Sisters-in-Service

Why Women Over 40 Can Launch Smarter, Work Less, And Thrive with Chanda Coston - Success Strategist

• Cat Corchado • Episode 221

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Want to be a guest or know someone would be a great fit? I am looking for military vets, active duty, military brats, veteran service orgs or anyone in the fitness industry

Reinvention takes guts, but it doesn’t have to take your whole life. Cat sits down with Navy veteran and business strategist Chanda Coston to map a path from service to a business that finally fits your season—especially if you’re a woman over 40 craving purpose and time freedom. We talk about the quiet months after separation, the shock of corporate culture, and how loss redirected Chanda toward nonprofit work and, ultimately, coaching. What emerges is a playbook for clarity: simplify your goals, choose the 20 percent that moves the needle, and build systems that protect your energy.

You’ll hear the real hurdles behind the highlight reel—why visibility feels harder than leadership briefings, how “professionalism” can become armor, and what it takes to show up online without burning out. Chanda shares the frameworks she uses with clients: calendar audits to find hidden time, batching to guard focus, and the delegate automate eliminate lens to keep work light. We pair that with the 12-week year and daily Top Three priorities so you always know the next right step. When life surges—aging parents, empty nests, surprise detours—you’ll learn how to maintain minimum viable momentum and return stronger.

This conversation is built for veterans, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants a business that serves life, not the other way around. Expect practical moves, warm honesty, and a reminder that community and accountability turn courage into results. If your why is ready but your plan is fuzzy, press play, grab your notes, and start small today. Loved this episode? Follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review—your words help more women step into work that fits.

https://www.chanda-co.com

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Sisters in Service Podcast, the space where stories from active duty veterans, military spouses, and even military brats finally get the spotlight they deserve. I'm your host, Kat Corchado, Air Force veteran, movement specialist, and the heart behind this podcast. I started Sisters in Service because too many stories from our community were going untold. Stories of resilience, transition, identity, and the strength it takes to serve and to thrive beyond the uniform. This podcast is about connection, empowerment, and reminding each of us that our service didn't end when our military chapter closed. It simply evolved. Sisters in Service is proudly sponsored by Fit for Life Alliance, a space where people are committed to feeling better in their bodies every single day, and by MySexy Business, where you can own a business that doesn't own you. So grab your coffee, your journal, or your walking shoes because every episode is an invitation to listen, learn, and lean into the powerful stories that remind us service is a sisterhood that never fades. Welcome everyone to another episode of Sisters in Service Podcast. You know me. I'm your host, Kat Cortado. And today we are joined by Chanda Costin. She's a U.S. Navy veteran, business strategist, and founder of Chanda Co. After more than 20 years of leadership experience. She is on a mission to help women over 40 build businesses that fit their lives. Did you hear me say that? Fit their lives. Not the business fits into your life. You fit, you know what I mean. We'll talk about all that. Not just drain them. Through her systems-driven clarity-focused approach, she teaches women how to turn their experiences into income and their ideas into lasting impact. From the structure of the Navy to the freedom of entrepreneurship, Chanda's story is one of reinvention, resilience, and redefining what success looks like at every stage of life. Chonda, welcome.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm so excited to be here and have this conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, we're glad that you're here. So for those of you listening, of all my veterans, uh, or even active duty, I always ask the same question of did you pick whatever that in Chonda's case is the Navy, or did the Navy pick you? So I've been asked this question of why they don't have some people don't understand it, and I'm gonna explain it just a little bit. So to my people in the military, you'll understand exactly what I'm saying is when you first went to the recruiting station, you'd made that decision. Let's say Chonda decided I'm going in the army and she gets there, and the army recruiter isn't there, but the Navy recruiter is. So the Navy picked her. So Chonda, did you pick the Navy or did the Navy pick you? I'd have to admit, I picked the Navy.

SPEAKER_00:

It was my good for you. Yeah. Um, my dad's retired Marine, right? And I was like, no way I'm doing that.

unknown:

Right?

