Plenty with Kate Northrup

When the final numbers came in at the end of April, both Mike and I were in awe. Despite working half the amount, having no childcare, not being able to follow through on any of our growth plans, some of our customers having financial difficulty and needing to extend payment plans, and feeling uncertain about the future of our planet and humanity, April was an above-average revenue month. And May is shaping up to be the same. I’m not telling you this to brag. I’m telling you this because I still remain in awe that this whole “do less, achieve more” thing actually works. These past months have been reminiscent of our first year as parents from the standpoint of contraction. It was the pressure of sleepless nights, caring for a sick baby, riding the ups and downs of postpartum anxiety and insomnia, and a total shift in identity that birthed the “Do Less Method” in the first place. And now we’ve been given an opportunity to practice what we preach in an even more devoted way because, once again, Life has given us an opportunity gift-wrapped as a challenge. (Please know that as I write this, I’m aware that there are billions of people not faring well right now from a physical, financial, and emotional standpoint. That’s why I’m even more committed than ever to sharing how we can do less and have more. I would never propose that I have the solution to the global challenges we’re experiencing, but I’m definitely here to put in my shift and add the medicine that I know I’m here to add.) There are 5 key things that we’ve been practicing that have made a huge difference for us these past 2.5 when it comes to keeping our revenue above average, serving our customers, and remaining sane and healthy. (And even thriving on some days!) We outlined them for you with examples in this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show. Listen in to 5 Ways to Make Running Your Business Easier (and Even Improve Your Results) to hear: • The simple thing you can put first every day that makes a HUGE difference in your work output for the rest of the day • The counterintuitive approach to our offerings that we’ve been using to increase our revenue • Why creativity can be a huge time-waster (and how to make sure you don’t fall in that trap) • The 2 things we do more of in our business so that we can do less of everything else Running a business isn’t easy. But a lot of us are making it harder than it needs to be. May this week’s show ease your path on multiple levels. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

On Mother’s Day my husband Mike saw several posts from guys about their wives/partners which said something to the effect of: “I don’t know how she does it all.” While the posts were meant to be in appreciation of these women and the way they show up for their families, something about them didn’t sit well with Mike. As we talked it through and he noodled on it over the next day or so, Mike came back with a pretty revolutionary perspective on why celebrating women for doing so much is so unintentionally harmful. And we started off this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show, which is all about equity in partnerships, with his insight. If you’ve ever felt like: • You’re holding far more than your fair share of the household and childcare responsibilities • You don’t know how to get your partner on board with a more equitable split of sharing the load • The emotional labor of “holding” everything goes unnoticed and you’re sick of it • You’re the partner who’s not holding as much and you feel guilty about it • You really want to create an equitable partnership but you don’t know how and you don’t have any role models for what that might look like in 2020 ...this episode is for YOU! We’ve had lots of requests for an episode where we share the behind-the-scenes of how we share the load of work and home in our marriage, plus our suggestions for building equity in your own relationship, so that’s what we have for you this week! Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

When you think about something that you want, do you immediately think of all of the different things you’re going to need to do in order to get it? Even if you’re a student of metaphysics and you practice ways of attracting what you want energetically, does manifesting sometimes feel like a slog (or a lie)? The heaviest belief a lot of us are carrying around is: In order to get what I want I have to work hard. And while I’m never one to shy away from devoted, focused attention to worthy tasks, I live in question of the assumption that anything we want has to come through hard work. In fact, I even question the way folks who teach the “easy” way of manifesting seem to make it harder than I think is necessary. That’s why I love the concept of Egg Wisdom that I learned about from my mom, Christiane Northrup, MD. It’s all about the metaphor of our biological blueprint to attract what we want while doing less. If you’ve never heard of Egg Wisdom, if you’ve heard of it but don’t really get it, or if you’ve been practicing it but want to know more, then this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show is for you. Listen in to learn how to attract what you want while doing less with Egg Wisdom. (Plus, you’ll get some insights on the problematic nature of how the Law of Attraction is sometimes taught and why Egg Wisdom applies to anyone of any gender identity or expression.) If you’re anything like the hundreds of folks I’ve heard from who are so excited about their innate abilities of magnetism, aka Egg Wisdom, you’re going to LOVE this concept...and it’s going to make your life and work so much easier! Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

