Balancing Masculine & Feminine Energies in Business with Emily Hirsh

I'm Kinsey Machos, your host and founder of the category Queen. Welcome to the podcast for coaches, consultants, and course creators who don't just want to dominate their niche, but they desire to play in their own league. My mission is to help you unlock the power of your unique brilliance and use it as a vehicle to gain recognition, reach more people, and make more money. Not too long ago, I took a bold leap, leaving behind a six figure corporate salary with nothing more than a used MacBook and a burning desire for more freedom. Today, our brand has become globally recognized, helping thousands of female founders to become industry leading experts. Join us each week as we go on a journey together to discuss mindset, marketing, and money, and more importantly, the real life discussions about balancing success with motherhood and marriage.

Because we're a community of women who build and scale impact driven businesses, but do it without sacrificing the things that matter most to us. Welcome to the category queen show. Hello, my friends. I have a really special conversation for you today, and I'm so excited for you to really just sink into this beautiful conversation where I sit down with Emily Hirsch, founder of embodied marketing agency, and really unpack her journey towards a seven figure agency, multiple seven figure agency, on that note, but also a recent transformation that she's had that has awakened her to a new way of being, not just in her business, but also in her life. We talk about a lot of elements here that just aren't strategy. It's also about that more woo approach to business and life.

And I think that we do a really good job at showing you how to incorporate both. How do we incorporate the woo and also more of that strategic element, because we do believe you need both. But Emily offers so much insight here, and I know that you are going to really walk away feeling inspired and activated in such a beautiful new perspective. And so I hope you enjoy this conversation just as much as I did. So, my friends, let's dive in.

Hello, my fellow category queens. So good to be back. And I have a very special guest with me today. I will give you a formal introduction, but Emily, say hello.

Hi. I'm so excited.

Yes, this is gonna be so good. This is a long time coming. Emily Hirsh is the co founder or founder and CEO. Not co founder. You are the solo founder and CEO of Embodied Marketing, which you've recently gone through, a rebrand also, so we're gonna unpack that. But you have built such a successful business, and I have had the pleasure of really witnessing this from the bystander. Like, I don't know if you knew this, but I think you came into my sphere many years ago. I knew of you. I knew of your agency, and then I had the pleasure and honor of working with your agency directly. And then, of course, there's, you know, connections and relationships built that have formed beyond that.

And so it's just such a pleasure to have you here and you have such a beautiful story that I know there's so many pieces and parts of your story. Right. It's kind of like, okay, which chapter do we want to talk about? But I think that our listeners are going to really enjoy this conversation without even really having context of what that's going to look like. But, Emily, why don't you share really, where it all started? Because I think we love to hear the, like, what was the thing that either, you know, had you sort of, like, try on this entrepreneur thing? Was it an accident? Had you, like, what was sort of the pivot that you maybe went from dabbling to all in? Was it sort of like this?

You know, I think I know your personality well enough to know that probably the answer to this, but just sharing, like, where did it all start? And then I want to start to unpack little parts and pieces along the way.

Yeah. So I am a born entrepreneur for sure. Like, I'm one of those, like, had the lemonade stands, like, since I was a kid, came up with the business ideas. So I think I was always destined to be an entrepreneur. But growing up, I was told, you go to college, you have the stability first, then you can do the business. So even though my dad is an entrepreneur, it wasn't really fed to me as, like, a possibility until I had the college degree and I checked those boxes. So I actually did enroll in college, and I was 19 and got pregnant with my first. And when that happened, I was in college, I was working as a nanny, and I fell and, like, stumbled upon the online world. And I actually started doing virtual assistant work for, like, $18 an hour.

And that's what introduced me originally to this industry. And from there, obviously, there's a lot to the story, but from there, it was like one piece of experience added to the puzzle, and that ultimately created what I have today. It took me about two years to specialize in marketing, but I would slowly start dabbling in Facebook ads and building funnels. And I, so I actually did all the tech work and I did all that. And I still to this day, like, it's actually useful to have that knowledge. But I basically built my business based off of, like, one step, okay, that works. I'll do more of that, and then this works. And throughout that experience, I was at one point building my business, had my newborn baby, and also still in college.