SPEAKER_01:

You're like, nope.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, nope. Um, yeah, they lured me in um with the ability to go to school while I was active duty, right? Um, I was a single mom, um, three girls, and um, I like that idea. And I thought about you know, the Marines are on the ground, just my you know, expensive in the mud. Yeah, yeah. It was like good, that's not for me. I wanted the dream huts, right? A hot shower, a hot rack, right? Yeah, so it was the navy for me.

SPEAKER_01:

I get it. I was a single parent in the Air Force, and I don't I went Air Force only because I was born into the Air Force, and my father was already in when I was born. So I got to see how the Air Force was. So when I decided it was just an easy choice, yeah. I almost went in the Navy because I love their dress whites. And I told the recruiter that, and he goes, You know, they don't wear those every day, right? And I was like, Well, what do they wear? And he showed me, I was like, Oh no, no, okay, bad. I'm not wearing that. So thus I went to the uh into the Air Force. So Chandra, I'm gonna ask you, what was the thing you love the most about the Navy or just being in the military?

SPEAKER_00:

The thing I love most about the Navy, I would have to say the deployments um because they allowed me to travel and see other countries. And so that's what kind of like I still travel today. I literally just got home from Asia. And so they first added me, like being able to experience other cultures and see that they were doing on the other side of the world. Um, and I absolutely love that um more than anything, which is why I still do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you're kind of like, you know, one of those people that I rarely get to meet because a lot of people, you know, have either never traveled and don't want to travel, or they've never traveled and they they eat it up. They're like, I'm going here, I'm going there, I'm doing this, I'm doing that. They're traveling even after being in the military. Um, I learned what you did as an adult, but I learned it as a child. I thought being a you know, a military brat was the best thing ever. I got to see things that other kids only saw on TV or read about. And and you know, my dad would make us go off base and eat the local food. So I have a wide palate for food. And, you know, other cultures, it it's not offsetting to me. I'm just like, oh, what's this? You know, different food, different languages. I'm okay with it. And some people find it a little off-putting. So, how long did you um stay into the in the Navy?

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. So all I was saying is that I was at that halfway mark and it's the crosswork road for most people. And I decided to get out to be with my children, and so I pivoted from military service into corporate so that I didn't have to leave them for an unaccompanied tour.

SPEAKER_01:

When you got out of the military, did you know exactly what you wanted to do?

SPEAKER_00:

No, I you know, I really didn't have a clue. Um, people kept telling me I was crazy to get out at the 10-year mark. I had a really good um, you know, uh time in the military, had good vows, I was promoting, etc. Um, but again, it was for me, it was about family, right? And being able to pull up for my children. And so I told everyone I was gonna go get this corporate job and I was gonna make this amount of money, and they were like, you are crazy. Uh but I did just what I said I was gonna do. I was able to pivot and I went to work for Deloitte Consulting. Um, and it was a blessing, honestly. It allowed me to see um consulting at a very high level, working with some, you know, very um professional, um, career-minded people, um, which is very different. Not it was different from the military in that um it was a different culture, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but it was a very good experience um because they're top like creme de la creme, right? And so I was like, wow, I didn't even know life could be like this.

SPEAKER_01:

So, what was your transition like? Did you go right from the military, right into that job? Did you have any kind of and and I'm only asking because after 20 years in the military, A, I couldn't get hired, no one wanted me. And B, I felt this sense of loss, you know, like I was mourning my my military career. And I felt kind of like I always like to tell this story that I walked out with my DD 214 expecting a parade and balloons and music and all this other stuff. And I walked out and it was quiet. And I thought, do I have the right day? And then I kept walking and kind of just went into this free fall, you know, kind of like floating, like I couldn't find put my feet on the ground. Did you find any of that or did you just transition right into it? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

