What the heck do you need to know around P.R. as a small business owner? That is exactly what I ask P.R. specialist Lyndsey Akers, milspouse and pitching Queen, in this episode. It can be challenging to figure out what to say in a pitch or how to pitch yourself, but after this episode you will have a better understanding of just how to do this. Episode 114 of the Moments with an MEO podcast is all about pitching yourself with Lyndsey Akers.
In this episode, Lindsey and I discuss:
Like today's episode? Keep listening for more tips, tricks and stories in future and past episodes of the Moments with an MEO podcast.
Connect with Lyndsey Akers:
Instagram
Connect with Britt Lanza:
Coaching Opportunities
MEO Retreat Information
Instagram @new_altitudes
Check out MilSO Box here: www.milsobox.com
What the heck do you need to know around P.R. as a small business owner? That is exactly what I ask P.R. specialist Lyndsey Akers, milspouse and pitching Queen, in this episode. It can be challenging to figure out what to say in a pitch or how to pitch yourself, but after this episode you will have a better understanding of just how to do this. Episode 114 of the Moments with an MEO podcast is all about pitching yourself with Lyndsey Akers.
In this episode, Lindsey and I discuss:
Like today's episode? Keep listening for more tips, tricks and stories in future and past episodes of the Moments with an MEO podcast.
Connect with Lyndsey Akers:
Instagram
Connect with Britt Lanza:
Coaching Opportunities
MEO Retreat Information
Instagram @new_altitudes
Check out MilSO Box here: www.milsobox.com
Lyndsey Akers 0:00
kind of that big picture lens of what public relations is, at the heart of that is your credibility, your authority, the trust you have with your audience that connection. And that's where your reputation lives. It's your relationships, it is your brand. It is this holistic feeling and credibility that you have with your brand. Whether that is a product or a service, or a corporation or a small business, and you can either engage in PR, or it's going to happen without you.
Britt 0:40
Hi, Lindsey, I am so beyond excited to welcome you to the moments within me. Oh, podcast. How are you today?
Lyndsey Akers 0:47
So good. Britt, I am so honored to be chatting with you today. I feel like so many people in our space have either listened to your podcast or been a part of it, myself included. So this is really, really special. And congrats again on 100 episode.
Britt 1:04
I'm so excited. You've no idea like back in 2020. I never would have seen this coming. It was honestly a podcast for me and figuring out what the heck is reintegration. And why is my husband acting the way he is. And through that journey, I mean, so much has happened. So I'm excited. I'm thrilled that nobody else knows this, because I don't talk about it often. But I think that's the whole reason why I actually wanted you to be a guest is that you've provided quite a few guests for this podcast. You are an influential member of the M WAM community, really excited to welcome you and really bring you in and talk about PR and pitching yourself and what the heck that even means. And all those burning questions that I think a lot of new entrepreneurs have.
Lyndsey Akers 1:54
Yeah, thank you. No, I that's the the unique thing about being in public relations. And personally, someone who deeply cares about military spouses, their businesses, their financial stability, through their entrepreneurship, and, you know, being able to be the megaphone behind them and help them tell their stories. And that oftentimes puts me behind a curtain, which I don't mind. But it is definitely a joy of mine to be working with military spouses and connecting them with others in our community, because we're all doing pretty amazing things. If we have amazing stories, we just have to find the right outlets and the right people to help us tell those. So it all makes sense. And I know that your podcast has a listenership that really appreciates what these mostly ladies had to say. But I know that there are a ton of male military spouses that also have great stories. So it's just it's a really good fit.
Britt 2:43
Yeah, absolutely. And it's really interesting how connected we are. We were talking before we press record about how, you know, like the military community is so small, and yet so big, all at the same time. And so connecting from one spouse to another or hearing about someone's story, a lot of it is word of mouth. And I'm excited to dive into that. And I think that that's really been an influential movement for the podcast itself is just oh, this guest knows this person. That person knows this person you knew of me, and you've connected quite a few stories for our podcast and our platform. So I'm just beyond thrilled to welcome you and to hopefully give everybody listening, a taste of what it means to actually like, collaborate with other people doing incredible things to Great. So let's start with your story. How did you meet your spouse?
