your attorney? Who's your accountant? Do you have a coach? All these people that are part of your village as it relates to your business. And I think in our health, that's the beauty of having support people like your doula. Having like your chiropractor or your acupuncturist or whoever's helping you, because there's a different type of teamwork and guidance. And I want my patients to look at me that way, like, not only am I going to guide them when it comes to like their lifestyle and ways that they can be supporting their health outside of the office. But also with the hands-on approach. You know, I'm sure you've had those times where you're like, okay, I've tried to stretch it out. Like I've tried to do foam rolls and things like that, but I just need help trying to create more balance in my body. And so I get to be that hands-on facilitator. And although we think a lot of times of things like chiropractic care and acupuncture and all of these things as more alternative. Realistically, they're more traditional methods of healing, because that is what we've had. Like we had midwives. Obviously, Chinese medicine has been around for centuries. So there's all these modalities and methods of health and healing that we're returning to because I think we're finding that, hey, just having that more detached kind of conversation versus having that hands-on support and not holistic support or us being in a place where we feel like we have to figure it out alone and do all the things alone. It's just not really working well for us. That more community center type of care, hands-on holistic care, I really think it's key to us being able to move forward to be healthier and religious whole as people. 

BIRD: Oh, it's so beautiful. And I agree with you on the individualism versus the communal approach. I was actually listening to Michelle Obama's podcast. Have you listened to it?

LAUREN: I haven't yet.

BIRD: Oh my gosh I'm just like bingeing all the episodes. And I'm going to go back and listen to them all again because I just love her voice and I just love her and her topics are amazing. And it's all about relationships, key relationships in your life. And she talked about that. I think it was the one with her and Barrack where they talk about how society used to be much more communal and we've gone to this individualism and how toxic it can really be. And I can see that as you said, in our health. Like, you know, I might get super fit myself and run these marathons and do it all myself, but not get the support I need from different practitioners, and how they are harmful. Same way in our businesses, you know. Like I'm CEO. I mean I can't tell you how many strategy sessions that I've had with entrepreneurs who are holding on so tight to their business and so afraid of even just getting a CPA. 

LAUREN: That's so interesting, cause I'm like, if I had the money, I would be outsourcing everything under the sun. I'm like, I'm just gonna do these handful of things that just take care of my patients, and we'll just work collaboratively with the rest of my team to do everything else because I'd rather not.

BIRD: That would be goals, right? And I thought the money piece that was the hindrance for people of course it is, for some. But for a lot, it's just I'm nervous to give someone my numbers. I don't know if I can trust them. Or there was another client I had who had had been done really wrong by an agent, and she's just like, I don't want to get an agent. I don't wanna get an attorney or anything like an agent. I'm just gonna do it myself. But she's literally looking at these brand partnership agreements herself. And I'm like, no! I know it's hard and I know it requires so much trust, but you got to try again sometimes. So anyway yes, we are on the same page when it comes to holistic health and holistic business and I think it's just a really good thing for any entrepreneur out there to like really think about.

LAUREN: Yeah.

BIRD: So we're talking to entrepreneurs who are trying to, I know it's called sometimes like work-life balance. I call it more of like harmony. I actually did a podcast episode called the beautiful dance of entrepreneurship because it's much more like a dance to me than any real balance. It's never perfectly equal. It's more of like, how are you moving and glowing and through this entire journey. But in your mind, how could business owners create some of that harmony between work and life and really prioritize our well-being? And I ask you this question because I feel like you do it really well. I was actually talking with another entrepreneur about this, I forget who it was, we were talking about how amazing your Instagram page is and how much we love you. And we were like she just does a really good job of it seems like taking care of yourself, investing in your well being, as well as, you know, being a business owner. So what would you share there?

