84 | 5 Year Anniversary Episode!

Annie - Well. Hey there. Leah.

Leah - Hey there. Annie. How are you?

Annie - I'm kind of amazed that we are celebrating our five year anniversary, Leah, with this episode.

Leah - Which is insane because I just was thinking, like, wait, five years ago. Feels like a lifetime ago, right? Like we were in just such different places. And then to see our little baby hear how it has grown and developed and evolved. It's just so fun to think that we've done this for five years, but also just like, kind of mind boggling, right?

Annie - It's totally mind boggling because it was just such a kind of a random idea, number one, and we had no idea when we started everything that was going to unfold. And it's just like when we think about, like ourselves when we started this all bright eyed and bushy tailed and like not knowing that a global pandemic was headed our way.

Leah - Right?

Annie - We were so full of optimism, eyes full of stars.

Leah - Totally. I know, it's just so funny. It's one of those moments in life when we made this decision that just clicked together without literally a thought, which doesn't happen very often, but it always is a sign to me that like. It's meant to be like we were meant to be here. Just like. There was no question or hesitation or anything. It's just like, boom, we're doing this and it's just so fun to reflect on, you know, how that came together. And then just, you know, I'm so grateful that I didn't question the decision when you sent me an email. And it was so like, hey, we met at a conference, do you want to start a podcast? And I literally wrote back in two seconds, like with zero, I'm like, heck yeah, I want to start a podcast. Let's do this with barely even knowing each other. Other than this interaction we had on the podcast, which it.

Annie - Might not even have been an email, it also might have been on like Facebook Messenger, like, like split into your DMs. Yeah. Ever wanted to have a podcast? You were like, I've been waiting my whole life for somebody to ask me that.

Leah - Let's do it. And we were just like, all in. It was so funny. But it just is such a reflection on life, things like that. When things are meant to be and right and it just falls in your lap. And when you think about it in that moment, like nothing bubbles up of like, oh, I don't know if I. Should do that. Feels uncomfortable, but maybe I want to feel like none of that. I was just like, none of it do this. Let's just go for it. And we did it, which was crazy.

Annie - We barely knew each other. I had seen you speak at a conference and you were talking about in-person marketing, and you have this, like, amazing video where you're, like, pretending to go to the doctor's office and then the receptionist, like, takes your cards and throws them in a drawer and just slams it shut, and you're like, that's what happens. But you have to, like, go in and like, schedule an appointment with them. And I was like, that's amazing. But it was mostly like it was like a great talk. But it was the fact that you made that video, put it over the top.

Leah - My one acting debut, I was so that's one talk where I was, I like channeled all my creative juices into that talk of like, I just wanted to knock it out of the park and look what it got me. It got me. I know podcast I found.

Annie - Out later that you, like, have a performing background, like you've like, done stuff. It was so funny because I didn't know that we were like had become IBCLCs at the same time. All I knew was that, like, I liked your energy and I really liked that video and I had done a podcast. A long time ago, like in the mid 2000 when I work for a corporate company, a digital marketing agency, and it was called Zoom in, zoom in. And I had like theme music, and I went and reviewed photographers for some of it, and I interviewed people that did like post-production stuff, like it was very dry. It was a very like corporate podcast, but I loved it. I loved having a podcast. I loved everything about it. I was like, I always wanted to have another podcast. And so I was like, I'm going to have a podcast, but there's no part of me that wants to just be a solo podcaster. That sounds boring, and that sounds like that made me uncomfortable. I'm like, who am I to like, go out there? And so I'm like, I have to find somebody that I want to talk to about this, about all this stuff, about lactation stuff. So you go back right away and then you had all these, like, great questions. I was kind of like, okay, when, when can you record? And you're like, okay, we need a name. We need a focus. What is our podcast about? What's our mission statement? I'm like, what do you mean it's our podcast?

Leah - I know, it's like, it's so fun that like, our personalities really complement each other so much that we didn't, but we didn't know that. Right. And then it just kind of like so unfolded of like, I don't know, the stars aligned and put us here together like in just such a perfect way. Right. Because we I feel like we have so many things alike, but so many things that are so different that help us see, like so many different perspectives and angles from running the whole podcast situation. But then also I've just gained so much from doing the podcast because I get to hear your perspective on things, which I just like, opens my eyes to like all these different ideas and things. I hope I contribute some. Well, you're.

Annie - Like the you're like the, the heart part of it because you're always like thinking about like taking it to like deeper places and like the more like, what's your mindset around this? Or like how how does this really kind of affect your life where like, if I'm left on my own, I'm basically a robot, like turn a key and I'll spit out some actual information that isn't probably that interesting to listen to, but so it's nice to be able to have that modulated by somebody who has just more energy generally than me.