So it did take me a few months, right? I separated in August. I didn't land my position until November. I started in December. Um, but my focus was really on I got these kids to take care of. I went from having three girls to having five children in the 10 years I was in the military. So from the time I entered to the time I got out, and I was like, okay, something's gotta pop because I got these kids, right? And so looking for a position became like a full-time job.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, right. It almost has to be.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, it um I definitely felt the free fall effect. When you think about you've created this, you're in this culture and it becomes a huge part of your life, right? All of your best friends are in the military. We socialize and spend time with each other in the military. It the military definitely becomes like a second family, right? And so when you think of separating from this family, there I think there's grief because it's such a huge change. And as much as I enjoyed my time in Deloitte, it was like, okay, now this is I felt completely out of wits to an extent, right? Because now I show up and they give me a laptop, they give me a laptop um lock and they give me a cell phone, just be on VPN. And so it is uh a completely um mindset shift that has to take place when you're like entering into that new space. But it wasn't immediate, right? That those few months were definitely um, I'll say they were trying, it was difficult sometimes. And especially when you have five young ones looking at you like, hey, are we eating today? Right. Um, and so yeah, I I I appreciate my time in the military. Um, and it was um an interesting pivot into corporate, but I understood the sacrifice that was necessary um in order to go to the next step. Um, I never thought anybody was gonna be like um, I won't say like a parade per se, but I did expect a bit more um like for people to welcome me more. Like you did your time, this is honorable, you did a good thing, sure, come work for me. And it was like, yeah, no.

SPEAKER_01:

They they honestly it felt like nobody cared. That's how I felt. It was like, we don't care you're a veterans, so you did 20 years, you know. Um, I think from in my in my defense, I did 20 years at the same job, and I think that's you know, they're like, Oh, we don't want to pay her that, you know. So they tell you that you're overqualified, you know, those words, you're overqualified. So Chanda, when did you you go in, you're working in corporate, and then you have this idea of hmm, maybe I could do this on my own, or maybe I can do something on my own. How did that come about for you?

SPEAKER_00:

So after Deloitte, I um they had me kind of out in the boondocks in the country, and I wanted to be more in the city, right? I was in the DMV area, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and I was out in St. Mary's County, and I got an offer from CACI, and um, which is in the city. So not quite at the level of Deloitte, but definitely a better position. And I was went to work as a contractor with the government um at M Street, Naval Sea Systems Command. And so it gave me kind of a bit more visibility into government contracting, working with clients, that whole thing. And I decided, like, you know, I did these 10 years, I should probably go civil service and buy my time back just in case, you know, it can't hurt to have too many options. And so that's what I did. I segued from CACI into civil servant, and I bought back, I was there four years and I bought back my time. And then I went to work for another contractor, and then I said, you know, I had started my company, but I hadn't launched it because it was a conflict, right? I was working as a government um personnel, so I couldn't have a government contracting company. So now I went to do that. Um, I that was a point where I decided to pivot. Now, how did I get into coaching? This becomes a little sticky part. Um, I went and I knew like I'm gonna build this company, I'm gonna be the next mogul in government contracting, like this is my time. And a few weeks later, I lost my brother to gun violence.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you. That like completely um stopped me in my tracks and I started a nonprofit in um it was 2018, so it's been going for some years now, been very successful. But so in that particular role, I realized um by mentoring youth and teaching life skill classes and people on you know business building foundation and et cetera, I realized I like coaching, I like teaching. And so I said, well, how can I do this on a larger scale? Um, I am very good at what I did for the government, but I was long hours in corporate, you're burnt out, and it doesn't always feel like it's value added. And so I decided, like, I'm gonna do this um because it gives it makes my heart warm, right? Yes, and so that began my journey into business coaching as well as strategy, right? Um, so here we are.

SPEAKER_01:

Here we are. Here we are. So you start your business. What was the biggest hurdle in starting your business? Because we all have this, whether it's imposter syndrome or we kind of, you know, um declassify ourselves, you know, we kind of like, oh, I'm not sure I could do that. And what was the hardest part starting, or what was the hardest part for you?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I'm really good at systems and I'm really good at processes.