LAUREN: Well, I'll start by saying this. I feel like I do it too well sometimes. I'm like, I'm too relaxed. I need to like, I need to press on the gas a little bit. But I think, especially in the season I'm in right now, with being a newer mom, and I'm just now getting to the point where my baby is now a toddler. So he's a little bit more independent and he's in school. So I'm in a season of transition where I can in some areas, press on the gas a little bit more. But in general, I have learned to create boundaries for my work. And you know you have access to your work at any time because so much of what we're doing is digital. So it's emails. It's invoicing. It's checking in on your social media. You have the opportunity to access your work 24/7. So something I did recently, was to take the notifications off of my email on my phone because I'm one of those people that I hate seeing the flags on my email. So I was like checking it like crazy. So I took those off, so that would help me be more firm with only checking my email at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day instead of checking it literally 24/7, all throughout the day. So, small things like that. I set boundaries around that. And really well, again, I don't do this perfectly. But my mindset has been a huge part of it. So I mentioned to you, I think when we're having an email conversation actually about how I have a coach that helps me more with kind of big picture and fitting my business into my life, instead of the other way around. Like making my life kind of run around the business. And it helps me think about how my life in the business has to evolve based on whatever season I'm in. So, when I was pregnant, my patient load and what I was really focused on. That wasn't a really good time for me to be focused on growth. I was focused on, you know, slowing down a little bit, taking care of my body more. Whereas, once I got back, and finally had a little more support, then when it comes to regular childcare, then I was able to focus a little bit more on the growth and just mentally understanding that there are different seasons and we kind of have to ebb and flow with it, versus feeling like every season is one for growth. Like I'm going to be hustling all the time. I'm gonna be working on my systems, constantly tweaking, or whatever it is that you're working on in your business. I've learned to really let the rhythm of my life help to guide the rhythm of my business as well. So I don't feel like I'm getting to a place of burnout or I'm not meeting these places of friction because my actions are bumping up against those boundaries that I've created around my business and what how I'm using my time and resources.

BIRD: Oh that is beautiful and powerful and oh so real on this point of what you're talking about. It's something that I've, I've really tried to figure out. And I've been hearing more messages about it, so it's really top of mind about this seasonality of life, right? It's something that I've always kind of preached. But the reality is there will be seasons as a business owner that are like non-stop, right? And then there will be seasons that don't have to be like that. Someone was asking me. I forget. It was a young lady and DMs on Instagram. Like, it's just so amazing, you run multiple businesses and on and on. And I basically had to explain that the only reason I could even have another business is because The League is a well-oiled machine. My first business, I don't have to be there for it. I maybe do three hours a week for stuff at The League. I could not have launched other businesses if it weren't in that place. And so it's just understanding that that season, when we launched The League, the first year, year and a half, I mean it was nonstop, right? And we would have the resources, the time, and the energy to do that. I don't have that now. I could not launch The League the same way right now that I could in all these things. So it's really understanding the season that you're in. And like you're saying, be okay with what you can and can't do, and allow it to kind of ebb and flow in that way. And I am very convicted by what you said on the email notifications, Girl when I tell you I incessantly check my email. 

LAUREN: Like it makes me itch, like just the flag. To see that flag, I'm like let me get that off. 

BIRD: Yes, if there is a red bubble on any of my apps, it must be removed. So I didn't even think about taking the notifications off. I would try to turn my phone upside down and put it across the room and stuff like that. But I might try removing the notifications. It gives me a little bit of anxiety. 

LAUREN: Cause you can still check it if you have a minute that you're like, you know what, let me go ahead and just check them from my phone because this is convenient for me. But there's not like that like you're saying that anxiety of like, oh I hate seeing this flag, like the numbers climbing up. So yeah.

I was gonna say something that I did want to mention, that you made me think of, and what you were saying about your business, The League, being a well-oiled machine at this point. I think a lot of times it's difficult for us to give ourselves permission to shift and to take that pause when we need it. And especially when it comes to that growth season. We don't have to always be pushing for the next thing because the next thing might not be appropriate when it comes to our other goals in life. But I think a lot of times that kind of more is more like we're wanting to continue to grow and grow. But it's okay to be like, hey, we're really killing it right now. Our systems are flowing. We're in a good place. And being okay with that, even if that's just temporarily so you can breathe and come up for air. Or so you can focus on your family. Or so you can get that next business going, or whatever it is, 

BIRD: Yes. Oh my goodness. I want to give a practical example to that. I had started to get lots of questions around being on Clubhouse. I don't know if you saw my posts about this.