Leah - Fate that we all, we came together and it's such a perfect match. We had a love it.

Annie - It was like I would do it. I think you would agree with me. Like I would keep doing this even if like, hardly anybody was listening. Just it's fun. It's really fun. And we always after we're done recording, we're like, I just really needed to talk about that stuff.

Leah - I know.

Annie - So like the icing on the cake is that people do listen and we get, you know, they people interact and they show up with their deeper dives and early on I forget how far into it we were. But it's at one point we did listener questions and want to do listener questions. Yes, I.

Leah - Definitely want to do that again, for sure. That was so fun.

Annie - So fun. So we're going to put a link in the show notes to a form you can fill out if you want to submit a question, or if you want to share something about your private practice journey over the last five years, like taking you from before the pandemic to now. Like we would love to get those stories. We'll even make it possible for you to leave a recording. So we would love to just showcase you, our listeners, because we have fun, just the two of us. But it's so much more fun because of all of you. And we really, deeply mean that, because that's just what makes it so fun that we feel like we're talking with you, not at you.

Leah - Exactly. I feel like just this experience of being IBC, being practice owners is so unique, and it bonds us so much. And I feel like every time we sit down, I know that there's a whole bunch of other people that are experiencing so much of what we're experiencing, and it just feels like we're getting this chance to like, talk about all these wonderful things, but also all the hard things. And we know we're bonded by this kind of, like, unique field and way of doing business and this passion that we obviously all have because we're willing to to kind of dredge through the yucky mud stuff that we don't always love, to be able to support families in the way that we do. And I think it's always feels like I know people out there listening, even though you and I are just having this conversation, I feel like you can just feel the energy of like, we're talking about this stuff because we're all kind of feeling this stuff. Like, I can always feel that. And then when we get that feedback from people, and we so appreciate all of you who leave us. Reviews, or send us DMs and messages and say and tag us on social media. Like, this was so helpful. Or this was just like what I needed to hear today or, you know, whatever it is, we love that because it just reminds us that, like, why we're out here doing this and and that passion that we have to keep this conversation going and keep the community that we're building through the deeper dives. You know, it's so fun to think back. We started those deeper dives. You know, I remember going into 2020, we had done a lot of fun stuff, like we did some conferences. I remember I got to come up there and see you and get to drive to New Jersey. My gosh, we drove Texas girl, I cannot even tell you. First time I was ever in a taxi, got in a taxi for the first time from the airport to see Annie, and then she tours me around New York, and then we get to drive to new Jersey, which was a whole experience of itself.

Annie - What was so funny to do? You remember that, first of all, when you were waiting for the taxi, you met somebody who knew me like it was so random. Do you remember that? Yes. So random. Like.

Leah - And then all of, you know, highly populated New York that I would run into the one person. It was so.

Annie - Crazy. It was really crazy. And then you came here, and then we walked. We took the ferry, remember? We walked the width of Manhattan, which is insane. Insane. I've never done that since. I haven't done that. I guess I need to come back. We took, like, a slow walk and we had lunch and we went and, like, saw the sights and looked at stuff, and it was so much fun that we got in a car and drove to new Jersey for this in-person event that we did about running a group practice, and that was like our first outing as speakers. And we're like, we're going to do this. Do we want to be speakers? And we went to the US conference, remember? And we had all this swag, we had the stickers and we were like had media kits. And we were walking the exhibitor hall like, do you want to sponsor our podcast? And we did have some companies who did sponsor their. Still you'll see that some past episodes, we still have those sponsorships up. We're really grateful for the support that those companies gave us. And then we were like, this probably isn't sustainable because I think it was my husband who told me he's like, really? The big money in sponsorships would come if you guys were drinking while you talked about that stuff, and then you could get an alcohol sponsor, and then we would really.
So somebody who has a lot of money. Yeah. Exactly. Brought to you by Casamigos tequila if you're listening I know.

Leah - So we decided we had to go a different direction. And I remember like this whole vibe in the end of 2019, it was all like, you know, like 2020 because it's such a big year. Like everybody's going to do big things in 2020 and we're like us to like, we're going to do big things in 2020. And so we started our deeper dives in 2020, January of 2020 because although we love talking to each other here, we were like, we want the community, we want to pull the people in and hear what they have to say and bring cool people on and let them, you know, share wisdom and questions and knowledge and conversation. And so, so we started in 2020. Little did we know just two months later how the world would change. But I will say those deeper dives were such a lifeline, you know, that we kept doing them and we were all so trapped.
We had these moments where we could come into the deeper dive community. And just like we were talking about hard things and getting through this pandemic. And I just remember that being kind of like a real highlight of, of each month because it was like such a hard time for everybody. But it was.