Cause I was trying to please everybody who said, that's what you're supposed to do. And I hit a point where my business just, I kept getting more clients, and it was like, okay, I'm able to stay home with my baby. Cause that was one thing that was a non negotiable for me, is like, I wanted to make money. I did not want to have to put him in daycare. And so I was like, well, college is costing me money. This is making me a lot of money right now. And I see this potential, and I just never looked back from there. Dropped out of college, built my business. And, I mean, it wasn't until I was. I was actually making some really good money, like, more than you could make from a job, that people started to take it seriously either.

Yeah, that's so good. And I think that it does. I think even till this day, with even the success that we've had in our company, I still have people that are like, wait, what do you do again? And are really skeptical around the whole thing. And I think that just further just emphasizes the need to just ensure that you're surrounding yourself with the right people that get you and then filter out the noise, because you're going to get people that are confused and are doubtful of what you're doing. And this doesn't impact me as much anymore, but definitely, I think, were more vulnerable to it in those earlier phases of entrepreneurship. But I want to talk a little bit about that phase, the earlier part when you were a young mom. We have similar stories.

We've got three kiddos, and we started our motherhood journey very young. And I think that in itself is a whole thing to unpack. Right. If we think about the identity around that and really, like, discovering yourself as a mom while also, like, figuring out entrepreneurship and marriage and all the things. And so I'm sure that's contributed to even the shifts in the pivot that you've experienced in as a. In later life, quote unquote later life. Like, we're so old. And so I want to. I definitely want to talk about that. But as a young mom, like, I think so many people are find themselves constraint in time constraints, whether that's they're already home with kids and trying to make this work or they're working full time. So what was. What for you?

What was sort of the key shifts you had to make to ensure that you were starting to make the most or create the momentum in your business needed to create that financial security you desired while also, you know, developing yourself as a mom and being present there.

Yeah. So I think with my story, specifically the early years, we're very much survival. Like, that's the reality of it. You know, I've changed a lot, and I. And my life is completely different now. And I have the ability to pick and choose where I put my time and my energy. But in the beginning, it was like, there was no option. I had to make money, and so I would work any opportunity I got that my baby didn't need me. You know, I didn't really have, like, the reality is I didn't really have the option to be like, well, I want to be a present mom. And so. And I do sometimes look back on that and I'm like, man, you know, I didn't really enjoy my first as much as I did my third, because I was in that. That mode.

But I've had to kind of accept, like, that was my journey that I was supposed to be on, and I don't have guilt around that. I think we. We choose these things whether, you know, I think subconsciously we choose these paths in our lives, and that's the journey I had to be on. But what it did, and I think contributed so much to my success is I had no option but to be successful. Like, there wasn't a fallback plan, and so it pushed me to figure it out. And I think that we oftentimes create success when there is a little bit of that pressure that exists. So in the beginning, my story is very much survival. I would work when the baby was asleep. I still was a very, like, attachment parenting, breastfeeding, co sleeping, but I really didn't prioritize myself, that's for sure.

It was my business and my baby, and that's all I could manage at that time. And then as I was, my needs, financial needs, were more taken care of. Then I was able to become more intentional with my time and get help. But in the beginning, I couldn't afford a nanny. I couldn't afford help. So my husband and I would just trade off. We do shifts and he'd work, and then I'd work. And that's just the way it was, which I'm super grateful for that time. But then I think you do go through this phase as you build success that you start to question, okay, my needs are taken care of, so why am I doing what I'm doing now? And, like, where are my priorities now?

That's so good. I want to talk about that. But I think first, what you said was so powerful in just, I needed to do what I needed to do. Did you, if you were to kind of put yourself back in your shoes in that time, did you know that it was just a season? Did you have that awareness, or was there a part of you that was kind of wondering, like, is this just how it's going to be? Like, tell me more about that?

Yeah, good question. I think I didn't know that, like, it was just a season, because you don't know what you don't know. So I didn't even know. If you would have told me then that I'd have a million dollar business, I wouldn't have even believed that. So the life I have today was completely unknown and unimaginable to me then. And I was very much caught up in, like, oh, my gosh, this is amazing. Like, I'm making money from home and I'm building this, and I have this momentum and it's growing. And so I was never, I did eventually hit a point of, like, it was really after my second was born that I was like, all right, like, something has to change. Like, I can't do all this. So, no, I mean, I thought I would just keep going up.