Lyndsey Akers 3:44
I am a proud Air Force spouse and I have been married to my airmen for oh my gosh, October will be 10 years. 10 years, my gosh. I met my husband whenever I was a junior in college. We were in Charleston, South Carolina. And he was a very young enlisted airman that we just met through a mutual friend. And it was one of those things where I was like, I am about to be 21 I'm having a good time. Really like, I don't want to date I want to go have fun with my friends. And it was just a really fun time for me. And then we met we went on a date. And I'm pretty sure after that date, like the rest is history. It's just one of those things where you connect with someone and he just felt so right for me. And we dated for three years. And then after we got married three months after we got married, we got orders to Joint Base Andrews near DC. Little did I know how transformative that assignment would be for us. Because we were there for nine years. I'm sitting here in the Sunshine State now in Florida. The opportunity that we had at that assignment really moved mountains for me me personally and professionally, and I was super, super sad to leave, we've only been here for a week and a half. But meeting my husband 1213 years ago, and looking at where we are now as parents of a two and a half year old little girl and a seven month old boy. Now compared to where we come is just, it's wild. It's absolutely wild. And I really think that having the opportunity to be stationed at one assignment for more than three or four years, and again, I said nine, that is a long, long time for a military family. It totally changed our life and allowed us to plant some significant roots that have really impacted us just as a family as people as professionals. And I have Charleston Air Force Base to thank for that however many years ago, so it's been a long time since I met my husband, but we, after almost 10 years of marriage, it is so pretty, pretty sweet.
Britt 5:58
That is beautiful. How did you go from being in college at 21? To where you are now, Did you always know that you wanted to work in public relations? Like what was that?
Lyndsey Akers 6:12
If you had asked Lindsay, in college, what she wanted to be when she grew up, she wanted to be the public relations professional for a professional sports team. I always knew that I wanted to be a communicator, I think, in eighth grade, I shadowed a journalist at my local hometown newspaper, because I just knew that storytelling was such a fascinating and important part of a business and life. And I think as an admitted extrovert, like I just love connecting with people in their story. So yes, being in public relations has always been something that I aspired to do, and something that I truly enjoy. So I interned for two minor league sports teams in Charleston. And it was the most fun iPad, it was incredibly insightful, and I loved it. And I met my husband, I was like, we're never going to be stationed near a professional sports. See, maybe I shouldn't do that. Lo and behold, we go to DC, and they're like four or five pro sports. And that was never part of my journey. And oddly enough, my journey has been so unexpected. Whenever we moved from Charleston, to Alexandria, Virginia, I, of course, was unemployed. And this was, again, 10 years ago, when I feel like resources for military spouses was so challenging to navigate, like, don't get me wrong, it's still not easy, but it's a little bit better, it's improved. But I was totally in the dark about how to what TRICARE was and how to, you know, what the military spouse hiring authority was. And it was just so complicated and daunting. And DC is an assignment to where you can truly be a civilian, if you want to be it's not like you're you're at a smaller base. And, you know, that's the only thing and telling DC was just massive. So I had the opportunity to work on Capitol Hill, which was super unexpected. I just have passion for telling military family story. And I had a chance to work for the Air Force Association. And when I tell you that like marrying passion with personal and my my aspirations to be a communicator, and that is where all of that kind of came to fruition, and I just, I think so fondly on my days working for AFA and the people that I was able to meet and the connections that we were able to have, and it was just an incredible position. And I was like, Alright, I've got to do corporate communications. So after that, I went to corporate and then I became a mom in 2019. And that is when all this kind of shaped into how do I how do I do all of this? Well? How do I manage my ambitions and raise a family that I'm completely present with, be a military spouse in the midst of a demanding assignment, and do all of this really well? And that's when entrepreneurship knocked on my door, and the rest of kind of history. And it's not easy, right? Entrepreneurship is not easy. But sitting having this podcast interview on a moving box, sitting on a stool in my son's nursery, making it happen in the messy middle. That is the beauty of entrepreneurship as a military spouse.