LAUREN: I did.

BIRD: But everyone's asking, like are you on Clubhouse. Look clubhouse is awesome. There's so many business owners getting on it, growing their brands. It's a great tool. And basically, my response was, if I was in a place to have the capacity to do well at Clubhouse, to even try it and start building a brand presence there, I would be there. But like you said, I feel like I'm really crushing it with my systems, finally. I hired on a digital marketing assistant. Things are getting in a good rhythm. So for me to just abandon my plan to go jump on, you know, this other thing, when I don't really have the bandwidth for it. Like why? What we're doing is working really well. So to your point, like really asking yourself what season am I in? Is what I'm doing working? And not just feeling the need or the peer pressure, or the business pressure to do all the things because you can't do all the things well, right? And if entrepreneurs could just wrap their heads around, we have different resources in different stages. I look at some of these really big digital marketing powerhouses and I'm like, oh I would love to do that or that. But then I have to remind myself, they have a huge team, they have millions of dollars. The team is the biggest part, right? They have other people doing all these things, and it's okay. And I'll get there, maybe. You know like, we'll see what happens. But the point is, be grateful with where you are and to enjoy all these moments too because it'll fly by. You're gonna be like, those were the good old days when I was just building the business. 

So, for all the mamas who are tuning in, how would you say self-care looks to you as a mom, in business? I know there were a lot of changes that I made. I know that I'm still making changes and kind of figuring things out, as my kids are different ages. Like, you'll experience this. I have a two year old and a four year old now. The four year old - it's a different level of intensity, at least for me. But it's a lot easier. Even the other day Terry wanted to take a trip, and he was asking if he could be away. In the past, that kind of conversation might have been a little bit more tense. It could have maybe been more of an argument or a thing because now here I am home alone with the boys by myself, you know, for whatever. But now it's just like, yeah, you know, because they're so easy. I mean, of course, I'm pregnant, so there's that. A baby on the way. But I'm just telling you, it gets easier. So I started to think about how, as a mom, in business, things change, that's also seasonal. But what does self-care look like to you as you navigate that journey?

LAUREN: So, I'm in a stage where with my son, he's 18 months, so he's like getting a little bit of independence but he's still a baby. So pretty much when I am at home, I'm tending to him. We're watching his every move. We're just on until he goes to sleep. And because of his age, there's not a whole lot of independent play. I can't trust him to not like, find something extremely dangerous that I need to pry from his hands, or whatever the case may be. So I've learned to find small things throughout that contribute to my self-care. And also, putting it on the calendar. So, for me in the mornings I finally kind of nail down a morning routine. And it's super short. It's like 30 minutes. So, typically, I'll try to get up at about 6:30. And that 30 minutes is my time to get some movement in, do a meditation, have a glass of water. If I'm really lucky I get to drink my water and my coffee, depending on how well I use my time. And then after that, that next 30 minutes until he wakes up is making sure everything is loaded up in the car, ready for school, race, making breakfast, all that stuff. So even though it's just 30 minutes that's dedicated to me, it just kind of sets the tone for the rest of the day. Whereas in the past like before I had kids, it might be, you know I'm getting up in the morning, doing my morning routine, but then I'm able to take in an hour long fitness class. And I'm able to come home after work and sit right down and watch a TV show. I've just had to really maximize my time and focus on what activities will be the most fulfilling for me. So maybe I can't do the exercise class and sit and watch something funny on TV and do my morning routine where I'm doing a meditation or a devotion, whatever. So I had to kind of choose what makes the biggest impact, and just maximize my time to focus on the things with the most impact. Another thing that I do is I've scheduled that buffer time into my week. So, on Mondays, that's one of the benefits of being an entrepreneur right with having a little more flexibility with how you make your schedule function. So, Mondays, he goes to school but I don't see patients on Monday. And typically I do have to do errands, grocery shopping, maybe pick up around the house, things like that. But also have that time available where it's like if it was just a super long weekend or if I have a busy week ahead, then I know I can take a couple hours to just rest or to do something that I enjoy.

