Tech Exec Wellness Podcast: Conversations to Reignite Your Soul
In the fast-paced world of technology, where innovation and disruption are the norm, tech executives often find themselves caught in a whirlwind of high-pressure decision-making, long working hours, and constant connectivity. The relentless pursuit of success and the demands of their roles can take a toll on their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. However, a new narrative that emphasizes the importance of tech executive wellness as a crucial component of sustainable success is emerging. This is the story of the tech executive's journey to rediscover balance, prioritize well-being, and ultimately thrive in their personal and professional lives.
If you're ready to embark on a wellness journey that will empower you to live your best life, I invite you to subscribe to Tech Exec Wellness, Navigating the Digital Balance, wherever you listen to podcasts. Together, let's cultivate harmony within ourselves and radiate positive energy to the world. Each week, we'll explore a wide range of topics related to wellness, inviting experts, thought leaders, and everyday individuals who have transformed their lives through mindful living, self-care, practices, and holistic approaches. We'll dive deep into areas such as nutrition, fitness, mental health, spirituality, mindfulness, personal growth, and more.
Tech Exec Wellness Podcast: Conversations to Reignite Your Soul
Leadership, Music, and Wellness: A Conversation with Kim Curley on Drawing Inspiration from Dolly Parton
Writing can be a powerful tool for sharing leadership lessons, and Kim’s weekly LinkedIn posts are a testament to this. Inspired by Dolly Parton’s resilience and humor, we discuss how embracing challenges and maintaining a supportive attitude can significantly benefit women leaders, especially in tech. Kim’s thoughts on self-kindness and the power of persistence provide a much-needed boost for reigniting personal motivation through meaningful activities and role models. We also touch on the importance of balancing wellness practices and keeping a vibrant team spirit alive through sports and other recreational activities.
Maintaining a balanced lifestyle is critical, and in this episode, we delve into strategies for integrating physical movement into our daily routines. Kim shares her experience with gardening and emphasizes the importance of nutrition and regular exercise, such as tennis, to sustain overall well-being. The conversation also addresses the challenges of burnout in the tech industry and the necessity for leaders to prioritize employees' mental, emotional, and physical health. By setting transparent boundaries and fostering an environment of authenticity, we can ensure a productive, innovative, and humane workplace.
Please visit our website https://www.techexecwellness.com to stay up to date and subscribe to our newsletter!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Tech Exec Wellness Podcast. Today I have Kim Curley here with me today. She leads the People and Organization Consulting Practice for NTT Data Services, where she is focused on helping leaders and their organizations do more, be ferociously curious and thrive brilliantly through change, leads her teams to deliver organizational change management and workforce transformation solutions, and is a founding member and now executive sponsor for Women Inspire NTT Data, the company's first employee resource group. Kim is a double dog from the University of Georgia we'll talk about SEC later and a double royal from Queens University of Charlotte, where she is now an adjunct faculty member. She's a national parks nerd, book addict, world explorer and avid tennis player, and is learning how to chase that little ball through the short grass. So, kim, can you, before we get started, can we talk about your favorite music and a memorable concert? So enlighten us Sure.
Speaker 2:So my favorite music these days, my favorite music, is throwback music to my middle school, high school years. There's something about the music that we listened to in those formative years. That's so. It's not. It doesn't feel like nostalgia for me, it feels like home. So I love the music. Now I'm dating myself. I love the music of the 80s and 90s. I love bad disco. I love, you know, sort of all the great music from that era. Right now, kind of the new music or newer music that I listen to would be more country, and the thing I love about country music is that there's always a story. Sometimes the story is the same one in multiple songs, but I really like that. There's a story. Very often there are funny lyrics that make me laugh and giggle and there's some great country music with some terrific, so I enjoy that. But yeah, I listen to a lot of country music and a lot of.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have to say the 80s and 90s were great years. I kind of got into that grunge and I love the hair metal bands of the 80s and the new wave. I don't know about you, but was there a favorite band back in the day that you're just like, oh my goodness, their new album's out.
Speaker 2:Had to have it. So there's a couple of concerts that really. So you've mentioned albums, so I got to go all the way back and say the first album that I ever bought with my own money, so one that I saved for and I cannot remember how old I was, but young first album I ever bought was Kiss Destroyer talk about yeah, kiss Destroyer. And the whole reason for buying the album was the song Kiss's one and only love ballad.
Speaker 2:I remember that do you remember that thing? Are you calling yep? Now we're all going to be singing that song in our head for the rest of the hour.