The longest chapter I wrote in the first draft of Do Less was the chapter on Asking for Help. It was originally 25,000 words (one third of the contracted total word count) and it ended up becoming both the Receiving Help and Asking for Help chapters. But there’s something super important that I left out of the chapter...because I was today years old when I realized it. Yes, many of us struggle with asking for help because we think we should be able to handle everything ourselves. We struggle because we think we’re the only ones who can do it right. We struggle because we think it’s easier to do it ourselves than show someone else how to do it. We struggle because we feel like we’re inconveniencing others when we ask. But there’s another MAJOR reason that emerged as Mike and I were recording this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show, and it’s critical for us all to realize. This week’s episode about How to Ask for What You Want on Mother’s Day (or Anytime) reveals the critical block preventing so many women from getting what they want. I’ve been studying and thinking about this topic A LOT, and I didn’t even really get it until we recorded this conversation, so I have a feeling it’s going to be new for a lot of our listeners as well. Knowing what the block is may be all you need in order for it to be evaporated. Awareness is always the first step, and sometimes it’s the only step necessary! Listen in to this week’s episode to learn: • The critical block preventing so many women from getting what they want • The 3 simple steps to asking for what you want (and how to make it more likely you’ll get it) • A low-hanging-fruit method for getting more of your needs met immediately without asking anyone for anything • The difference between your needs and your desires and why both are necessary Regardless of your parental status, let this conversation be the starting point for a whole new relationship with what you want. And, if you’re a mother and you live in the USA, let this week leading up to Mother’s Day be your playground to practice a whole new way of being a woman and a mother that makes space for more of you, perhaps ALL of you. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

When we were in the first year of doing The Kate & Mike Show, I made a list of “Podcast Unicorns” who I dreamed of having on the show. TBH, I never reached out to ask this week’s guest onto the show, but I held her name close to my heart on my dream list, trusting that the time would come and that when it did, I would know. Well, my friend, the time came, she said yes, and I’m SO thrilled to be sharing a conversation with you that meant the world to me and that I hope you’ll find as nourishing as I did. Glennon Doyle, whose new book Untamed is spectacular and has been a #1 NY Times Bestseller for the last 5 weeks, joined Mike and me for a cozy, after-the-kids-were-in-bed conversation where we talked about: • What to do when you feel like you’re going to die because you’re being publicly criticized (on whatever scale) • How to navigate wanting to tell stories about your kids publicly and the line between public and private in the land of the interwebs • The question it’s critical we ask ourselves about people in positions of authority in our lives so that we don’t lose ourselves • How to raise girls who don’t lose themselves (and/or how to help them come back when they do) • Why raising angry girls is a good thing • How to find yourself again when you’ve noticed you’re lost • And so much more! Glennon’s work has been deeply helpful to me at several critical junctures ever since I first read Carry On, Warrior in 2016, and 4 years later I couldn’t be more thrilled to be sharing this conversation with you. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

Life hands us all kinds of hard things. And when we’re going through a hard thing, we have a choice: Run, numb, or stay. Depending on the day, where I am in my cycle, and which way the wind is blowing, I choose differently. Given the intensity of the moment we’re in globally, though, and the number of hard things coming my way lately (I know you’re undoubtedly navigating your own set of hard things and I’m sending you so much love), I’ve been seeing what happens when I stay. Can I stay with myself when I’m crawling out of my skin being with my kids? Can I stay with myself when I’m feeling sensations during an intense workout? Can I stay with myself when Mike and I are in conflict about something going on within our business? Can I stay with myself when I desperately want an answer to unanswerable questions? Can I stay with myself? Staying with ourselves is not easy, and most of us were never taught how to do it. We have a million and three ways to numb or run...but developing a new neural pathway to support staying and mining the gold in the intensity is new for most of us. This week on the podcast, we’re talking about staying with ourselves when we want to numb or run. In the episode we share: • Our favorite numbing strategies and what we’re noticing about them right now during the pandemic (anyone else finding themselves staring into the snack cabinet at night hoping that something in there will fix your problems?) • About the time last week when it felt like my soul had broken out in hives and what I did about it • What birth taught us about staying • The critical difference between a feeling and a sensation and how one can set you free • The opportunity in staying that we lose when we numb or run There’s also a lot of hilarity in this episode because...well...we’re in quarantine and we have the sillies. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