Britt 9:18
It's really interesting to me when I go to someone and I, you know, somebody is like, oh, man, like, you know, we're only reaching this number on our podcast, or oh, man, like my blog is only reaching this many listeners or I have a story to tell, but I don't seem to be getting out there. And I asked them, well, what's your PR strategy? And like, what are you doing to collaborate with others? And overwhelmingly, the question is, what is PR? So I'd love to know if you can just talk about like, what the heck is PR and why is it so important for an entrepreneur?
Lyndsey Akers 9:51
Sure, and there's no easy answer to this. Unfortunately, even as professionals we get so caught up in PR and communications and marketing And Mark homme and he was at social Is it is it media interviews like not, I hope to one day like make this more clear for people outside of our industry or even inside of it. But public relations is so many things, I can go into a few things that can give you specific kind of categories of PR. But public relations is essential to a business to a brand, whether it's personal or professional. It's your relationships, it is your reputation, it is your brand. It is this holistic feeling and credibility that you have with your brand. Whether that is a product or a service, or a corporation or a small business. And you can either engage in PR, or it's going to happen without you, it's happening without you just like your brand is happening without you. It's so many things, but I like to break it down into the Pacer model, P e s o. And that stands for paid, earned, shared, and owned media. Paid media is anything you put money behind advertisements, digital advertising pay to play this and that. Earned Media is a bit more of what you see as a traditional public relations bucket, if you will. This is media interviews, it's a podcast, it's being on your local news, it's being interviewed as having a feature article. It's anything that you are earning, that is not being paid for, like an advertisement, like shared is a bit more of a newer concept. And that's that's kind of the social media footprint, how are other people operating as your megaphone. And then they're your owned channels, owned media is your website, your social media, your email list. So the PESO model is kind of that big picture lens of what public relations is. And at the heart of that is your credibility, your authority, the trust you have with your audience, the connection? And that's where your reputation lives? There is no easy answer other than to say it is your reputation, and is what people are saying about you. And then tactically how you're managing that through again, those earned through those media opportunities within public relations. But ultimately, it's a it's a compliment to your other marketing efforts that should work with each other.
Britt 12:31
Yeah, no, I really like that. And I'm curious, in this pay, so model, which really breaks it down and makes it a super visual picture for me, which I love. Because I'm a visual learner. Is there one or two that are more important or more valuable to you than another? Or are they pretty equal? Like, what does that look like?
Lyndsey Akers 12:50
So my agency thrives, and we focus mainly on earned media. And for many of my clients, I am serving as kind of the the middleman, the connection maker for opportunities is reaching out to the journalists that I've relationship with. And doing. So strategically, I think there's going to be a big conversation that we have about strategy and what makes sense, but being able to be a connector of opportunities. And that could be for some of my corporate clients. It's Forbes, I, one of our clients was in Forbes not too long ago. And it was one of the columnist who focused on female entrepreneurs and diversity. And one of my clients is a Latina, military spouse. And it was just an incredible opportunity for synergy. And to tell a really great story that benefits both parties. And that's important whenever you think about earned media. Because like you having a podcast, you want your audience to take away value from podcasts, you want to know, what is this guest going to say that can benefit my audience. That is ultimately what you need to think about whenever pitching for public relations is how can you inform, educate, entertain the people on the other side? And sometimes that's self serving, but most of the time, it's not. So being able to say how can I serve other people through my message, and doing so with the right platforms and the right audiences?
Britt 14:23
And I know we're going to dive into how to pitch yourself if you've never done it before, or if you're really new to it. And I just have to start off by talking about a few of the worst pitches I've ever.
Lyndsey Akers 14:37
Oh, they're probably a lot. They're probably several.
Britt 14:40
There are so many, but to really come to mind. The first is I got a message, I guess on LinkedIn, from someone who was like, Hey, I see that you interview entrepreneurs on your podcast, I would love to be on it and I was like, great, like I'm always open. You guys if you have an idea of some I mean, that would value this community, please reach out, like, please just send me an email, connect with me on my website. Everything's always in the shownotes. Y'all know this. But his next sentence, I was like, great, like, I would love to have you on the show. Tell me a little bit about your story. So I can see like, you know, what we might be able to talk about, cuz even if you don't have a topic, maybe you're just an entrepreneur, and you've been doing this for a while, and you want to come on the podcast. If you and I sit down and chat through a couple messages, I'm going to be able to figure out where you fit. And we can get you on here. The table is never ending, there's always a seat open for you. So don't feel like you can't. But he told me his story. And I was like, great. I was like, How are you connected to the military community? I'm not. I was like, Oh,
Lyndsey Akers 15:46
did he realize that that was your your stick? Like? There's, there's a research component to this as well.