Speaker 2:But from a concert perspective, the first concert I ever went to was Journey, so that was a really big big deal back when, you know, in the early days, when Steve Perry was still singing, and then you know, I'd say, more recently, I got to see Fleetwood a couple of years ago, which was spectacular. Honestly, live music is just great. I pretty much love every opportunity I get to see live music.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would agree with that. The last live concert I saw was Taylor Swift in Arlington, but I saw Fleetwood Mac. I saw a lot of those rock bands back in the day the Stones and whatnot. So I don't know about you, but I have just a diverse love of different music and genres and stuff. But I definitely love the 80s journey, especially Foreigner.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh yeah. Foreigner 4 was probably my third concert ever.
Speaker 1:I met you through Women in Tech Global and we followed each other on LinkedIn, and one of the things that you do and did was highlight Dolly Parton. You would have specific quotes in it. Can you, can you talk about that, because I love Dolly Parton too never saw her, but I love her well, we have that in common as well.
Speaker 2:I have never seen her perform, and I'm I really want to. Nor have I been to Dollywood, but I'm I'm really looking forward to making it there one of these days awesome the Dolly thing I'm still doing.
Speaker 2:I would say I do it weekly, but you know I skipped this week, so it's not exactly weekly but about weekly. On LinkedIn, I pull out a quote from Dolly Parton and I write a short article really on the leadership lessons that we can get from some of Dolly's famous quotes and not so famous quotes, and it really came about well. I guess it really started a few years back. A very good friend of mine, mona Sharif, who's our chief marketing officer, global chief marketing officer suggested that I listen to the podcast Dolly Parton's America. So if you have not listened to it, this is my plug a podcast other than yours which everybody should be listening to. Again. Folks should also go with Spartans.
Speaker 2:America. It was where I got to know Dolly, I would say, and I'd known her music. I'd known her as a songwriter, I'd known her as an actress, but I really didn't know her as the incredible business leader that she is. And through that podcast you not only learn about a lot about her as a person, her musically, her songwriting roots, her struggle to be taken seriously in the music business, but you learn about how she runs her frankly, the Dolly Parton empire and it is an empire and how she thinks about the customers that she serves and the people and fans that she has and what she does to make sure that she's doing her best to serve them and to take care of the people around her help take care of those great fans. And it was just amazingly eye-opening to see her dedication to her craft, her dedication to her business and her dedication to her fans, which are her customer base. So I really started paying more attention.
Speaker 2:Back in I guess it was February of this year I got started. You know, every once in a while we go through those little slumps where we think we're not quite as motivated as maybe we had been. For me it usually means I'm missing something, I'm not doing something that gives me energy and writing or sharing thoughts around leadership gives me energy. So I decided well, you know, here's a really cool Dolly Carton quote that happened up that day and I'm just gonna grab them and make a leadership series out of it and I'll keep writing them till I don't feel like writing them anymore. We've got about 22 in my LinkedIn articles in my LinkedIn profile that you can find, and I just absolutely enjoy reading her quotes and thinking about what she might have been thinking at the time and how I can translate that into something that I can use as a leader and share with others so that they can use as well.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's wonderfully said. And you know, one of the things I like about Dolly Parton is her resilience. I read the story about her upbringing and then, as you mentioned you know, she's built her empire. I mean country music, I think, and I think music. You know, there's that male dominance that we see, and she's been one like Stevie Nicksicks, to continue to put out good music and content, decade after decade, I think. And you tell me, but what can business women learn from Dolly Parton?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. We could talk all day about what we could learn from Dolly Parton. I do think resilience is one of her trademark qualities and one of the ways that we know her best, so I think that's something that that all of us can take away from knowing about Dolly.
Speaker 2:I also think that her, her sense of humor about herself and what's going on around her are really pretty awesome too. She doesn't take herself too overly seriously and she doesn't really take anything else too over seriously to. You know she she makes pokes fun at herself, she pokes fun at the world around her. I think one of my favorite quotes, which I did write a short article about, was you know, I don't get offended by dumb, blonde jokes, because I know I'm not dumb and I know I'm not blonde and you know that's a great example of somebody taking something that could be, you know, really hurtful and knowing where you are well enough to know that, how you should take that comment and what to do with that in the future and those are things that I just, I just really think are great.