That was the misconception I had about business, too, is like, once you get to a level, like, you're just gonna keep going up. And so that's kind of in the beginning, what I thought. And then once you start building a true business with a team and systems and you actually have an operation and it can work without you start to learn. There are seasons where you actually have to go, not backwards, but you have to implement something and the growth has to slow down.

That's so good. Yeah. And I can totally resonate with that. I think that is just, it's like, you just know what you need to do, and then you're driven by your own sort of, like, fuel and the motor. In us, you know, over achievers, we just do what we got to do. And I think that's such an important message, too, Emily, because so many. I think there's, and we're going to talk about this, but there's a lot of messaging around alignment and easefulness and joy and not pushing too hard. And I think people are. There's. I think that's being misconstrued for a lot of things. And ultimately, there is, entrepreneurship is hard, there's simpler pathways, and we can make it easier in our lives through sort of, you know, some of these tools and resources that we can equip ourselves with.

But ultimately, if you wake up and it's like, I don't really feel like doing this today, that's not going to get you very far. And I think that you and I are alike in that, you know, for me, it was, I was in corporate and it wasn't about like, oh, do I have to post on social today or do I have to take this sales call or do I, whatever, have to put myself out there. It was like, this is what I'm doing in order to get the thing that I want, even if it feels uncomfortable or even if it feels hard. It was a non negotiable. But I know that everybody's different in where they're at in their journey and how they're sort of sorting through, like, what feels good or what feels fun.

And sometimes just building that foundation is going to mean really just growing in that discomfort. What would you say as far as, like, how did you get maybe used to the discomfort or tell me more about some things that you were able to do to move past that. Did you even notice it? Did you notice when you were uncomfortable doing things that were outside of your comfort zone? When things get hard, like, tell us more about what it was like then and then I want to fast forward to what that looks like now.

Yeah. So I think for me, naturally, I, I thankfully have the ability to not be afraid of being uncomfortable and trying new things. And so I would say one of my biggest contributing factors to my success is my ability to take action, even when I don't know how it's all going to work out or if it's going to work out or if I'm going to fail, I'm not afraid to fail. And I also believe anything is possible. And I really owe to my parents instilling that in me as a kid and showing me, like, if you want it, you go get it and you can have it. And I think that there's a lot of people who struggle with that in business, and it holds them back tremendously.

Like, I can't say enough how important imperfect action is in business because you can't go backwards as long as you're taking action. So I am really good at being uncomfortable, and I mean, even to, I'm the one doing the cold plunges and the hard workouts. Like, I'm your typical personality. Like that, which we can talk about, then the transition out, you know, out of that, trying to heal some of that in the last few years. But as you were talking, one thing that came up, too is, I believe our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. And so where you get into trouble when you listen to content is the extremes. So you have people who are like, hustle and push and grind, and, like, that's the only way that you can build a business.

And there's some really smart people out there that's their values, that's the way that they preach business and it works for them. Then you have the people who are like, no alignment and ease, and it can only be this way. And like, that's especially come up the last few years. And the reality is, like, both are true. Both are true, and there are seasons for both. And it's when you get too far on an extreme that you start to sacrifice other parts of your life. But both have positives. Both have negatives. And I think that's something I've learned is a lot of the things that people today look down on in terms of grinding and hustling and pushing through and, like, being uncomfortable. And I. That energy has contributed to my success. Like, I am so grateful for that.

And so for me, it came natural to live in that state. I didn't know any other state, and that's definitely a form of trauma, but it also created my success. And what happens is you leverage that until it doesn't work anymore, and then you have to reinvent yourself and you have to become a different version of yourself. Otherwise you're going to stay exactly where you are.

That's so good. Which is a perfect lead way to even sharing more about the recent transformation that you've had. Or it's not just one transformation, but I know that there was even an event that you went to that had started to really catapult you into this new version of yourself. And I think that, first of all, even noting this idea of, like, hustle, grind versus alignment and flow, I think we could also probably connect that to what people probably are also hearing, which is like, the masculine energy and the feminine energy. And so can you share a little bit more about even your experience that you had?