Britt 15:54
I was like, Okay, well, like I mean, that's the whole point of my podcast is military community members. So you don't have to be a military spouse, you be a veteran, I've had active duty who have entrepreneurship, goals and journeys on the podcast. I've even had moms and dads of active duty and veterans on the show. So like, you just got to be connected, you got to be holding somebody's hand. That's in the military. And so that was one and he actually got very upset with me that I did not still interview him, even though that wasn't, that wasn't happening. So that's one that comes to mind is someone who just didn't do their research. And then was offended that I didn't want to interview them, even though they just didn't fit the podcast. The second one is I had somebody go, Hey, I know this person who was a guest on your podcast, and I was like, Oh, awesome. Anybody who's a friend of that person is friend of mine, like, let's do this. And she broke down a couple really good topics that she could bring to the table. And I was like, I love all of these. Let's go with this one. And I was like, Great, I'm gonna send you my Calendly link so that you can get on my calendar, and we can do this. And she sends me back a message. Great. Can I have a link to your podcast? So I can give it a listen.
Lyndsey Akers 17:09
I'm not responding because like, I I'm in shock, but I'm also like, you can't do that. That you guys. I mean, that's, that's your reputation as well, you're and that's a tone, I mean, all of these connections and relationships that people are trying to build with you, and your audience, those interactions that might happen behind the screen or in a message inbox. Those matter to that's PR as well.
Britt 17:35
Yes, yeah. So I would love to know, from your viewpoint as the professional here, how do you pitch yourself appropriately? And what's the best way? Is it email? Is it sending a video? Is it a voice message? Like, what does that look like? Because you're phenomenal at it, because I've had many guests from you just pop into my inbox. So what is the appropriate way to pitch yourself?
Lyndsey Akers 18:01
While you definitely highlighted a few of the things not to do, those are incredibly important. And I will tell you there, there are so many ways to do it poorly. And there are other ways to do it really well, in an ideal situation. And journalists in the media, podcast host, people who have a platform, they will tell you that the most effective way to pitch yourself is to start a relationship before you have an ask. So much of this is about relationship building. And again, it can seem self serving to other people, people like you, people who are writing in the media, people who have TV shows, they get hundreds of pitches in a day, in a day. I mean, I know people who write for national outlets who get 1500 a month. And you have to cut through that clutter. And if your name is not recognized, it's going to be even harder unless you have a story that is captivating, that you can summarize in an email subject, because that's what they're going to see they are going to see your email subject. What does that say? And how is that going to grab their attention. And it's really tough these days. The chatter and just the explosion of how we do business online, over the past few years has been massive. It's hard to cut through that clutter, regardless, but more so even now. So the most effective thing you can do is start researching the platforms and audiences that you're aspiring to be a part of, and develop a relationship with them that goes both ways. journalists need stories. They need sources, they need ideas. And sometimes that's not you so if you can connect them with someone and share value with them, and say, Hey, I've got this great person who is just a shoo in for your podcasts or she has such a wonderful story, you've got to talk to her, that will be remembered as well.
Britt 20:11
I love that what I suggest, especially if someone's like, hey, I want to pitch on your show. But I also want to practice pitching. So like, how do I send a good email? I love suggesting that if you're doing it for a podcast, or a blog, that you listen to a couple episodes, or read a few articles first, because I love putting that in my pitch. I love going, Hey, you wrote, you know, this episode, Episode 86, that you did, really sparked XYZ in me and it changed blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, and I make sure it's genuine. I don't just make it up. But I will actually listen to what they have, or I will read what they've written. And I will say, Hey, I love that you talked about this, I don't think it's talked about enough. Here's how I think I could benefit from that conversation. It's for your audience. But I think it's so important, as you said, to start that relationship before you have an ask. I think that that is beautiful. Something else that I love about your pitches. And maybe I'm biased, because I just am obsessed with you. But something that I love so much about your pitches is that they're not super lengthy. I can some that are like 12 paragraphs long. And like, this is my deep story. And this is like, it's just overwhelming. How long should your pitch be? Is there a limit? Is there a standard? What should that look like?