SPEAKER_01:

So starting okay, hold on. Aren't we all though? When we come out the military, I tell people all the time, I'm a systems girl. Give me a system. I've got it down. I'm sorry to me to interrupt you. Yeah, no, no.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm glad someone relates, right? We get it. Yeah, so starting the business was like easy for me. Like as far as putting the pieces together, putting it all together, that was easy for me. Um, even the consulting side, because it was already what I was doing. It was like, okay, how do I do this for myself? Right. Okay, I started the thing, here we are, let's go. Um, and I already had some relationships, so that helped. Um, I will say the biggest imposter syndrome for me came when I decided to step onto this side, um, online coaching, right? In the entrepreneurial space. And it was like, okay, I know how to be a program manager, I know how to manage projects, I know strategy. But when it came to building a personal brand and stepping out and saying, Here I am, world, like accept me. It was like, wait a minute, what is what does that look like? Um build my social media. You're like, wait, what? Yeah, I don't need that in corporate. I just give them my resume. They know where I come from, they know the language I speak. Right. So I think the biggest um disconnect for me was that it was like, okay, as an introvert, I I'm okay with standing in front of a room and briefing the leadership on the progress of my program because I understood that. But now it's like, I need to come out here and talk about myself and tell you what I'm eating and what I'm wearing and where I'm going. And it's like, wait a minute. It's it can be a lot.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, because you have to put yourself on the line. Because, you know, my business coach always says that people want to do business with people they trust. So you have to be open enough where someone can pick you. She likes so you want you want to be open enough where people can pick you. And it can be a little bit, you know. I when I first started social media, it was like I would like stuff, I'd hard stuff and be like, oh, that's cute and happy birthday. And now I gotta, it's like a whole nother business of just being online. And I I'm just I won't say I'm good at it, I'm better at it, you know. Right. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And so, yeah, being able to um take down those walls because you know, the military, everything is called military bearing, right? And then we take that same posture in corporate, it's called professionalism, right? And so we're very specific about how we show up in these spaces and what we show them, right, as of who we are. But in this new space, it's like, wait a minute, in order to make sure that you're real and I can relate to you, I also need to understand your pains as well as you know, your wins. Absolutely. Do I want to open myself up and just show everybody all that stuff, um, which was never required for my success in this past journey, you know, the past two journeys. Um, and so I think if I had to say anything, that's one of my biggest challenges. Um, but I also speak to it so often because I understand that for my ideal client, right, which is women over 40, entering into this space is also one of their challenges. Like, am I good enough? Am I, you know, pretty enough? Do I have myself together enough? Like, I'm not technologically sound, so I don't always know how to position the camera to take that selfie, or how do I come across natural and open? And what do I say?

SPEAKER_01:

And you take a picture and you go, That sucks. Let me do it again. Let me turn my head this way, you know. And oh, there's so much that goes into it. It's quite a journey.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think this has been um the most challenging for me, only because it's the most unfamiliar. Um, and it comes at a stage in my life, it's like, do I really want to do this? Like, I technically I wouldn't have to if I decided to just I could just go off and retire and sell into the sunset. And you know, but I really do enjoy watching people get breakthroughs. I really do enjoy watching other people succeed, right? Exactly. And so it becomes worth it.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's interesting that we both kind of focus in my business. I focus on women over 40 in the fitness arena, and you focus on women over 40 who want to start their business and you know be able to still have a life. Right. And I find it interesting that we both kind of focused just on women. Was there a reason? Because a lot of coaches, male, female, doesn't matter. Was were was it because that you really um understood as a woman what it was like to be in that when you look in the mirror and you go, who is that person?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, absolutely. Um, not that men can't relate, right? And not that they're not um able to understand or um digest what I have to offer, right? But as a woman, I understand like what you're going through. I understand your mood swings, I understand your mindset, I understand the hormonal shifts, I understand like as an empty nester, I want a year with no one in my house, like a year and a half. And I feel like there should be a whole separate program for women who become empty nesters and they're grieving the loss of the lifestyle that it took to raise children, right? Yes. When I moved, um, I'm now in Elizabeth City, I moved from the DMB area because my mom is older and her husband is terminal, and I wanted to support her at this season. And I have siblings, but they are all with younger children and they have, you know, they're live. And I was like, I'm gonna move down here and support mom. I did not account to missing my children, my grandchildren going going and coming, you know, home from school to my house, and the relationship factor and me taking so much of my time to nurture and care for them and be there for them that all of a sudden I was left alone in my house by myself with just my mind. It's like, what are you doing? Like, what do you what do you want to eat? Like, where do you want to go? How do you want to spend your time? It's just literally me and my puppy, right? Right. And so, but that was a challenge for me. And I I'm I'm glad I experienced it. But I also understand how hard it is for other women, right? Because that becomes so much of our identity and who we are, right? I'm a mom, I'm a daughter, I'm a sister, I'm a grandmother. But who is Chonda? Who is exactly who does Chonda want? And what does that look like?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Um I think it's interesting that you know. We know what we want, but we tend to, you know, think that maybe we can't do it. And I know that you focusing on, you know, women like I do, you talk about businesses that truly fit a woman's life. What does that look like in real life examples?