BIRD: Yeah. Oh, I love that so much. Having that buffer time and having like that CEO day or that day that you just focus on your business and not have clients. That's Monday for me as well. And the morning routine. I just want to point out that for me, before I really established what I mean the routine and whether yours is 20 minutes or an hour. Whatever it looks like. It's just the difference between waking up to my kids waking up. Like I would use their monitor, like hearing them over the monitor, as my alarm to get up. And I would literally like roll out of the bed grunting, like try to get up to them. It's a difference between that experience, and like them starting my day than me having some me time and centering myself, centering gratitude and stillness. And then being able to come to them as a fully woken mom, you know. So that was a huge thing for me when it comes to the morning routine. 

LAUREN: Yeah, I found myself getting snappy before I did that. Because like you said, it would just be like, I would hear Luca be awake. So then I would go get him and it's like the first thing I'm doing is responding to his needs, in the morning. And then it just doesn't stop until he goes to bed at night. 

BIRD: Exactly.

LAUREN: So, I was like okay. Even if it's just that 20 minutes for myself, I'm gonna check in with myself first. And then your mindset for the day is so much better.

BIRD: 1,000%. I could not agree more. So do you have any tips for new business owners in the health and wellness space? I know some might tune in, maybe they're a chiropractor or doula. Or they're just in the health and wellness space. Just for anyone starting out in that industry. What do you wish you would have known?

LAUREN: I wish I had known, just in general, more about the business side. So we spend a lot of time getting really good at the doctor side or, you know if you're just in another wellness space like whatever your craft or your expertise is. We get so much training in that and really, I won't say no business training, but very little business training. I didn't know the basics of how to create a budget, how to set my fees to make sure I was profitable according to what my expenses were. I didn't know any of that. So, whatever business training you can get, go for it. And specifically within chiropractic, I don't know if it's like this with other professions or like wellness arenas. Be open to getting that business advice and business guidance from people outside of your field, because a lot of the principles of business don't change. So it doesn't necessarily mean, oh I have to have a business coach or business teacher or a strategist who is in the chiropractic field. Ashley, with me working with you. You're not in my field, but, you know business. And a lot of those things are gonna ring true across different professions and different services and what have you. So that's number one. 

And I think the second thing would be to get really clear on who you're serving, and who your ideal client or clients are. And don't be afraid to really stick to that if you find that there's a need for that. You would be surprised how discouraged I was from seeing pregnant women. People were really like, oh, you're not gonna be able to build a successful practice like that. You know, you need to see everybody or you need to. I mean, I'm stubborn, so I ignored them. That never really bothered me. But I did have those moments where I second guessed myself, but it didn't keep me from building my practice around the populations and communities I wanted to serve. 

I know I said two things but I just thought of something else. And that is, again something I'm actively still working on. And that is charging for your services. Not only just, like, what the market rate maybe. But also the value and the experience that you bring. Because I think when you get in a health or wellness field. Most of us have a heart for just helping people and serving people. And it can just get kind of tricky, where we're like, I want to help everybody. I just want to serve. Especially if you have a skill that to you seems.. like I can adjust you anywhere. Like I can adjust you on the floor right now. Like I just need a hard surface, if that, and my hand. I can adjust you in the chair. Like anywhere. So sometimes I, even myself, can take for granted how many years, hours, literally hundreds of thousands of dollars I've spent. Certifications, all of it to get to the level of skill that I have. But to me, it's like, oh, you know, it's a quick adjustment it's just my hands. So sometimes we can discount everything we've put into it, and you know just that journey and the value that we're able to offer people. So just being firm with charging for your services. You're solving problems for people, meeting their needs in different ways. And as the practitioner, the business owner, you deserve to make a living, and to you know have that fair exchange for the services and products that you offer.