Lyndsey Akers 21:36
Yeah, I there, the standard, or the recommendation is to not have a super long email, you want to be able to capture someone's attention and not if it's several paragraphs long, and I'm talking like five or more you are, you're gonna go to the Delete, for sure. You might even go to a smile, if you're lucky, that says, you know, there's something there, I don't have time to look at it. And journalists and people in your shoes are so strapped for time, again, through the number of pitches, the quantity of pitches that they're receiving, that again, you have to stand out, it has to be succinct. So I would say the biggest thing is to make sure that your email subject is attention grabbing, be able to say what impact you make, or throw out a stat that's really, really important that's going to grab someone's attention, and be valuable for them in their audience in the subject line. And then I do think that making a super tiny, brief introduction, if you do not know the person is helpful, but continue to ask yourself, so what like, who cares? Why am I even starting this email? And how can I get to the point, that is what you need to leave at the very beginning of your email that captures their attention, and then hyperlink, your website, your social, a pitch deck, do not attach anything to an email, because a lot of the times is going to look like spamming it might not even go through, and they're surely not going to going to click on it. So hyperlink things, make it easy for them, and then let them know how to get their attention. But second to that is the follow up. Again, the number of emails that people are receiving, they may not see your email on the very first pass. So in five to seven business days, unless it is hot, like breaking news, which more times than often it's not. So give them a couple of days after your original email and say, Hey, I see on your Twitter that you just got back from a great vacation, in so and so. Like, let them know that you're you're following them, you're engaging with their content, you care about their stories, I just wanted to check in to see if you saw my last email, and then give them again, the reinforcement of why this matters to them and what's important and how to get in touch with you. Because the moment that journalist reaches back out to you, you need to be ready, rapid fire, to be able to give them an interview, give them background to be able to provide assets, whether that's your bio, your headshot, any of the things that you pitch them in the first place like don't pitch someone and take time to provide them that information you need to be ready when called upon because they do not have a whole lot of time to give you.
Britt 24:21
Absolutely. Now another question I know will come up is how often or how much or how many pitches should I do? I suggest at least one collaboration with someone else a month. I think that's great. But I know that it varies based on your industry and other factors. What's a good rule of thumb for someone who's like, Okay, I'm going to ramp up my PR. I'm going to start pitching myself. What's a good number to aim for?
Lyndsey Akers 24:50
Sure. I think so much of this varies based on what it is that you're pitching the time of the year like if you have a seasonal product You're pitching for Valentine's Day, you need to pitch them six months before Valentine's Day, especially if you're looking at media. Now, if you're looking at a podcast and Britt how in advance if someone pitches you today, what's the soon as you can interview them for a podcast interview? Or when's that podcast going to air?
Britt 25:16
Well, this one, I've got about 20 episodes in front of this one. So if that's a couple months,
Lyndsey Akers 25:25
yeah, the thing about PR is that if you email someone today, let's say you've done a little bit of legwork to get your pitch package ready, that's going to take a couple of weeks, and then you send hits, then on an email and a follow up and you connect with someone then starts the process of okay, let me schedule you, let me look at what episodes I have in the pipeline. And a lot of people are working months ahead of time. So this idea that PRS is quick turnaround, if I pitch here and there, it's not necessarily true. So it takes a little bit of time to get started. But I would say, more importantly, than quantity is strategy. And making sure we we have this thing in public relations and just in the media that is called spray and pray. And it's this mass email to as many people that we can get on our email list. And it's like, here's a press release, here's a bio, here's a story, and we're sending it to hundreds of people. And let me tell you, it doesn't work, spray and pray is not affected. You need to develop relationships with the people who you want to collaborate with, and who makes sense for your business. If you're going to be spending time on PR and reaching out to people, in the midst of everything else that you're doing, make sure that it is sensible and strategic, and that it's going to have an impact for both the person who the person and platform that you're working with and yourself. So I think it's less about quantity and more about quality and developing those relationships. And again, being ready when called upon and making an impact with your efforts.