Speaker 2:She talks a lot about just loving the world around you and being super appreciative and supporting people, because you, you just never know what dreams people have that they're trying to achieve when they're around you. So I think there's a lot of lessons. I think the resilience one is really a great one Her persistence. She wasn't gonna let anything stop her and nothing has ever stopped her. And another one of her quotes speaks to the fact that she wasn't gonna let somebody else not thinking she could do something stop her from doing the things she knew she could do. And I think those are just great lessons. Great lessons to hear for, for, frankly, anybody, but certain great, certainly great lessons for women leaders to hear, and certainly great lessons for women leaders in tech. I love that.
Speaker 1:And I'll say this to our listeners there's a problem with you if you don't like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, horses or dogs. I'm going to stay with that.
Speaker 2:There's a gene missing, there's something missing in your heart. If you don't love those things, that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right. I mean, I'm a Gen X and those are the things we grew up with was just those things that I just mentioned, and're both. Uh, we both went to school in the south.
Speaker 2:Uh dogs, my fighters, my auburn fighters, have not done so well against the georgia bulldogs, so I don't know what's going on with that maybe this is our, you know, maybe we've had a long and majestic history of playing each other the, if I remember, the record record is a whole lot closer to even, but I think either one of us would particularly like it to be. But we have Georgia has had. It's just come out on top of the last few years. But I'll tell you, I've been a Georgia fan for 40 something years and there've been a lot of lean years in there. So don't ever give up. Stick by your team, no matter what it is Well.
Speaker 1:I think we were always behind Georgia when you're playing Alabama, so we always join your team, always root for you. All are playing Alabama. But let's talk about some wellness here. So you know I really have enjoyed everything that you said thus far, but what this can do to prioritize wellness with everything that you've got going on, can you share some of those best practices?
Speaker 2:Sure, and I will share the very best practices, which for me, means things I aim for, not necessarily things I'm super consistent about or always terrific about. I think I struggle as much as the next gal with trying to figure out how to balance those things. For me, one of the most important wellness practices that I engage in or really do highly prioritize, frankly, just simply being kind to myself. There are times when we're at our best and we are flying through work and things are happening as though they are completely effortless and we're making decisions and creating new outcomes and leading people and motivating others and solving complex problems and it's just, you know, going like butter. And then there are times when it feels like writing the simplest email to respond to a request is just takes an enormous amount of energy.
Speaker 2:I think one of the most important things that I try very hard to do is to be kind to myself. So when I recognize that you know, maybe today is not my most productive day I'm going to give myself some grace. So instead of insisting or forcing that I push through and try to be as productive as I am on my best days, it's okay to sometimes have those days where you're, you know, not as productive as you are. I maintain and this may be just ego, but I maintain that you know me at 80% is still pretty darn good in the wide world of business. So I'll take it. But what that?
Speaker 2:also means is I give myself a break, right, and that can be a physical break. Get up and move around. For me, getting up and moving around. I work at home most of the time, so physical movement is important, whether it's standing up during a conference call and you know, doing squats, or lifting the you know handbells that I keep under my desk, or doing leg lifts or just things to keep moving. Those absolutely help my productivity and my performance because they keep my brain a little bit sharper, they keep my body much more comfortable comfortable and that helps keep my energy up. So those are two of the probably super simple things that I do.
Speaker 1:I have to say, when I talk to our peers in technology and cyber, you all have motivated me to be consistent, cause I think that's been kind of a problem for me over the last year. I mean, I was an athlete all the way up into my thirties and then you start traveling 75% of the time and my workout was running to the Hertz bus to get to the rental. So I I'm using this app called zing and I highly recommend it. I mean, it kind of brought me to tears because I you know they did the body scan, but I'm seeing a lot of success with it because it's targeting certain areas. But I had gotten to the time where I was using a lot of that free time, social media, just talking on the phone, and instead what I've done now is I've put it toward my wellness myself. So thanks for sharing that. I might have to put something under my desk on my next call.
Speaker 2:Oh, there you go. I think that's a great idea and I'm gonna have to go check out that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, please do. It's a, it's phenomenal. Let's talk about this nutrition. How's nutrition for you? What do you like to make? What do you like to eat?