BIRD: Ooh yes, I could not agree more. And I think that I'm hearing that in a lot of different industries. I know I have a client who's in the nonprofit world, and she's having to deal with the same thing. They're kind of trained to think you just give, give, give, and then you get burnt out. And so she's trying to understand how to create a sustainable business model that she could really monetize. And there was another young lady. I can't think of right now, who was going through the same thing. So it's across industries that were having to struggle with. Yes, I could give you this information or do this adjustment or, you know give away something for free very easily. But man it took me so much to get here. And I have goals and dreams too. And really knowing what your value is and what people are willing to pay because it's like, for me right now as I'm 33, weeks pregnant, going to a chiropractor to help me have an easier homebirth. Yes, that's important to me. So, we have a think about the value we're giving to people, what it means to them as well. So I love that you brought that up. 

This has been such a fun conversation. I know we could talk all day. I admire you so much as a person, as a mom, as a businesswoman, as a wife. I know that we're always going back and forth in DMs about how similar we are, and our husbands. And it's so funny.

LAUREN: It's really, it's really crazy because even like thinking about with your birth. And I'm a home birth mom too. And I had a super fast labor too. And my husband was there supporting me. So there's so many different elements. And it's funny because, of course, like I know, I know your a chiropractor too. It's a small, small world. So we're like talking about you and I'm always like, I want to be like her when I grow up. Ashley's so amazing. You're gonna love her. So it's so funny to hear you say that about me because I look at you the same way. I'm like, Ashley is so dope. I'm gonna be like her.

BIRD: We literally had that conversation about you. We were literally like, she is goals. So, it is, just right back to you.

I really do admire you. And I'm so glad to have had you on the show, and I want people to connect with you. So what are the best ways for folks to connect with you online? I know you have a new podcast too. So I wanted to plug that. And you talk about your maternity. I'm sorry not your maternity. You talk about your morning routine in one of the episodes that I listened to and really love. So share about that and share about how people can connect with you online.

LAUREN: Yeah of course. So, the main home base for me online is my website. That's drlaurencollins.com. So pretty much anything you need to find is going to be there in terms of how to find my office, podcast episodes, and I also have some old blog posts archived there as well. So that's going to be the main place. Also, you can listen to my podcast, The Multifaceted Mama on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and also pretty much anywhere that you get your podcasts. And my chiropractic practice is aboundchiro.com. So if you are local to me and DFW and you want to check out the office, that is a great place to go to just learn about what I offer, and to check out my services. So yeah, those are the best places to get in touch. 

BIRD: Awesome! I will link all of that in the show notes so if you're tuning in, you can just scroll right on down to the episode description and click to connect with the amazing Dr. Lauren Collins. Thank you so much for being on and we'll be talking soon.

LAUREN: All right, thank you.

BIRD: I mean, don't you just love her? If any of this resonated with you, I want to make sure you connect with Dr. Lauren and follow her online because she really is about all of this stuff. So you can go to the link in the show notes to connect with her Instagram, check her out online, her website, her new podcast. And you know I really love how she mentioned there being basic fundamental business principles that really all entrepreneurs need to understand. Y'all, I wanted to leap out of my seat in excitement because that's exactly what you learn in my signature business plan development course, Prove It Plan. In addition to the business plan template, and the financial spreadsheets that you get in the online course. You are going to learn so many of these basic business principles, like the multiple ways to think about marketing your business and real-world examples for each. Or the difference between an independent contractor, and an employee, and the right questions to ask yourself so that you don't get audited by the IRS and get in big trouble. So Prove It Plan is really a compilation of what I learned in theory when I was in business school with my business degree. And more importantly, in practice, with my eight years of experience as an entrepreneur. I have poured my heart and soul into this program. It is just everything to me and it's what I wish I would have had when I launched my first business. So if you want to be the first to know when enrollment for Prove It Plan reopens, head on over to birdwilliams.com/proveitplan. You'll be hearing from me soon. I'm excited about it. 

All right, as always thank you so much for tuning into Bird Means Business podcast. Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave me a review. That would be amazing. Also, follow us on Spotify. And make sure you tell every entrepreneur you know about this episode so that they can learn about holistic business health too. All right? 

Talk to y'all next week.