Britt 27:04
And I love that it's not about the number of emails or the number of messages, that it's really about the strategy behind that. That's important. Sure. So we had a listener question. And she is a podcaster. And she was asking about the most important aspect of herself or her business to pitch. So while she's writing this email, or while she's sending this video to somebody, or a voice message, whatever that looks like, depending on the platform, she's like, do I pitch my community numbers? Do I pitch my follower count? Like my podcast stats? Like, what matters? Is it her story? Is it statistics? Is that the numbers? So more of that earned PR as we learned earlier?
Lyndsey Akers 27:49
Yeah, that goes back to the collaboration that you were talking about? Again, I think we always have to ask ourselves, so what? What is it that you're doing that is new and exciting? Do you have the first of anything? Do you have a super impressive growth stat that can eliminate the region size of your audience? Or like, is your story just so profound, that this appeals to so many people? How can you bring value to the other side of the screen, and that is the audience that you're asking to be a part of and share your story? So I think it's just a number of things. And it varies. And I'm sorry that that's so vague. But again, this is where that strategy comes back to be really, really important. Why are you reaching out to this person in the first place? And is it completely self serving? Or can you bring value to what it is that they're doing? And working really, really hard to build themselves? I'm going to try to give an example. So if she's a podcaster, and she's pitching to appear and her space or me, maybe someone aspirational, I think, be putting yourself in the shoes of the person who's receiving that email. What do you want to hear what is going to grab your attention that says, I have to speak to this person, or, Oh, we have this shared commonality or value or personal thing that you know, this other person is going to take interest in? How how can you connect with that person authentically, and bring value to them?
Britt 29:29
I'm really getting this theme from everything that you've been talking about, about leading with value. And seeing, it doesn't seem like it's like a one way street. It's not like hey, have me on your podcast so that I can get, you know, a couple extra hits on my podcast or my blog, or you know, maybe sell out my workshop. It seems like it's really about finding the value in what you can provide to their community, and then what their community can provide for you. So it's almost like a mutual Relationship lead by value. Yeah, right. Yes.
Lyndsey Akers 30:03
And you know, I think just personally, that is how I try to operate in my personal and professional life. So it probably permeate a little bit more. My core values in the business are integrity and purpose and authenticity. If that is not represented in the people that I'm working with, or or are connecting, then it, it makes me a little less excited or feel good about the work that I'm doing. So I think we all just want to be seen and heard, and not used for what it is that we're working so hard to build. So coming from a place of empathy, and just trying to connect with people in a true authentic way, is going to get you much farther than the guy that emailed you that says, hey, you've got a podcast, I want to be on it. But I have no connection to the military. And that planted a seed for you that says, No, do not pass go do not collect $200, it does not fit.
Britt 30:57
Exactly. Can you just talk to us a little bit about not only where we can find you online where we can connect with you, but also kind of services that you provide that people may want to connect with you about?
Lyndsey Akers 31:10
Sure. So I'm in a unique chapter of life. And we talked about this before we started recording, we're in the messy middle right now of having just PCs to Florida, I have a two and a half year old and a seven month old and life is absolutely wild. So in the business, I am being very conscious of what my workload looks like as we one do not have childcare yet. And two, we're trying to really lean into this chapter of life and just being present and trying to do it all really well. But all that to say the best way to connect with me is through Instagram. You can connect with me at Lindsay Akers, it's literally my name. And the thing that brings me joy, which is why I love chatting with you, Brett is connecting with fellow military spouses, and especially those who are tackling entrepreneurship head on. So I think just from a personal perspective, I love connecting with people in our space. From a business side, we do a lot of work that is more so suited for businesses that have been established, and know their message they know their product or their service. And they're ready to tell that story. Here's what a lot of people may not tell you about public relations is that there are a couple of different business models that you can create when you have an agency. And if you have an agency, and there's a retainer model that can get quite expensive if you are a small business. And my passion was to serve military spouse owned businesses and veteran connected businesses. And that's not always a reality for them. So I also have a consulting model in my business where I, we call it the done with you model where we say hey, these are the tools you need. I'm going to be in your back pocket, go forth and do great things. So that's kind of the more consulting track that I work with a lot of smaller measures 1000 businesses, I will confess that I'm one of those people that I don't have a built out website yet. Is that wild? It seems a bit hypocritical to be in communications and not have a website, I've got my I've got my domain. There's a beautiful landing page that will take you to my newsletter. But I am currently working on building out my website, but Instagram is definitely the best place to connect with me again, personally or professionally. And that's where so much of this like networking, magic happens within our community. So I love that.
