E124: Shattering Social Media Ad Myths & Societal Norms with Hattie Dunstan

Introducing Facebook and Instagram Ad Strategist, Hattie Dunstan. Join us in our conversation as Hattie shatters social media ad myths and shares secrets to her strategies, as well as her life as a working mama.

[1:54] Valerie LaVigne: Welcome back to The Women's Empowerment Podcast. Today I get to introduce you to our new guest Hattie Dunstan, the owner media buyer and paid ads strategist for fun since marketing, she helps businesses get new customers through the power of small funnels and targeted Facebook/Instagram ad campaigns, Hattie has a run three of her own businesses, from the wedding industry, a sports league app, even being the director of a charity fashion show fundraiser that raised over $120,000 for cystic fibrosis Canada. She went to university for marketing management in 2005 entrepreneurship runs in Hattie's blood from her great grandfather who was a watchmaker to her grandfather, and both of her parents now have he wants to help other entrepreneurs, scale and grow their businesses so they can stay in their zone of genius. Welcome to the show. I am so excited to be speaking with you today.

[2:55] Hattie Dunstan: Oh, thanks for having me. I'm so excited I love hearing my bio read out like that. So fun!

VL: When it comes to Facebook and marketing, Instagram, and all of those ads like I get so intimidated and overwhelmed and I think the main reason for it is because I just really don't know anything about them, and when I'm asked about them. I know that you're, you're the person that comes to mind when I think of as the Facebook and Instagram ad expert, so can you tell us what these are, why we need them in our business?

[3:42] HD: Yeah, so I always think Facebook and Instagram ads are an integral part of your overall marketing ecosystem. Of course you need your organic Instagram posting your SEO for your website your emails, your email campaigns, but it takes so many touchpoints to get someone to actually purchase something. It takes like 13 times it's telling someone repeatedly hey this is what I sell before they purchase that running an ad just even a reminder ad takes some of the pressure off of entrepreneur like we wear so many hats. And just to have a constant, another little touch point for our customers that we don't have to constantly be posting about is just, I don't know as soon as I started running ads for my businesses like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulder. I didn't have to be in that hustle, that draining hustle and only 10% of our followers see our beautiful organic posts. So, pay a little money to go find it and show it to more people. That's what I think.

[4:45] VL: Yeah, that's a really interesting. I'm really glad you said that because it feels like we put so much effort into creating this amazing content. And then I also feel like a broken record when I, I don't, I don't know if I'm like, am I being too pushy when I talk about this, I'm like, do people even hear me when I talked about this, I tried something once where I posted kind of the same type of message every day for a week I just changed up the stories a little bit, and I noticed that there were some people who are watching my stories on Friday who didn't see my story on Monday, even though I said the exact same thing and I was like, Oh my god. Do I really have to say this 10 times.

You do like you actually do because not everyone is seeing your stuff there's like five people who watch every story that I've ever posted, and then everyone else just like wait, I don't even know how this works.

Okay, This feels important for my business to, to have an ad, it feels like when you were talking about it for like a weight lifted off my shoulders a little bit.

Now, my following I have like, just over 2000 followers, like tell me about this. Do I need to have a certain amount of followers to run ads?

[6:00] HD: Let's bust the myths! When people are like, oh I don't have 10k Like I don't have the swipe up feature. You can run ads if you have 100 followers, I just bought a $27 offer from an ad for ad was fantastic. I clicked on her incidences she had 200 followers, you can run ads for anything, and I love that you said, I sound like a broken record, and I'm always say to my clients. If you sound like a broken record when you're promoting your sales pitches, you're doing it right, because you sound like a broken record but to everyone else, Maybe they'll finally get what you're selling. So you definitely do not have to have a big following to send those reminder ads. In fact, it's kind of nice like for 200 people on your Instagram, you only need, you know, five bucks a day, you know for 2000 Maybe you only need 10,000 for 10 bucks.

You need a smaller budget, smaller audience smaller budgets so it's, you can run it with whatever but with whatever followers

[7:03] VL: Yeah, amazing so you did talk about budgets and I feel like you kind of busted this myth a little bit so we only really need $5 A day to run an ad? Let’s talk about that.