Speaker 2:Have you been mindful of what you eat? Wow, this is going to be the disappointing part of the session, so I will tell you that I love to eat everything, and I am not as disciplined in either as I should be. What I do try to do, though, is if I want to eat something, I'm going to eat something. Now, am I going to eat all of it? Let's go with no. No is a really good answer. I'm not going to eat all of it, but even if there are things that I know that aren't particularly healthy, or things that you know, even things that you know, maybe I don't feel great after I eat, but I really want a taste of something. I'll have a few bites, because, for me, what I find is denying myself something sets off a different level of unhealthy for me. It gets me fixated on something, or all I can think about is having you know if I, if I say I can never have a piece pizza again, then all I'm going to think about is wanting to eat pizza, so I try really hard to really focus on moderation, and part of doing that, or part of what helps that, is thinking about how good I feel when I think of when I do eat things that I know are healthy for me. So when I eat a terrific salad that has, you know, yummy fresh vegetables on it, I feel I feel better. So when I eat a terrific salad that has, you know, yummy fresh vegetables on it, I feel better. So when I remember and think about that, I'm more likely to do that.
Speaker 2:I also garden. I've got a townhouse in Charlotte, small garden in the backyard, but we are constantly harvesting what seems to be a bumper crop of the sweetest little cherry tomatoes you can possibly imagine. I love to grow shishito peppers and stir fry those as part of our meals. I have green beans, I have potatoes kind of whatever's around. I love to bring those in from the garden. Add that so that, no matter what, I'm getting a dose of fresh.
Speaker 2:Right now I've got some gorgeous Swiss chard. I've got some garlic chives that are going berserk. I'm harvesting basil like it's going out of style. I mean it's so there's always a great way to add a fresh flavor and a fresh element and some really healthy bits and pieces to whatever you're you're eating, which I think is great. Now that eating I try to balance with things like playing tennis. So I'm an avid tennis player and, you know, probably three or four times a week I had a tennis match last night, I've got another one on Saturday morning and that helps give me the ability to, you know, maybe eat a little bit more of things. That aren't maybe the best choices, but try to balance that out with making sure I'm getting good cardio and movement in on a regular basis.
Speaker 1:Now, that's awesome. I'm going to have birthday cake tomorrow, so I'm thinking how many pieces am I going to have out of this cake?
Speaker 2:But you know what I'm going to be good to myself and I'm going to have as many as much as I want. So there we go, there you go. I mean there's a lot to be said for that. You know, I try hard not to do things that I know are going to make me feel bad. I try hard not to do things that I know are that are going to make me feel bad, you know, whether that's in my stomach or in my physical body, or in my mental and emotional state as well. So if you want to celebrate and have some birthday cake I hope you do and if it's your birthday, the cake that you're having, then happy, almost birthday it is.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's great, thank you. Good for you, yeah, thank you. Yeah, too bad we didn't make it today. I would have had it while we were on the call, but I'll just I'll have to send you a pic of it. So, kim you're. You've got direct reports correct, I do. How do you? Do you do you think about their wellness and their wellbeing and, if so, what are some of the things that you do to maintain their sustainability?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Great to maintain their sustainability? Yeah, great question. I think all of us struggle with that, for ourselves and for others. I think one of the things that I try very hard to do I would say I'm not totally consistent about this, but I've got some good accountability partners is I try to model the behaviors that I want my team to exhibit to keep themselves healthy.
Speaker 2:So when I say I'm on vacation, it takes something pretty seriously important to get me to engage in work when I'm on vacation. And what that does is it gives me the ability to frankly, convincingly, to a direct report who maybe isn't taking their vacation on a regular basis and isn't taking breaks or is working through those days of vacation. I also am pretty quick to say the opposite of look, I know we're all working from home, so you can just do X, y and Z. No, we need to have boundaries. And if you're not feeling well and you need to lie down and take care of yourself, then lie down and take care of yourself, don't you know? Kind of half work and half take care of yourself. It just makes whatever illness you're trying to battle hang out that much more.
Speaker 2:I also make sure that when I have my one-on-ones with folks that I work with, that I'm asking how people are and I've got a couple of direct reports. When I ask that, who jump right into telling me about the status of a current pursuit that they're working on or a project that they're trying to deliver, and I often have to stop and say no, no, that's not the question I'm asking you. I'm asking you how are you? How is your life? What are you doing? That's fun? How are you feeling? What's your stress level? What's on your plate? How full is that plate? Is it more full than you would like it to be? What can we take off or put on to make sure that that plate is as full as makes sense for you in this time and in this season?