Britt 33:42
That is awesome. Now I'm asking everybody, what's one thing that you're learning right now?
Lyndsey Akers 33:48
I feel like I'm learning a lot, again, from a personal and professional place. But like I said, we're in the messy middle. And I think as business owners, that can be really hard because our business is only one part of us. I am a mom, I'm a military spouse, I am a business owner. I am an aspirational runner, someone who wants to work out more than I do. And it's hard to do everything really well. But there is this this phrase that I keep in mind, I think as women we can have it all, we just may not be able to have it all at the exact same time. So what am I learning I'm learning to give myself grace and to soak up the season that I'm in right now. As a fortunate mother with two incredible kids being in a beautiful new duty station and trying to support my husband as he navigates this change and keeping the business running as successfully as it has been through the great team that I have. And being able to call the shots and be okay with the place that we're in right now. We I stopped taking clients before my son was born in May of 2021 because I knew that this very massive shift in life was happening, of having a toddler and having a newborn and PCs, saying and selling house and buying a house and running the business. So it's just being gracious with where we are, and loving it. But knowing that, you know, professionally and taming ambitions, that can be really hard. But I don't want to be that person that wakes up and says, I should have spent more time with my kids today. So being gracious about this particular season, and giving myself the time to soak up all of the joy that we have in front of us.
Britt 35:39
I really, really love that. And I think a lot of people can resonate with that desire or that message. So I love that. How are you embracing being an M E,
Lyndsey Akers 35:51
Oh, definitely falls into the category that we were just talking about of living within the messy middle. But I think as military spouses, we have the opportunity to make certain decisions about where we are. I think if we need flexibility, and boy, don't we, that is the biggest thing that I needed, leaving from corporate and being a mom, having the flexibility and the autonomy to make the decisions that I need to make for the well being of myself, my family, my husband's commitment to our country. I think that is the biggest thing of just having the authority over the few things that we have control over and running with that. So I've set my business up as a military spouse to run with me, but also with me in the background, again, on maternity leave through a PCS, and it goes smoothly. And then there are times where it's like, okay, I need to go back and revisit certain things. But I'll tell you what, 100% of my clients are military spouses. And if there are people that get it, it is these people. So throughout all of these hurdles and challenges and just big changes for me personally, I have not had the pressure or the guilt of having to say, hey, I need to reschedule this call, or hey, I need to skip, I need to push these meetings back a couple of weeks. Because it's they have said, No problem, how can I help? What can I do or like girlfriend, I get it. I think the opposite flip side of that coin is the guilt. And you know the pressure that I fortunately have not had because again, the clientele that I serve, they just get it. And they are here to like, either join me in the stressed or just root me on as we're going. So being able to build a life around everything that is that we're doing is how I'm trying to embrace it all. Oh, Lindsay,
Britt 37:58
I just have to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, because PR is something that I think is so important because it's about community and it's about connections and communicating. And that's like my favorite thing. So any chance I get to promote someone doing incredible things. I love it. I love you. I'm obsessed with you. Lately, keep sending guests our way because these got a few more for you credible. And I just I've truly believe that this episode is going to bring value and bring insight and help other military spouses, veterans, active duty entrepreneurs really spread their message. And it's just I mean, this ripple effect. So thank you so much.
Lyndsey Akers 38:46
Thank you again for having me. I think the community that you've built, the impact that you're making and the great things that our collective military spouse community is doing. You know, it's it's unique and it's special. And if we can continue to connect other people within the community with great opportunities and just share stories. I think we're all better for it.
Britt 39:06
Absolutely.