HD: So, okay, you need $5 A day to run a retargeting ad, which is showing, anyone that's landed on your website, anyone that's landed on your Instagram page, I always suggest you know the minimum that you can spend is five bucks a day just a gentle reminder. Here I am, this is what I sell this is what I do, here's how I'm gonna transform your life.

That can be $5 a day. But if you're trying to reach new audiences, new eyeballs and grow your email list, scale, outside of your website visitors, or your Instagram follower, that we probably would push up to like $20 A day like, let's invest some, some, some point behind that.

[8:15] VL: Okay, so we don't have to have a huge following, and even $20 A day like I can just get here, if you've ever been in advertising and marketing. $20 a day for an ad is like wait what?

HD: this is my proposal package it literally says this will be 10 times cheaper than a newsprint magazine. I'll see you can track everything like you know exactly where that leads came from where the form got filled out. Did it come from the ad, like it's, like, I love ads. You can see everything can track everything, and such as data geeks

VL: this is what's important, because like I always tell people, especially in my habit workshops like what gets measured is what gets moved, if you're not tracking it, then you don't know where you need to, to improve I was telling actually at a workshop today, and I was telling everyone that I have this new water bottle that lights up when I'm behind on my drinking right now. And we got like super nerdy about it.

VAL’S “HIDRATE SPARK” WATER BOTTLE

it has this app that you can download and every time you drink it records it on your phone via Bluetooth, and I was noticing that every Sunday, I wasn't, I wasn't reaching my goal, just on Sundays, it was like totally break my streak away. Why can I drink water on Sundays, and when I really, when I really thought about it I'm like well, on Sundays, I spend like I really have a slow morning or I drink my coffee forever like I drink it until it's cold, basically. And because of that, I'm not drinking water and then I'm like, oh my goodness, this is why but I would have never really noticed that unless I was tracking it and then like reviewing the data and the insights of my, my water.

And this is what's so valuable. I think about what you do is that there's this tangible piece of its data to show people like this is what, like this is the transformation that we made together.

[10:05] HD: Yeah, I love showing concrete numbers I love showing Hey, this customer dollar per email subscriber and then we'll go into your email campaigns and be like hey look this actually converted to a $350 sale, so that $2 You spent converted into a 350 sale. It's I my monthly like reporting days I'm like, nobody interrupts me, I'm doing my data deep dive here.

Yeah, it's just like it's so good to track and a lot of people, they they don't know what to track, or be they don't know that like, they look at Google Analytics or they look at the ads manager and they're just like, oh my gosh what are all these four numbers are.

VL: Yeah well, and I was saying before, like I'm really overwhelmed by all of the information like how, how do you set these up and then how do you read this is a different language so to have someone like you to really help you like translate all of it, and then help you kind of look through the data and say that these are the insights that's important and these are the insights that are not so important, or this is where we can improve and all of that data is so important for the client so okay we went through a couple of minutes. You don't have to have a huge following, you don't have to have a huge budget. You don't have to know what you're doing if you hire someone to help you.

Are there any other common myths about Facebook and Instagram ads that you like to bust?

HD: I think the biggest one is also people think, if they're not a huge brand like they see constantly like Hudson Bay's in their feet with ads apples in their feed with ads, they see all these huge brands and I think I'm really trying to reach the small businesses, the makers the creative, because we don't see their ads as much so other small businesses don't realize that potential for them you can run ads.

I think a lot of the time they really think, oh it's just for big brands, I don't have that kind of budget, or I don't have that.

Whatever the reason is, so I really am trying to reach small businesses and everyone can run ads on Facebook and Instagram.

[12:17] VL: Okay, so question though, do you have to have a business page on Instagram to run ads?

HD: Yes, if you want to run Instagram ads you would have to switch it to a business page. Okay. But, Instagram and Facebook love, I know some people are nervous about switching the business in case their reach falls are there, their organic reach falls, but Instagram and Facebook love people who spend money on their app. So we've found that as soon as you start spending money on app, even your non sponsored posts do better, because Facebook and Instagram will realize, oh, this person is paying their client val of ours, we're going to help them out with their organic posting as well.