Speaker 2:But more than anything, I try really hard to model the behaviors. I tend to be very, very transparent and authentic. So if I'm struggling with something, people know that I don't want anyone to think I'm invincible and never struggle. I do Human, and when things are going well, I'm really transparent about that too. I share my successes personally and professionally, and I share a lot of my life with others as well. Everybody gets to decide how much of that they want to do. Obviously, for me, sharing it helps feel like it's you know I'm not leaving my personal self behind or my life behind when I'm walking into my work, the elements of work that I'm doing.
Speaker 1:That is so admirable, and the leaders that will be listening to this take some notes here from Kim. I think this is extraordinary because we're seeing right now and you probably see this on LinkedIn as well the burnout rate with cyber professionals, technology professionals, is through the roof, and then you're adding on commuting. Now the return to office thing. We come off of COVID, where everybody's taking care of their kids and their dogs. I have dogs, no kids, but they have all of these responsibilities in addition to work and they're coming back from that.
Speaker 1:Now it's okay, we need you to go back to the office and in some cases, I've read that people have a one and a half hour drive each way. So think about that. I know I live in Chicago, I live here in Dallas and the traffic is horrendous, so think about that person that's coming into the office after being in traffic. Goodness knows what accidents may have happened, but I really like what you said and I really like the approach that you're taking with your employees and that you're very mindful of what they got going on. But what do you think, what do you think other leaders could do to help alleviate some of that burnout?
Speaker 2:That is such a great point. You know the we see it everywhere, we. We see headlines for the great gloom and the big burnout and I think everybody is just I don't know about you, but I mean, I see it all around me. I think everybody's just a little bit tired right now. There's been just so much going on in the economy, the news, whether you're happy with choices that you're being presented or not, or you know, whatever it is, there's just, there's just a lot, and I think the most important thing that leaders can do is to remember they're human. I know that sounds silly, but they're human and the people that work for them are humans the workers that come into our offices or work from home or do work from wherever they are.
Speaker 2:A worker is not something separate from the human being right, it is. Work is something that that human being does, just like there are so many other things that that human being does. And so trying to remember that humanity comes first, that our ability to be productive is dependent upon, you know, good mental health, good emotional health and good physical health, and remembering that all of those things contribute to productive work period, but certainly to outsize productive work if we're really trying to hit it home or to achieve even greater things than we ever have before. And we all are right. Like every business is trying to tackle more difficult problems, get more things done with fewer people, learn new technologies which are coming at us at a rapid pace. We're all trying to do so much more than we ever were before. But remembering we're still human. There's still a human being whose brain works in a particular way. Our brains still work the ways our brains have worked for really really long time. It's not like the advent of technology has rapidly rewired our brains. I mean, there are some things about our brains that rewire technology but, for example, our brains are still wired to need regular breaks and yet we don't take them.
Speaker 2:So if we can just remember that we've got a feeling human that thinks that is the thing that is coming to work, to do work for our businesses and for our clients and for each other, if we can just remember that and take a pause and focus on that.
Speaker 2:It doesn't have to be the main focus of every meeting and the main focus of every conversation, but just giving a little bit of space and a little bit of moment to the fact that we're human, I think would make a huge difference. The other thing that I think makes a huge difference for leaders is to simply ask and demonstrate that you're interested and care Doesn't mean you've got a can solve every problem or everything that your worker or your colleagues are dealing with. But there's an old saying about a burden shared is a burden halved H-A-L-V-E-D and I think that's right. So if somebody comes to you and says, hey, I'm really interested in what's going on with you, just the fact that they've expressed interest can help lighten that burden. I think that is something that takes no time, no money, very, very little effort and makes a huge difference in people's mental health and well-being.
Speaker 1:I hope that this episode creates a ripple effect across executives worldwide, because what you just said there, we're getting back to the human element. We're getting back to. You know, one thing you said earlier is you got to be kind to yourself first, and I think that's where all of this starts is. Are you taking care of your own self? What is that saying? Put on your mask before you put on the person next to you on the plane.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right, yeah, so I think you have given us a ton of wisdom here today, and I think that we need to kind of go back to basics with how are we treating each other, how are we treating ourselves, but I think that extra bit of compassion will go a long way. So, kim, I think that's brilliant. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Now I hope it does create that rebel of that. You and I are going to put it out there and we hope everybody just picks it up and shares it with everybody else.
Speaker 1:As we come to the conclusion. As somebody and you know, I'd love to have you back on the show again because I think that there's probably more that kim can give us and, uh, I know you certainly have made me think a little bit. But with everything that's going on, what advice would you like to leave with our listeners to inspire on their wellness journey if they're dealing with burnout or anything? And and I'm hoping you're going to take something from Dolly Parton, but you don't have to how can you inspire these people?