Annie - Good that we had it already going because it was there, like we had dates on the calendar, like we blocked out all of 2020. In December 2019, we're like, okay, it's going to be on this day in January and this day all the way through December. Like we had the dates and they were on our calendars already. And I think if they hadn't been there, I don't think we would have done the deeper dives. I think we just would have dissolved into a morass of whatever that was, whatever it all was. So like they were for us. At the very least, they were a lifeline, just something like an.

Leah - Anchor to like, keep looking forward to and anchor us into this mission that we had to, like, build this community. We weren't going to let the pandemic stop us there, right? And we already had a community that we were building in this online space, which, hey, little did we know because I think going into it, we were like, you know, people want in-person stuff. Will they even enjoy being online things? And boy. Little did we know, we all got a lesson on how to enjoy online things and tap into that instead of trying to be in person, which was so awesome because I think we got to be right in the thick of that and and learning how to make that space what it is today, which like that's one of the things I'm so proud of is our deeper dive spaces, because not only very selfishly, I gave so much out of those deeper dives, I feel like I will forever want to just have them for my own personal use, because we brought on so many amazing speakers or not speakers. But like experts that have taught us so much, have opened our eyes. Oh my gosh, I've just like had so many aha moments and like eye opening and vulnerable. I mean, it's just been so wonderful for my growth is is a lactation consultant, but also like as a person in general and even through the pandemic, like I think we had so many people that help support us through that such stressful time. It was really good. I love our deeper dives. I'm so glad we were bold move 2020 changing everything. And it worked.

Annie - And it was also in the time that we've been doing these deeper dives. I really can't think of a time where we ask somebody to do a deeper dive and they said, no. Everybody that we've asked has said yes. And just looking back at the people that have said yes to us, it's like you said yes to us. Like, yeah. And it feels like something I'm in and like I'm like, I really would consider myself a subject matter expert in like a very limited number of things where I'm like, I'm happy to say, like, I do feel like I know a lot about the things these these things that I do know a lot about, but I'm like, it's not enough. Like, and there's a ton of things that happen in private practice that I am not an expert in and don't want to be an expert in, like when we did. I'm thinking like the one we did earlier this year with Nikki Greenaway about the new mastitis protocol. That was one where Leah and I were like, write that down, take a note.

Leah - I take notes like almost every deeper dive. That one was so good. Another one that I was like, just so many aha moments with Kathy Watson. Jenna, that one was so good.

Annie - We did two with her and they were both like.

Leah - Oh, and just like so many people we've met, including her, like just bringing this really energy that just keeps you going. Like, I want to keep doing this job because it is like there's so many times where I feel so discouraged, like, I don't know everything. I don't know enough. I need to keep, you know, we always need to keep learning, but it always feels like it's never enough. Right? And then just like just talking to these people that can just bring so much humility and, and this awareness that, like, will forever be growing and learning and just being able to, like, take each of these deeper dives and just know that like, hey, this is another opportunity for me to learn something new, to see a different perspective. And like totally taking a thousand notes, like I literally have next to my desk here in my closet, no less. You guys know I'm in a closet still, still in a closet. I have a notepad that's like my deeper dive notes because every single time I'm taking notes. So even if nobody ever shows up for a deeper dive, and you and I are going to continue to pay people to come and talk to us seriously, a better lactation consultant in person.

Annie (00:17:29) - And we tell all of our speakers that they're like, okay, what do we have to do to prepare? We're like, nothing. Just show up. We will ask the questions. We tell everybody. We're like, we'll have the people who are attending ask questions like, we'll keep saying, ask questions, ask questions, ask questions. But don't worry. If they don't, we have plenty of questions. You just have to just answer them. And we give them our questions in advance. But always people start asking questions and they're great questions and they're things that we wouldn't have thought of. And so like with the deeper dives, it's not just these subject matter experts, but it's also the people that show up and participate. And even if they're just posting in the chat, you don't even have to come on camera if you want to be involved. Like it's we make it so easy. That's what makes them so great. And so. And if you've come to a deeper dive, you know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't, give it a try. It's there. Really fun. And if you are also a subject matter expert on something that we haven't talked about in the deeper dives, like let us know. Like would love to do a deeper dive into like thyroid stuff. Like I think that would be like amazing. So so.

Leah - Good.

Annie - Just putting that out there into the universe.