VL: that's so interesting and really good to note because everyone's like this is my YouTube algorithm and blah blah blah. So it's like, I don't have time to learn how Instagram works and how it changes every two weeks like you can't we just can't we just do the things organically or naturally and I, you know what I think. This is what the app was designed to do, like, yes, in the beginning, everything was free and they didn't have these paid ads but come on, you know that this was like my main goal for Instagram and Facebook is to make money.

HD: Absolutely, yeah like sometimes people get upset and I'm like, free platform. They make money, like, what has to happen. So yeah, it's way better, I think rather than joining like engagement pods and all these like Instagram hacks to put $5 behind a wicked Instagram strategy for paid ads and your daily posts will fly

VL: I feel like the wheels are turning and I have a lot of ideas now, we'll have a look at working together soon. Awesome, so maybe I'll save those for later. Okay, excellent. So where do we start is, are there things that we need to do before we make an ad?

[14:17] HD: I would definitely say, we always okay so when I start with a client when I'm talking to a student, I always ask them if they're on Shopify or whatever websites they're on what's the conversion rate for their website. So if they don't have a very good conversion rate. Maybe the website isn't conversion rate meaning, how many people land on their website, versus how many sales they got. So if they don't have a very good conversion rate, then I say, okay, maybe you should look at your website and try to figure out how you can increase that conversion rate maybe your website that dated. Maybe it's 10 years old, so I really want people to have a strong already proven their business by having sales and a good conversion rate. So websites, the number one thing you look at. We also like people to have some sort of email funnel. If they're running to new audiences ads, because if they click on an ad, a prospect clicks on an ad, what happens, can't just send them to their website, we want to collect that data. So either through an email or a phone call like what's happening. I always ask the people what will happen to these leads we get from the ad, because a big part of my job is yes to get the lead from the ad but also what what happens afterwards I don't want them to fall off that was precious money.

So I really want to either we'll work with them to get a wicked follow up sequence, or we'll look at their current follow up sequence, and make sure have an automatic email saying hi, I'm bow. I love the podcast it's awesome. You should listen to whatever the follow up email is we look at, we make sure they have a strong follow up sequence. So website and follow up sequences kind of two number one thing.

[16:04] VL: this really is like a whole piece. I feel like there's an entire funnel slash process slash, making sure that we're like connecting the dots and checking off the boxes and, I mean, even for me like now like looking out looking nervous again, speaking about things that are things that I like to avoid in my business.

Okay. So, typically I talk about like offerings, later on in the episode but I really do want to break down I know you have like two main offerings. Well, maybe you can tell us about them. I feel like for someone like me. I need a little bit more hand holding like, I don't necessarily have times. I have other resources that I can give. But, timewise, I don't have that so I do need a little bit of hand holding for you to say like, make sure you check this box off. Okay, I'll do this part while you do that part and then it's like it's not as scary for me that way. So can you tell us a little bit more about your offerings and how, how we can involve with them.

HD: Yeah, for sure. So, two main offerings we have our monthly retainer clients.

So our other two offerings is agile a day so it's kind of like our VIP VIP service day. And then our five day live ads class, and the number one thing from the five days live ads class that students say is like oh you're literally holding my hand through this whole thing.

So our other two offerings is ADs in a day so it's kind of like our VIP VIP service day. And then our five day live ads class, and the number one thing from the five days live ads class that students say is like oh you're literally holding my hand through this whole thing.

So personalized to each person. And we literally go through and upload at the same time, and I say, oh, ignore that. Ignore that ignore that. Ignore that option button. So they really appreciate, there's so many buttons in the ads manager. And instead of overwhelming them with ads sequence funnels and, you know, retinas test. If you really just do a retargeting ad in the ads class, which is anyone that has an Instagram following, or website can run that type of ad, and then we do, how to grow your email list type of ad. So we keep it simple. They launch and learn those two types of ads, grow your email list and retarget your followers by acquisition makes a really great success.

And the other one I have is perfect for more.

The ads midday VIP service, it's for more brick and mortar, who are trying to pivot online, who have location based. They've maybe dabbled in ads a little bit before they're savvy in their other marketing ecosystems, and they just work quickly done up and running in a full day.