SPEAKER_00:

My life is a real life example. Um, and that's what I try to shut share with my clients. Um, my goal in this new season is to work no more than 20 hours a week. And so when I talk to them and I say, okay, you want this business, right? Are you good at it? Is it needed? Can you charge for it? But more importantly, does it fit the season of your life? Do you have space for it? And you know, as an entrepreneur, I didn't go into business to create another job for myself. I wanted to avoid freedom, right? I want to be free. Exactly. Yeah. And it's showing them that not only is it like possible, right? But you can do it as well if you're able to create that structure yourself, if you're able to incorporate different strategies yourself because you deserve it, right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

I think as women, we do multitasking a lot. And and I'm I'm I'm a pitch for women right here. I think we were made to multitask. Not saying multitasking is great, but we we have to. If you're a mom, you're working outside the home, you're cooking, you're taking care, how do you not multitask? That's what I want to know. But the question is women especially tend to take on all the roles. How do you help women step away from the superhero syndrome?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, a few ways, right? So everybody's situation is different. If you're telling me time is an issue for you, let's do a calendar audit. Let's see how you're spending your time, right? Oh, yeah. I speak highly on delegating, right? Automating and eliminating. Like, what is it that you do more than two or three times that you can automate or that you know you can make it more streamlined so that you don't have to put your hands to it and you can recoup some of those hours. What is it that you're doing all throughout your day that maybe you can task, batch so that you're doing it once or twice during the daytime and it's focused, time, and energy so that you can recoup some of that time, right? So I'm really big on time management uh strategies because if you don't have that, then you're obviously gonna feel like you're spinning your wheels, like kind of running in place on a treadmill and really not going anywhere, right? And so I hate that, yeah. Yeah, and and most people, even though a lot of it is given, a lot of people it's like they forget, right? And so they have to find for themselves, like, okay, if you want this bad enough, you have to make your goals non-negotiable enough to do the work. And so eventually in the beginning, it does feel like work because it's new, but after a few days, a few weeks, and me helping to keep you accountable, then it becomes germane to who you are, becomes a part of your lifestyle, and then you find out like I'm not so tired, I'm not so frustrated, I do have more time to spend with family, I do have more time for self-care, right? Because you see that picture in your day, yeah. And I think that's really key, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I think one of the things that I did was I actually put a day in place. Like Sundays, I call it catitude day. And on catatude day, I do whatever I want when I want, if I want. Absolutely. And my husband undersees, he's like, Hey, can you blah blah blah? And I was like, Well, you know it's catatude day, right? And he's like, Oh yeah. I said, I'll see if I can get to it, you know. But I mean, you have to take that time back. You do, you need that time. You can't just go, go, go, go, go, because you will burn out. And that's never a good thing. Never, ever. I know. Yeah, it's I think one of the things that I like to do is uh my coach calls it sticky note time. And it I take everything that's in my brain, personal, family, hopes, wishes, all this thing, everything I want to accomplish in the quarter. And I put it on a separate sticky note, and then I put them in like order of importance. And what that does is it doesn't sound like it's it's huge, it takes it out of here. You know, I I always like to joke that my head's so big only because I've got so many things stuffed into it, and I need to I need to lose weight in my head, you know. That's that's where that comes into play.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I absolutely love that. I do something similar. I do um, I follow um uh the 12-week year process, right? So I look at my year as a year, but then I look at it quarterly, right? And so I'm always looking at the top three. What's my top three for the day? What's my top three for the week? What's my top three for the month? What's my top three for the quarter? And of course, all of those should play directly into your year, right? But as that year, I'm checking to see what I accomplished the year before. If it was value added, yay, great, celebrate. If it was not, and I didn't move it, be honest with yourself. Why are we holding space? Let's get rid of it, make space for something else. Absolutely. And I map out the next year. Like these are the things that are important to me across my entire life, whether it's personal, business, family, like charity, like what's important to me, investments. And I put them for the year, but then over the year, I'm breaking them out all the way across. And every quarter, I'm looking to say, What did I accomplish?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Am I making progress? Right. Yeah, and so that way it holds me accountable to me, right? Exactly. A lot of people don't do that. They're like, Oh, I'm gonna do this this year. It's like, okay, well, what does that look like?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, break it down, yeah. Absolutely, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