I’m writing this to you as my girls sit on the kitchen floor painting giant pieces of paper that I traced their bodies on. It’s risky, but you and your business’s (and psyche’s) ability to thrive during this time are worth all the paint I’m going to be cleaning off the floor and my babies after. Last week I found myself curious about what some of my friends who I admire in business are thinking about this unusual moment we’re in, and what they’re sharing with their communities. So, I asked them. And then I decided I’d share their answers with you because what’s mine is yours. We’ve never done anything like this before on the podcast, and we’re super excited to share the wisdom of the following incredible friends/business experts with you: • Patrice Washington, bestselling author of Real Money Answers for Every Woman and host of the Redefining Wealth Podcast • Rachel Rodgers, Esq., IP lawyer, founder of the Hello Seven Podcast and We Should All Be Millionaires: The Club • Gina Gomez, Business Strategist and Advisor aka “the Olivia Pope of the personal development industry” • Amy Porterfield, host of the top podcast Online Marketing Made Easy and creator of Digital Course Academy • James Wedmore, host of the Mind Your Business podcast and creator of Business By Design • Rha Goddess, bestselling author of The Calling, Entrepreneurial Soul Couch, and founder and CEO of Move The Crowd In this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show, you’ll hear them all answer this simple question: How are you thinking about this moment as a small business owner and what are you sharing with your community? Their answers are as diverse as their backgrounds, and in this episode you’ll learn: • The biggest opportunity to focus on right now for small businesses • The 3 areas you need to consider when making a timely pivot • 3 simple steps to navigating this moment of change to make sure your business stays solid • 2 stories of thriving businesses birthed in the 2008 recession (one of which rose from the ashes of a 7-figure business that was lost) • The paramount question to ask about your business to ensure sustainability • 4 Vital Practices to engage in to ensure you’re getting the message and gift this moment has for you specifically Listening to the wisdom that these 6 humans shared in their messages was salve to my soul. May it be the medicine you need right now, too. After you’ve listened, we’d love to know: Which piece of wisdom resonated with you the most? How are you going to implement it? Leave a comment and let us know. Being in conversation with you during this time (and always) is such a gift. I’m sending you tons of love and lots of strength for navigating this moment in your business and your life with grace, compassion, and power. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

Over here at HQ (aka our house), we’ve got a 4 ½-year-old and an almost-2-year-old and a company to run. Plus many of our team members are in the same boat at their houses. There are so many different permutations of how this moment of quarantine is affecting different households, but for those of you who find yourself with the literally impossible task of working full-time while parenting full-time and also possibly guiding homeschooling, this message is for you. (This will also be particularly useful for folks caregiving in any capacity, even if it’s not for kids.) First of all, I will say that I am by no means the world’s leading expert on working from home while parenting. No one should be. This is for the birds. Second, though, I am obsessed with the logistics of time and how our rhythms can either support or deflate our wellbeing and impact. So, when a bunch of folks in our community reached out asking how Mike and I are navigating the fact that we both work and we have no childcare right now, I figured we’d share what we’re doing behind the scenes. You can count on me for one thing always: transparency. I’ll tell you when I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’ll tell you what’s working. That’s my promise. In this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show we share: • The daily conversation we’re having that makes a world of difference in the logistics of working and parenting together during this weird moment • A critical ingredient that any ask for support needs to have during this time (and really anytime) • Mike’s excellent wisdom for those of us who are going a little nuts with no breaks from our children (🙋) Press play if you’re trying to work from home without childcare too. At the very least you’ll know you’re not alone. ;) Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

So, I’m usually someone who recommends not sharing what you’re going through publicly while smack-dab in the middle of going through it. Mostly this is because I think sharing from the messy middle is unearned intimacy and secondly because I’m someone who likes to be useful and usually I don’t have a helpful perspective to share until after a little time has passed. However, this week I went against my own advice. As a recovering achiever, I don’t love the feeling of being out of control and not having my sh*t together. And while vulnerability and I have continued to make better friends over the years, feeling lost in the murk in public feels deeply uncomfortable. But at the end of last week, we recorded our podcast right when I was in the murk of feeling lost and like there was a lot of pressure for me, as someone with a platform, to say the right thing or know how to guide people. In many ways in that moment, I felt out of my depth. When we finished recording, I had a major vulnerability hangover because I didn’t feel like I’d presented the “with it” version of myself that I prefer to be out in the world. But there it was. And Mike assured me that admitting on our podcast that I have no idea WTF is going on would be useful to folks. So, if you want to listen in on a conversation that made me super uncomfortable and witness me in the messy middle, this week’s episode is for you. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

No matter what’s going on in your corner of the world, I want you to know that I’m sending you love. No matter how this global situation has affected you and your family, I want you to know that I’m thinking of you and our entire community. Mike and I are committed to showing up in a way that contributes to this being a healing experience for all of us. So, we recorded a new episode of The Kate & Mike Show for you where we shared: • How we’re navigating self-isolation (including some missteps and how we’re learning from them) • 5 specific tips for tending to your nervous system during this time so you can signal your body to rest, restore, and heal instead of activate fight, flight, or freeze • 6 steps to take stock of what’s happening and pivot your business in an effective, helpful way • Why giving away all of your stuff for free may or may not be the best thing to do right now as a business owner • The way we’re staying informed without freaking out • One perspective on this unprecedented time that’s bringing us a lot of peace and solace If you need some healing thoughts during this uncertain time, this episode is for you. This is weird. We’re here for you. Take really good care of yourself and each other. Would you, or a company you know, be a good fit to sponsor The Kate & Mike Show? If so, let’s talk! You can email mike@mikejwatts.com regarding current sponsorship opportunities. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.