Yeah, so it takes seven hours and we get the two ads up and running in one full day me and my team do it to kind of options.

[19:28] VL: So great like are already I just feel the relief again, like I'm on an emotional roller coaster right now. I feel this relief like okay cool, this feels more manageable for me to do, where I don't really need to learn every single part of the lingo, I don't need to get overwhelmed with all of the options all the buttons and all the pop ups that might come up. And he really just like, it's like on the when you get like documents you have to sign and they have like the little tabs like sign here, initial here.

HD: I’m gonna use that in my marketing that's so good. Here you go. You just, we just inspire each.

VL: Well we have a lot of friends, we have a lot of mutual friends on Instagram and on Facebook, and they're our community is very much like entrepreneurs and creatives in women who have their own businesses. So I'm wondering if there's a way that I can support you, or can support our community when I see their ads on Instagram, like what do I do, even though like, maybe their service isn't really for me but I want to support them, how do I do that.

HD: I love that you asked that I always asked like close knit friends on my head just about as fast as I could you like it, comment on it because it works the same way, if people are as organic posting. If people are commenting on a sponsored post liking it, sharing it, of course, Facebook's gonna be like, Okay, I'm going to go show it to similar people to now, she just commented on this ad that means people who run Pilates studios or podcasts are probably going to like this ad I'm going to show it to more of them. So yeah, if you see a friend, or something you like, like that, comment and share it. A great way to be supportive.

[21:27] VL: Okay, that's really cool because I didn't, I didn't really know about it because sometimes you see these polls and you're like, Well, is this person gonna see my comments or not. But then I'm like, but I don't know what I'm doing and, yeah, sometimes I share like different products or different opportunities with people who I think would really benefit from it. And then, I'm trying to think of like it's been so long since I've read it. I feel like a little bit shamed right now but I know we're working together students so I don't feel as bad.

Okay. That's really incredible, so even if, like when the next time I see your ad up I'm gonna definitely share it and like it and save it. Does that affect the amount of money we've put in to run the app so like let's say we put in our minimum $5 a day, and then some other people shared it. Do I often not pay $6 a day because it's reaching more people?

[22:13] HD: No, so you put a cap on. So you would, you can put a daily budget or lifetime budget so let's say you had $250 You got a government from the grant. I mean, a government. You wanted to spend $250 In a week you can put a lifetime budget so Facebook could go and spend that lifetime budget over seven days, or you can put a daily budget of $5 so if it reaches $5 It stops.

But I love that you brought that up, don't click on someone's ad, unless you're serious. If it's a friend, because they do pay, sometimes per click. So, my comments. I try to get is sometimes we might be paying per click.

VL: Interesting. So there's a lot of different options, maybe like I feel like we shouldn't get into too many details today because this is, This is a lot of information,

HD: but it's like learning another language, the first day of my class, live five days, my students are like, I'm like, don't worry if for anyone that didn't know I just dropped my job to the desk, because it was a jaw drop.

VL: Okay, So are there any like little extra secrets that we should know about these things, like don't click your friends out of those are going to buy.

HD: I think if you do dabble in ads right now and you're running conversion ads or traffic ads start dabbling in Messenger chatbot ads. Because of this new I don't know if you've heard of it now the new iOS 14 update that's coming up. Apple has said that they're not going to allow it anymore.

So, yeah, it's gonna be a little harder to target exactly who we want for 50% of the people or 40% Whoever uses an iOS 14 fold. So, what Facebook is coming out is, let's use Facebook's platform more so start dabbling in Messenger chat bots, because they don't have to leave the app.

That'd be my suggestion, we're kind of trying it out with clients right now before iOS 14 rolls out in the summer. So if you're not dabbler. Try messenger chat bots for a little bit. Interesting.

[24:39] VL: I wonder how that's gonna change your, your teaching and everything like that.

HD: To see yes yeah yeah I'm gonna have to add that in as one of the, one of the strategies that may be allowed in this district days.

VL: So question for you there's sometimes I get ads and I'm like you I don't want to know about these things, why am I getting an ad for this, can I then, So then I choose like hide add, not for me. Whatever the option was it was just like, not relevant.