Speaker 2:Well, okay. So I'm going to say two things. The first thing I'd say is, frankly, seriously, just be kind to yourself. The most important thing that you can do for your wellness, true wellness, is simply be kind to yourself. So, the things that fill you up, the things that bring you joy for me it might be taking a you can't see me doing this but an air quotes hike in the national parks.
Speaker 2:I just came back from a vacation. We were in Olympic national park and Mount Rainier national parks and I love the national parks. And when we take hikes, you know we're not summiting Mount Rainier, right, okay? And I live at sea level. So when I take a very flat walk at 6,000 feet, it feels like I have climbed not Everest, which of course I have not, but whatever that is that brings you joy. You know, taking a walk through the wildflowers at the Paradise area in Mount Rainier just take that walk, be kind to yourself. Don't feel like it's not enough because you didn't do something monumentous like Summit the Peak. Just remember to be kind to yourself and in the ways that make sense to you. You are you. You don't need to hold yourself up against anybody else. You don't need to compare any of that to anybody else. Just be kind to yourself. I think that's most important.
Speaker 2:And second, I will give you something that that harkens back to, absolutely harkens back to Dolly. I don't have the the exact quote right off the tip of my tongue, but she talks about her look and that she's never changed her look. And she says that when she was a young girl, there was a woman in town who, you know, had big hair and wore flashy jewelry, and she was always dressed to the nines and perhaps overdressed, and Dolly thought she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And so she grew up with this particular, particular ideal in her head, and it is why Dolly is, you know, exactly the amazingly beautiful person that she is and chooses the clothes that she chooses and chooses the hairstyles that she chooses and chooses all the things that she chooses.
Speaker 2:And she says I've never changed because when I was growing up, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I've always wanted to be that most beautiful thing, and so I keep making choices that look like that to me. So that's the other thing that I would say is is you know, you do you? So whatever, whatever that happens to be, whatever that feels like or whatever feels right to you. Pick the rhinestones, pick the big hair, pick the giant, you know fingernails. Pick whatever it is that that speaks to you and is beautiful to you.
Speaker 1:I have to say this and I want to hear your thoughts on it but during COVID or the lockdown, I would wear sluts, maybe T-shirts, whatever, and I don't know about you or anyone else out there. But what you just said resonates with me, because I make an effort to do my hair every day, put makeup on, wear nice clothes. Even if I'm working at home, I'll put on a button up and maybe wear like a hoodie or something over it, but I've got the collar there. But I've taken so much pride in my appearance and that just made me think of what you said. And yeah, I may go get some fancy nails this weekend. Now, there you go. Yeah, I may go get some fancy nails this weekend. Now, there you go. Yeah, I feel good. And don't you think that's why Dolly is always so happy is because she feels good and looks good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she feels good and she's doing what she wants to do to look and feel good. And I heard this great quote from a friend of mine who does a lot of work in empowering young girls and figuring out ways to grow girls, particularly through the toughest period of time for most girls, which happens to be kind of the middle school years, and the things that she advises and it has to do with makeup, which is why I brought this up is, she says, to say to you, when you're, when you're young, girls ask you why are you wearing makeup? Her perspective is to say because I want to look fancy today, because we're beautiful whether we're wearing makeup or not. We're beautiful whether we've got big, long, fancy fingernails or not right.
Speaker 2:But if that fancy gives us a shot in the arm or a little extra energy, then that's absolutely something we should do. But rest assured, every single one of us is beautiful. Whether you've got on your t-shirt and your sweats, or your button up and your hoodie and your fancy nails, whatever it is, you are beautiful. It's just a matter of how fancy you want to feel that particular day. And if it gives you a shot in the arm by all means go do it.
Speaker 1:Wow, I got to say, Kim, I am energized after a conversation and I cannot wait to evangelize this episode because I think it's going to be. I think there's people out there that need to hear it. I think there's people out there that need to know that it's okay not to be okay and to feel good. So I love that Great Well.
Speaker 2:I'm glad. I hope you got something out of it. I'm now looking forward to finding an excuse to have birthday cake tomorrow for your birthday.
Speaker 1:All right. Definitely taking that with me. Well, thank you and Kim. We'll have you back on the show again, but this was great, so don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on a variety of platforms and check out our website at wwwtechexactwellnesscom. Take care, and thanks for tuning in.