I don't know.

How long ago was it? Like almost a year ago.

Almost a year. Yeah, I was October.

Yeah. Share with us about that experience and how it really has led you to where you are today and what that looks like.

Yeah. So I went to retreat in October. And long story short, I thought I signed up for. I thought I signed up for an ayahuasca retreat because I was like, I'm going to do ayahuasca like, everybody does it and it sounds really cool. And I put it on my goals for the year. Well, rule number one with, like, psychedelics and therapy is like, don't put on your to do list and think that's how it's going to work. So I signed up for this retreat. I didn't even really know what I signed up for because typical me, take action, don't read the sales page, sign up. And it was called the wild woman retreat.

And I tell people, the way I tell people is, if you knew me, then just think of all the things I would never do that was the retreat, like, room with another girl and dancing and, like, dancing in front of people and just really uncomfortable things, like talk about discomfort. That was uncomfortable. But for me, it introduced, I don't think I ever would have understood the true meaning behind feminine leadership and being in your feminine if I didn't actually experience it the way that I did, because I had heard it before and I immediately was like, whatever, you know, I'm doing great, doing the way that I operate in my life.

But that experience for me was a huge catapult into now a whole different reality of like, oh, you know, both of these things can exist, and this is a place in my life that I feel I'm really missing out on. And it may, I think it did impact my business growth, but even more than that, it impacted my presence, my personal relationships, my own peace and nervous system. And I just didn't understand it before. That retreat, like, all the exercises, all the things that we did, really introduced me to what it meant, and then I got it. And as with any healing and things that you do, once you know it, you can't unknow it. And then you're like, oh, you're opened up to a whole new reality.

So good. So I would love for you to explain through your sort of lens or your perspective, what is more of a feminine energy. How would you describe that? And then what is to you, more masculine energy and how would you describe that even in, through the lens of how you experience it or how you see it in yourself?

Yeah. So to me, the feminine represents creativity, the flow, not structured ease, and really things that are more from the heart. Like, to me, that's the feminine. And both exist within everybody is something I want to say too, it's not male, female. Everybody has these energies in them. They've been around forever. Like Yin YanG, it's in religion, it's within us. And then the masculine represents the doing, the structure, the execution, a lot of the brain, the logic. And so throughout my understanding and understanding it and being introduced to the feminine, I realized, I mean, I was 100% in the masculine everywhere. My business, my parenting, my relationship, my marriage, like, everywhere, because I thrive. I am really strong in the Masculine. And like I said earlier, that contributed to my success. So it's not a bad thing.

And it works for a while until it doesn't work anymore. And you realize, oh, there's possibly a better, more evolved way that I could be doing this and implementing this. And, oh, that's why I was hitting those walls. Like, that's why I was constantly, like, in this loop of push myself until I can't push myself anymore. And then exhausted and proud of that and like that, my identity was wrapped around being in the masculine because I was the pusher and the grinder, and it got me as far as it did. And then I realized how much more full life could be if I could embrace and create more harmony between the two.

I love that even this idea of, like, creating harmony within the two because they both serve a really amazing purpose. And I think to your point earlier, it's when we get too extreme one over the other. But I want to know, even at that retreat, like, was there something specific that led you to that? Aha. Of like, oh, my God, I've been in my masculine energy in all these areas of my life, and it's not working anymore. Was there, like, a specific moment or breakthrough? Like, what did that look like?

Yeah, we did a lot of different workshops and exercises, and I think some of the biggest realizations I had is just how exhausting it was to try to have such a tight grip on everything in my life. And that's the control of the masculine is like, everything has to be controlled. And just how I wanted to make the choice of saying, I don't want to do it that way anymore. And also realizing, I think it's important to realize where that came from. Right when I look back on myself as a kid, that's what I had to do. That's all I knew. And so one thing for me and that experience that was really helpful was expressing gratitude to that version of me and the super masculine version and everything she achieved.