HD: What does that do from the businesses perspective, there's just stop running is that person or people like that person, it would probably, people like that person, But also you would stop seeing that ad, and it's actually really good for the business owner, because they're not wasting money showing you the ad. If you're not going to buy from them. Stop showing the ad to you right, that's been very helpful and considerate about what you do.

[25:32] VL: Sometimes, and then maybe I should. So interesting. I feel like this is like a secret world. I don't know anything about before learning that you should do.

HD: Yes, is I do this all the time, as a consumer running ads. If you go to like a big brand site, some small businesses are starting to do it and we do it with a lot of our clients. If you put something in your cart. I do this for contact, I put something in my cart, and leave it alone for two or three days I don't buy it. And then I get advertised here's 10% You left this in your cart. So if you're looking at something on Wayfair Amazon or, you know contacts or something, put it in your cart, wait a few days you'll probably get advertised and abandoned cart 10% off discount.

VL: Okay, so this actually leads to this so like this creeps me out when this happens because I'll put things on my Amazon cart and then they'll start being a go on Instagram and there's a carousel of everything in my car. Oh my god, the apps are talking to each other. The other thing is and this is probably a study on my phone, I do have an iPhone, but what we're talking about the other day Craig and I were talking about something random, like, like ice cream or something, and then it was getting ads for like listening to us. So, what is going on is that what they're kicking off on iOS 14.

HD: yes, so they're going to take off that they can no longer track your like Google searches or they can't track you with the Facebook tracking pixel, you'll be able to toggle it off, which is kind of silly for iOS users because then you'll start getting advertised like tattoos when really you were looking for a party for your daughter.

So I think it's in everyone's best interest to leave, you're still gonna get advertised to it just won't be targeted nicely to you. But, yeah, I think the phones are listening to even though Facebook repeatedly tells us, they're not.

It could be that someone who likes ice cream, also, like, Women Empowerment Podcast so that's how they found you.

I think their lives are definitely listening.

VL: Okay interesting but we can't confirm nor deny this.

So, okay well that's like, so I sometimes I have to say sometimes I kind of like that algorithm and the way that the ads work and the way that they drop these things because oftentimes, like it's now I don't, I don't want to advertise for things that I don't want to see, I want to get advertised for the things that I do want, even if I don't want to buy it.

Oh my goodness, it's so funny, but I feel like I buy I have on, I've had, I have purchased he's may have purchased things on Instagram before from a sponsored ad. And now, that's what kind of sucks I think because it almost makes me not want to be on that farm because I would just feel frustrated like why am I getting ads for baby diapers, I don't have a baby.

but only friends have babies, is that why I'm getting, you know what I mean like it's weird.

HD: Yeah, I would. Okay. Personally, I would keep the toggle on, but again I'm biased because I would want to find the iOS users through the audiences as an ads manager but I bought natural mascara, the other day off with an ad, I wanted to get a advertise stuff that I like. So I was I'm toggling mine on.

VL: You'll have to teach us that in like on Instagram stories or something.

HD: That’s a good idea.

VL: Yeah, I wanted to do, because it's so funny when we were when we were opening this the Pilates studio, my business partner and we want to find like very, we want to find like all black equipment so we want to like walk hand weights and booty bands and balls for the party studio. And when we, when we couldn't find it, we would go on our phones and just like Google, black, black booty bands, and then we would be like talking about funky black equipment black small equipment to pound it in black.

[29:59] HD: Yeah, oh it's so good. I love it. This panel just becomes my phone, I'll be like that. Advertising beautiful backpack.

Yeah, it's powerful, it's great. It can be great I think you except that we are in, it's a free app, if you expect that it's going to give you sponsored posts, use it for your damage, start talking to it, start hiding the ads you don't want to see training teachers show you ads that you want to see.