When you find that you achieve more, you're more productive, right? And so people don't think like that though. Like, give me snippets. You can say I'm gonna do this large thing over a year, but when you break it down to a quarter and then you break it down to a month, and you break it down to a week and to a day, then it's like, well, wait a minute, am I gonna do that? Can I do that? Do I have the capacity, the knowledge to do that? Um, and so it helps you be more realistic with yourself and it also helps you actually achieve those goals, right? Because absolutely being honest.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think one of the best things about the sticky note thing is you know, you peel the sticky note off, but you put it in a container, and then after a year, you look at all the things you've accomplished, you know. So I I love that. So we had talked about systems and that you and I both understand. And you are programmatic pro never mind, we're systems-driven people. Yes. So are there systems that are often missing for women when you when you work with them? Do you have to put systems in place for them or give them ideas for systems because they're kind of all over the place?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Um, so as a strategist, when my clients work with me, they all walk away with a plan of action and milestones and a client resource guide. The client resource guide speaks directly to personal development, books they should read, resources they should tap into in order to deal with their pain points and things that they're struggling with on a personal level that may impede progress in their business, right? Because if you don't deal with the mind, you can give someone a plan of action all day long, but they're not going to make progress because it starts up here, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But the plan of action is really taking the thing that they say they want to accomplish and eliminating the noise to give them that strong 20% instead of, you know, it's like 20% of what you do pushes 80% of um success in your business. Yeah. So if they're looking at all of this stuff and they can't decipher, then it's like when you streamline that and give it to them, it's like these are the things that you need to hit in order to go to this next level. Yes, they become uber focused, right, on that 20% so that they can then move forward in their business. And they're like they immediately go from overwhelmed to focus and more productive, and then they have community, accountability, right? Right. So it increases the likelihood of success, right? And so it becomes amazing to watch a person go from, oh my God, I don't know where to start, I don't have enough time, I'm completely overwhelmed, but I really want this, to saying, oh my God, I think I can do this now. It all makes sense.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, and not to mention, you know, life happens while we're building our business, but you also have to give yourself grace, no matter where you are in that journey, to say, let me take care of this life thing here. Yeah. And then, you know, you do, you know, you I what I like to do is, you know, do the absolute minimum that I need to do while I'm working with this. And when here's a life situation for you. My mother came to live with us. Yes. Okay. That's a shift. It is that so big I can't even tell you. But I had to, she didn't, she's not still here. She's she came for a month, but I had to really niche down. Okay, I need to do this, this, this, and really be uh focused and understanding what I need to do so that I could take care of my mom. When she left, I was able to open it up a little bit. All these big projects I wanted to do, I had to put them off to the side. You know what? It's okay. Because I was better for it afterwards, anyway. You know what I mean? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And and we should do that. I think sometimes we can beat ourselves up when we feel like we're not hitting the mark, right? But what I tell my clients is always take time for self because without you, it all goes away, right? Oh, yeah. And so self-care is so key. Even if you make baby steps, it's still progress. Progress perfection every single time.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. When you're working with women, why is it women tend to underestimate themselves all the time when it comes to business? Like a guy will be like, I'm gonna start a business tomorrow, and damned if he doesn't do it. Where a woman's like, Oh, I've got this appointment, I got this, and maybe I can't, maybe I'll do it next week, and then maybe I'll do it next month, and I'll do it in six months, and then it's a year, and then like you were talking about. What is that? Why do women do that? Have you figured that out when working with um women who want to be entrepreneurs?