And then also saying, now a new version gets to evolve, and I'm grateful for the past. Like, you don't look back on, I did it wrong, or I was. I was missing out. Like, I think I. I found this new way exactly when I was supposed to and when I was ready for it. But really, it was the workshops. You know, when you just have workshops or you go through different exercises, whether it's journaling. We did, like, a sacred rage that was really powerful through all of that. It was like, this embodied knowing of. Okay, this makes sense. It wasn't somebody's video on Instagram explaining the feminine to me or even a book.

It was, like, my experience correlating my past and what I've accomplished and who I am, but then also what's missing in my life right now and why it's missing and how this will help. And, like, it just lined up and made sense. And I think I was meant to be at that retreat, for sure. And I think so often, a lot of the experiences that change us have to be those experiences. Like, it can't be a book or. Or a course or something you see on social media. Like, it has to be an embodied experience.

Yeah, I 100% agree. I think also going back to this idea of control and being more in that masculine, I think it's so common. I see a lot of my friends, a lot of my peers operating in that modality. Right. It's like that because that's initially kind of like that overachiever type of grind. Hustler is kind of what entrepreneurship attracts. Right. And so I find that it's very common for a lot of women entrepreneurs to kind of live more and they're masculine until they have that realization that they are. But I know for me personally, this also started to come up even as I was building a, you know, in corporate, especially being around all these, like, corporate old dudes. And I noticed how that was playing even into my marriage and not letting, not being more.

It was like I was in my masculine at work, and then I would come home and be in my masculine at home. And then it created, like. Like, this friction between my husband and I because he. Right. He. That masculine energy kind of bumps up against, and it's like we have to learn how to weave, like, leverage these energies and what that looks like in all these different areas of life. And so I'm so glad you touched on that piece of control, because I think, again, this is. I always kind of imagine myself, like, white knuckling a steering wheel. Right? You're just like. Just like, which, again, can serve you. But then until it doesn't.

Can you share how the, after you kind of walked away from this retreat, what were some changes or shifts or adjustments that you made, you know, in your life for your business that allowed you to start bringing more of your feminine energy into the world?

Yeah. So I think awareness is always the first step because as soon as you have awareness around something, you can't unknow it, and then you start seeing it everywhere. And I, for me, it was a very slow, I did come back to the retreat and change several things, but it's been a very, like, slow shift to where I think for the first time I could. It was one of the biggest experiences where I'm like, wow, my entire being is changed from this. And it was very slow, like, and I've gone to another retreat and done more work since then, but the best way that I could describe, and I can give some tactical things that I changed, but I think the biggest change is I now have the ability to flow through life so much better.

And I'll recognize this in myself where prior I was, like the habit trackers, like every day was scheduled. Exactly. And I thrived in this extremely structured environment. But what that does is you're super productive, yes, but you're a robot, and you are not listening to your body, you're not listening to ideas and intuition that could come through. And I, and I realized how much I was missing by not doing that. Like, when you just put your blinders on and focus on this structure that you have predetermined is the way it should go. Well, there's a lot of power in the unknown, but the unknown is also scary. And so I now have this ability to shift. Like, okay, what does my body need today? What do I need today? What does my heart say? Like, how am I feeling? Let me sit in that.

And I swear, if someone would have said that to me a year ago, I would have been like, well, what's the manual? To be able to do that. Like, how do you do it? And it's, it is a really challenging thing to teach because there isn't a manual. It's within you. And that's the shift, is you realize you have the answers, you have the power. And we are taught to seek it all externally and to stop listening to ourselves. And especially as a woman, like, we have so much power in our intuition, in our wisdom. And when we tune into that, I mean, my best ideas, I will make decisions today that are like, easy for me to make, that I would have forced in the past.

So what I had to tactically do to get here is at first, I had to force myself to have time that didn't have structure. So when I came home from the retreat, I put an hour in my calendar every day, which is, like, so masculine, but I had to do it that way. It's like, okay, when are we going to be in the feminine? Let's schedule it at 10:00 a.m. Every day. And I would do a meditation, and then I would ask myself, like, what do you need today? What do you want? And whatever that first answer that came through, sometimes it was like, go outside, sit and watch my chickens for ten minutes, dance. I would do that thing to try to continue to keep myself in the feminine. And I now I don't have to schedule the hour. I have the feeling.