VL: Yeah, like liking and commenting and sharing the posts of things you want to see Absolutely. I think this is good advice for like any business as well with you and any customer. If you like someone, support them in any way that you can and yeah there are a lot of free ways to support people especially through social media, but, like, attend their workshops pay for their products, you know, sign up for their services do those things to support that person like I don't think people realize as a small business owner, you don't realize like, literally the happy dance I do when I get an email that says someone so purchased your workshop or like sign up for your workshop today and I'm like, I'm just so ecstatic to see that, so, so great. I mean even liking in the commenting in the sharing and like to see the insights and say hey, people actually care about what I'm saying, well guess what I'm going to talk about this more because you might get with the podcast episodes I look at the stats every week, and I say okay well these are the highest downloaded podcasts, so guess what I'm going to talk more about these topics I'm going to look for guests that can share more about this information like this is how this works, if you like it, share it, like message us on, on Instagram and tell us like what you loved about the episode, like let's continue this conversation so that we can make more and better content for you.

[31:52] HD: Yeah, well, really, it's the same with ads. It's so cool when you see, oh my god someone actually who I don't know who is my mom's friend's boss.

It's really, it's, it's awesome, and it's taking back control a little bit like I think people were a little bit frustrated with how Instagram over the last four or five years has really changed the algorithm and we don't see everyone's posts now and it's not chronological the theme, and so I think investing in ads, learning a little bit about a strong strategy really takes your power back in your business. And I think it's really powerful as, as is all business owners especially we don't have big budgets. So it gives us a little bit of a little bit more control.

[32:37] VL: Absolutely. Wow, this is, it's been interesting because like it's something that I wanted to do but again, like my hesitation is I just don't know where to start and I don't know where, like, I don't know. I don't even know how to do it like I wouldn't even know how do I physically go on Facebook drive on Instagram you don't answer this right now but I know you answer all of these things in your ad class and I don't want to get too deep into it where we're like, okay I just totally zoned out with, What the heck was that word but she said that I don't understand.

There's so much. I mean, we talked a lot about Facebook and Instagram and ads and all that kind of secret sauce, little things that we maybe didn't know I didn't know a lot of those things, but there's so much more to you that I would love to chat about, and one of the things that I really inspired by with you is want to call it like your lifestyle choice of being a working mom, so there's a mix of like stay at home moms and my family and working moms, My mother worked, and she's still working, she even went to school when I was 13. working teams so she was doing her graduate degree, and she was working full time, when we were Wow, yeah so it's something that like even when I was really young, I knew that I wanted to be working like I want to see like the like the options I guess you could say, as a kid I realized like, I don't want to be like my mom was she was looking into his learning and she was, you know, doing all of these things, and being a mom, I think.

I think that's really special. I think that's really cool. So can you tell us a little bit about that in your life.

HD: Yeah, I was just with our daughter, we have a 1.5 year old daughter and we just went together my husband so yeah, I know, Mom. My daughter's name is Hazel is 1.5 years old.

The decision, basically kind of when the pandemic broke out we had a nanny, part time. And, Kristin and I were both working, but when the pandemic hits the nanny couldn't come two days of the week anymore. So we kind of made the decision, it just made sense. My husband is at home with hazel, and I've been able to dive deep into my business and really grow it because I'm allowed the freedom of five days to really grow it. It's really interesting to be the main income provider as a female, and to have my husband with gender roles in western gender roles like he's a stay at home dad and I'm still working.

It's cool to see how Hazel will grow up not having those “normal” air quote gender roles.

VL: And so as as the kind of main breadwinner. And as a mom. Do you find that there are obstacles that we consider facing each day are like challenges that you have with that, how you overcome those challenges?

HD: Yeah, I have mom guilt. You mom parent guilt, whatever you want to call it, it, it's hard, it's still hard. I have with it all the time that you know if they're playing in the playroom and I hear them all day and I'm working away, and many people, You know when it's our special time in the evening, she'll cry cuz she wants her dad, my heart like if it splits into a million pieces. And I'm like oh am I doing the right thing and I always have discussions like oh look grass is always greener on the other side he's like you know I'm making this a sacrifice but like I'm staying home at Hazel like is this what's right for our family right now but I would also love to be on Zoom calls and networking, you know, working, so you know I think no matter if you're the stay at home parent, or whether you're working parents, you have always, I think just being a parent, you have to deal with it. And then what I have done is we every day at four o'clock. It's quitting time and I wake up early with her in the morning so I get time with her in the morning. At four o'clock I quit with her and we have our special traditions, I guess and I am the only one that puts her to bed. So we read books each night, we do bathtime paper to the big hit in our household.