SPEAKER_00:

I really think it's about um culture mindset, right? Because we were taught we're supposed to stay in the house, take care of the children, take care of the home. Like we're gonna stay in this little box, and it's like you want to start a business. Well, how are you gonna do that? Where are you gonna find this time? Like, what about your other responsibilities? And um, unfortunately for some women, they also are told that they're not um capable, right? And so breaking the mindset shift again is key, but also being in a community of people that support you or who are on a similar journey where you can share your successes, um, you know, as well as your heart and the times where yeah, the lows, absolutely, that is huge right there. Yeah, I tell everyone I think it's key to get into a community with like-minded people and people who will support you so that you don't feel like you're doing it alone, right? Um, there's a statistic I like to quote that says if you tell someone your goal, you're 65% more to achieve it. But if you have someone that keeps you accountable on a regular basis, it increases like almost to 100%. I think it's like 95% chance of achieving that goal. And so you have to ask yourself, like, what is that? Right. I think because we're as humans, we're relational. It's important for us to have those relationships that can support us. We it's, you know, give and take, ebb and flow, yin and yin. We support them and they support us, and we share our wins and lows, and they share their wins and lows, but it's a give and take, right? And that's the importance of a coach, accountability partner, andor community. Um, and I think that is so key to so many women um making that goal or you know, having that successful business. It's like, girl, you can do this. Like, come on, yeah, you know, you got this.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you find that having a community helps women get over that imposter syndrome?

SPEAKER_00:

To the extent if they are in a community and they're engaged in the community and they are having those important conversations, and so it really depends on how you show up. Yes, imposter syndrome is having someone to let you know that um not only are you capable, but it's doable, and then having people around you who can do it, um, who's done it, right? Um, and I think that when you talk about the the closest five people to you shows you where you're going in life, right? Yes. Um, I think that's where that comes into play. So if you're surrounding yourself with a bunch of doubters and people who are not mobile and they're slothful and they're not doing anything with their life, then it's gonna be really hard to build from that, right? Yeah. Because that's the energy you're getting. But if you're around productive people who are focused, who are doing the kiss, they're doing, you know, the relationship, they're doing the business, they're doing all the things. It's like, you know, that's what I need in my life. That's where I need to go, you know, into I need to be there. Yeah, you choose to because you understand it. And there's no uh competition per se, right? It's oh yeah, for each other.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely. I think one of the best things about the community I'm in is you know, we always ask for feedback on stuff, whether it's whatever it is for business. And it's never mean, it's never snarky. It's hey, have you thought about changing the font on this? And then you go, oh, that looks so much better. The other thing is ask until you're clear. I don't care. I probably have asked questions 25 times and I didn't hear the answer on until question number 26. Oh, okay. But I think that helps a lot, you know, to you know, keep asking those questions because sometimes you ask a question and you're hearing your business, but the question you're asking is, oh, well, five years from now, and you're like, let's wait on this a little bit, you know, until you get there. And then you get that that answer that actually makes sense to you. Oh, yeah. So, Chanda, what uh what kind of projects or things are happening that you're excited about right now for your business?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, lots of great things. Um, currently have a one-to-one tiny challenge. If someone says, I like you, I like what you're saying, but I'm not quite sure you're the one for me, then they can sign up and work with me. Uh it's like$20 for the sign up, it's money back guaranteed. It's over three one-hour increments across three days. Um, I work Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with clients. So they would pay the money, they would meet with me for those three days for those hours and walk away with a 90-day clarity plan. Um, but we would kind of deep dive over those three hours and figure out a prove a problem in their business. And then after that, if they want to work with me, then they can opt in for our VIP program, which is Build to Blueprint. It's a 12-week program, basically, where we walk them through executing in their business and building their business out based on where they are. Um, and what I mean by that is you have clients who are beginners, you have clients who are ready to um flesh their business out and refine it so that they can prepare to scale, and you have clients who are ready to scale. And so you can't talk to them or coach them or strategize with them the same way. And so it would look different for each one of those tracks, but definitely, you know, across the board. But in the process, which I think is so key, they have an opportunity to actually execute. So there's two sprints, which are working time blocks built into the program where I say, hey, we've worked on these things. I want you to take some time and actually execute these things so that we can go back and talk about it, see if we need to refine anything, and then they do it again towards the end of the project, I mean the program, um, to make sure that everything is tracking. So it's not just coming to me and listening to me talk at you and you walk away with this information, you quite don't know what to do, which is one of the things I hate about coaching. Um, especially like, hey, let's come along. This is some work I need you to do. These are some things to do within your business. Okay, what are you doing? Let me see. Let's talk about it. Where are you struggling at? What is it that you don't understand? Okay, and so that they can get that clarity because once they get clarity, often they'll move forward, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I think one of the things that happens a lot is that if you don't have a community or a coach and you start your business and then you get stuck and you can't figure it out, and then you do what? You just go, I tried it, it didn't work. You know, that was me. I would get stuck and go, uh okay, never mind. But I find that having a community and having someone that could say, let's walk through this. Absolutely. You know, someone that's gonna ask these questions where you kind of go, Oh, wow, I didn't think about that, you know. So I think it's important. Um, Chonda, can you give um the name of your company where people can find you?

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. My name and my company is Chonda Co. C-H-A-N-D-A-C-O, and they can find me at my website, Chonda-Co.com on social media, it is Chonda2 underscores C O. And I look forward to connecting.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, the it's been such a pleasure having you on today. One last question. If you had any advice for a woman who's she hasn't really started yet, but she's kind of tinkering with the idea of starting. What kind of what kind of advice would you give to someone who's kind of on the fence of starting, not starting, not sure? What would you say to her?

SPEAKER_00:

For the woman who's not clear on what direction they want to take and what they want to do, I would say, let's go. Um, why do I say that? Because tomorrow's not promised. And you deserve to have everything that you desire today. And the only way that you're gonna get that is to put one foot in front of the other and to make it count. You know, it sounds uh easier said than done, but uh there's another quote I like to quote, um, I think it's Abraham Lincoln. He says, Whether you think you can or you can't, you're absolutely right.

SPEAKER_01:

You're right, exactly. Like a lot of people told me that I was too old. Uh and I'm like, I don't care, I'm gonna do this anyway because because I can. Exactly. And I think the other thing that keeps bringing me back, because we all have those days where like I'm done, not an entrepreneur anymore. And of course, that's not true, but you feel this overwhelm is remember your why. Why did you start? If you are passionate about something, that passion, that why is gonna bring you back every single time. And if your why isn't strong enough, then you need to rewrite it.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Period. How long does it take? And so exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So there have been so many times when I look at that why and I go, ooh, okay, let's give it another shot. Here we go. Here we go. John, it's been such a pleasure having you on today. And I want to thank you for all your advice that you're giving to women who are either on the fence about starting, who have already started and they're kind of stuck, or even for those that have been in it for a while, but maybe there's some tidbits of information you could give them. For anyone listening, I hope you got some information from not just Chonda, but from the both of us. You know, these are all real life experiences that her and I, or she and I, okay, whatever, you get it, that we have gone through. And it's real life. So in the meantime, please stay safe. Take care of each other until next time. And please remember always that it's never ever too late to start your impossible.