Leah - Hint, hint. We've had so many people that have fallen into our lap because we had a thought like, oh, we want to do something about this. And just things start to click. Together, and next thing we know, we have this amazing speaker lined up and we're just like, what? This is so awesome. Yeah. Like anything, I feel like all the hormone interplay and I've tried to learn so much about that, but it's so complex. I really feel like having some expert that could just like, can you break this down and let me ask questions? Because that's the thing. It's like you take these online courses and stuff like that, and then you don't really get to sit there and like, okay, I get this part, but I can't quite put these pieces together. Can you help me with that? And that's the beauty of the deeper dives. It's not just somebody kind of like, I'm going to talk about this, and then you're going to see my slides and I'll send you a handout. And then that's the end. It's like, no, we get to here a little bit, but then we get to say, okay, but wait, like my brain got this part, but not that part. Tell me more. You know, or I have this specific situation because I feel like that's always the hard thing. It's like some specific situation or something like that that we really get to dive into the deeper dive. But I'm so, like, proud. I think Annie and I could go on and on, but I think we're both, like, proud of this baby that we've created together and how like fate, the universe, whatever just threw us together in a like, just unbelievable way. How we just came together here and then how we've just let this evolve. I think it's been such a natural evolution. It has never felt super pushed or strained, like, oh, we gotta make this happen. It just feels like it always comes together and always just so appreciative of that. Right? Because we do this on top of running our businesses and. Right and everything. So all that to say, I mean, I think this is just meant to be Annie. We are just meant to be.

Annie - So we've been really like, flexible with ourselves in terms of like, what are we trying to do? Like we started out we were doing two a month and during the pandemic we were running those bonus interviews. Those are still great to go back and listen to.

Leah - So many good ones. There are so.

Annie - Many good ones. And then we added the deeper dives. And then at a certain point, both of us were like, this is a lot. And not because we don't want to do it, but just it's a lot. And we, you know, have kids and we have our businesses and just life gets complicated and we're like, you know, we're going to do one a month.

Annie - And the deeper dive that feels like a good size. And we've had so many ideas and we've been so like, we did that. Remember we did that consulting session with the podcast company they gave us. Like they're like, we're testing out our podcast coaching services. Do you want free coaching? We're like, aha. And it was like it was a lot. We had to do all this homework in advance. Then we were on a zoom with him for like four hours. And he gave us all these ideas and we had spreadsheets and Google Slides. And then we did. I don't think we did any of it. Like, you know what? I just really like the deeper dives I don't need to do make it do all this other stuff because I'm like, it's just it's not like we're not trying to scale because, like, we just want you guys like, really, it.

Leah - Just like you. We don't need a million, billion people. We just need you who are here listening right now.

Leah - That's all we need to know that you're out there and hopefully you're listening, because this has served you in some way, which just warms our hearts and like, reminds us of, like why we came together in the beginning was because we know that when you're in these niche roles, support is where it's at. And you need this like more individualized support that really addresses the concerns that are so unique to what we do. And I just got to say, Annie, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I might almost cry here. Thank you for taking a chance on me, for seeing my crazy attempt at making a video and scripting it out and everything and like thinking, hey, I like this person. I want to do a project with her because yeah, that just means so much and you've been such a joy to work with and brought so much to my life, and I can't thank you enough and can't wait till you're back in Texas, or I'm back in New York so I can give you the hug cry.

Annie - Oh, I know it's.

Leah - Like five years to.

Annie - Go from, like, I didn't know you at all to like friends. Leah lives in the same city as my mother in law. We go visit her a lot, and we always make time to see Leah. And I've gotten like, we've shown each other, you know, seen each other's homes and met each other's families. And it's like just the friends that you make when you do these kinds of projects together. And I, I hope that you all have those people that you've met as you've gone on in your. Lactation consultant journey where you can feel like you're my people would not have met you if it wasn't for this work. And now I can't imagine life without you. So thank you for everything you brought to me. And thanks to all of you for listening and coming to the deeper dives. We have some great deeper dive scheduled coming up this month. In November, we have a deeper dive into screening for PE Mads with Desiree Israel, who's a social worker and a breastfeeding certified breastfeeding specialist and all around amazing person that's happening at the end of this month, November.

Annie - And then next month we're bringing in Maggie Patterson, who is a business coach. She focuses primarily on working with service based businesses. So like agencies, but also like she totally understands what we do. And she's going to talk to us about pricing and how to communicate our pricing. And then in January, we're going to have Joi McTavish, who's an IBC, and she's going to do a deeper dive into values to start our year. And this is something that she posted about it. And we've worked with Joy before. We love her. She's great. And she said something about like values workshops. I was like, yeah, sign us up for a deeper dive. And she was. So I'm really happy that that's finally happening. And so that'll kick off 2024, and we're expecting to then fill out the rest of that year. Two, we have no plans to stop any of this.

Leah - If it's you, if it's you who has an expertise in something, we want to hear about it, let us know.

Leah - And thank you all so much for being on this wild ride with Annie and I, and we can't wait to keep you here and keep going. So to next time, Annie. Thank you. And here's to five years together.

Annie - Here's to the next five together.

Leah - Absolutely. Talk to you soon. Bye bye.