So it's really special having just those things that people and I have together. And that's how we bond the night, I try to remind myself that providing an income for our families with different types of parenting. And still, a parent, different types. I don't know to hopefully get my guilt I guess. And I try to find traditions that people can have just the two of us, to help with the guilt but it never goes away, I cry a lot about it.

[37:25] VL: I think that's really special that you have that that transition when you finish work. Can you tell us a little bit more about the details of it, like what would, what does that ritual look like for you?

HD: We announced that we're, we have a little dance party we put on some Google Home, usually to Hell and Back, she is such a good dancer at one years old. Yeah well we will often go outside right at four o'clock, so that we can catch the light. And that's kind of our routine, and then we'll make popcorn Panther to special popcorn.

[38:14] VL: She’s so young too. so I can imagine the challenge of, you know like when she cries for dad or when, when he was like up near her in the background was there working from home too. Right. Yeah, but I think there's, like, a different way of supporting, like you said. So, whatever the choice is the lifestyle choices and the parents and I think what's really important is like to make time for Hazel and understand that what you're doing is actually supporting her in just different way than your husband is.

HD: I think it's important. You know I had Hazel and I work and support his family so that it is all about diesel progress right now so yeah I always try to put as much as I can.

VL: Oh you're so inspiring. I feel like I'm still not a mom yet but I think about it sometimes what I would do like, as long as I feel like I have this idea of the ideal mom thing that I like to be, and then every time I hear someone's story they're like, No, you're never ready. No, you're gonna do, you're gonna make mistakes you're gonna do the right things you're gonna do right, wrong things and yeah it's just like a fun, I guess it's like a fun journey and getting to know this like human being and supporting them in all the ways right. And I think it's important to have a partner who's supportive of you and like creating these boundaries. Right and like making sure that you're like, okay I have someone to hold me accountable to keep this this work life and family life boundaries.

HD: Yes, he is so good that he's really well he's also with hazel day so it's more of a like, it's a hard stop how to eat because I've been with hazel but yeah he's really really good at the boundaries.

It's a good balance, are really happy. She's just been so great and she's almost at 18 months and everyone said, best age, and oh my gosh 18 months is the best.

VL: I love all of your content online and I just love how like you incorporate her into like your stories and your posts like this is so smart. There was one thing she was holding your phone and you're like you're in my office hours, I'm like, yes, yes, if she answers the phone when I call you.

My goodness. I love it. Okay, well I want to be mindful of your time because I know that you are strict with your time.

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Rapid Fire Round

1. What are you currently reading? Or what is your favourite book?

HD: I am such an avid bookworm. Such a voracious reader. I am currently reading. Mr. Donna Hughes, new book she wrote room in the Wonder what's her new book The Pull of the Stars, it's getting a little too close to home because it's about a nursery in the 1918 flu pandemic, like roof, we're living 100 years later, so I'm currently reading.

2. What do you love most about being a woman?

HD: I kind of okay I guess because we've talked about. I like defining or not defining like I kind of okay I guess because we've talked about. I like defining or not defining like challenging people's expectations of what a woman is. So I love that. As much as I have mom guilt I love that I'm a working mom and it's not the norm. I kind of love, breaking stereotypes. So as a woman, there's a lot of stereotypes on us. And I like shattering those.

3. What does Empowerment mean to you?

HD: Oh my gosh, this could mean so many things because empowerment to me. A lot of health, because I happen we didn't even touch on this but I had a double lung transplant in 2010. All empowered in my health, taking knowledge and science and I work hard at staying healthy a for Tristen Hazel and myself so empowerment and really empowering myself to be healthy.

VL: That's super important. If you like to have you back on for another episode. And, yeah, that sounds very intense. The fourth question I have for you is what are you currently working toward?

HD: It's kind of exciting, I'm in the process of hiring my first employees. So I'm working towards that I have some calls set up with the small business centers to really figure out exactly what I should be doing, like never hired someone before. I was excited for that next next level of nervousness about working towards.

Val Lavigne Life Women's Empowerment Podcast

Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!