I just know, oh, I need this today, and I can do it. I can listen to myself. And I recognize that, especially the last three, six months of, like, wow, I would not have been able to do that a year ago. Just, you know, go with the flow more. So, I don't know, like, it's so challenging to really describe it, but tactically, that's what I did. Allowed more creativity, gave more value to white space, and space that previously would have been seen as unproductive. Listen to my intuition more. I know how to recognize force and resistance immediately, and I never make decisions in business anymore from a place of force. Like, if we're like, we have to decide this today, I'm like, no, we're not. Like, we're not. We're going to decide it tomorrow.

And a lot of really just continually coming back to myself, that's so beautiful.

Thank you for sharing. I love what you said about force versus resistance. I think that. I think this is the key, right? And it goes back to even, like, alignment versus just being uncomfortable. How do you know? Like, how do you kind of tune into your body when it's something that is presenting itself to you and it's like, this is either like. And something isn't. It's a feeling off. But how do you know if it's because, okay, this is either hard or this is going to make me uncomfortable versus knowing that, like, this is truly not for me.

Yeah, it's a great question because I think that's where people get into the mindset of, like, everything should be easy, and that's not what alignment does not equal. Easy. Now, we can have ease in implementing it, but it doesn't mean easy. A lot of growth comes from discomfort. So. So whenever I have, you know, that feeling in your body where you're just like. Like you said, white knuckling it, you're just trying to make something work, and you can feel that energy of, I have to make this work, and you're just forcing it. To me, that's the feeling of force. And I always pause and say, like, why? What are we trying to accomplish? Is, what if we didn't do it that way? What if we did something different? And I think it's asking the right questions to yourself.

I think that's so much of growth, is managing your mindset and knowing. I mean, I have conversations with myself all the time. Like, all right, let me check in. Where is this coming from? And there's. There's that feeling of force, and then there's the feeling of, I'm really uncomfortable because this is new, or I'm nervous to do this, but I know it's the right thing. And I could say that about the way I showed up at that retreat where I was super uncomfortable, but I knew deep down that if I showed up and I went all in this retreat and I did all those things that made me uncomfortable, and I also did them all in that I would grow on the other side.

And so it's identifying that feeling of force and the feeling of fear that comes from the unknown and then really just being like, you're safe, you'll be okay, you can do this. And then you just take the step, even though you don't want to do that. I still have those experiences, but I think it's checking back in with your dream, where you're going, who you want to be, your values, and is that thing going to help and support that version of you and that future version of you? Or are you forcing something and not looking at other ideas or other avenues? And I think we do that a lot in our minds. We think it's only this way. It has to be this way. And it's like, why? And I used to do that all the time.

I would say things as facts, and I had a mentor who was like, you're stating that as a fact and it's not a fact. I'd be like, I have to do this because I have to make payroll, and so I have to live launch three times, you know? And she's like, you actually don't. Like, you choose those things. So that's another thing, is I think so much of this work has been recognizing when we become a victim to when we are in a place of power and taking full accountability for ourselves.

Oh, so good. So speaking of, what has. How has this impacted your company and your team? So I know, how many people do you have on your team right now?

I have 18 employees.

Awesome. Huge. And also requires you to operate at a certain level. So I imagine, though, that after this experience and starting to really embody this new version of yourself, that probably changed a little bit, maybe, of the dynamic with you and your team and your company. Can you walk us through just some of the shifts or how this has impacted your company?

Yeah. When I came back from that retreat and after having a little, like, integration time, we actually shifted some of our company values. And I think one of the biggest things, I mean, your company is a reflection of you. So I built a culture of the grind, and I built a culture of, like, speed and force, and we. We push through and we make this happen. And there's a lot of positives to that. But what I brought back and brought into our company values was harmony, and having harmony between two spectrums. So speed is really important, but depth is also really important. And bringing in the permission to pause when you are in that place of forcing something, whether that's with, you know, a specific situation or an entire company process.

And really, I think the biggest change has been everybody's been way more intentional with the decisions that we make, the actions that we take, the way they show up. I encourage so much on my team. Like, I stillness practice and trusting themselves. I think it's really impacted my leadership team because the ones working directly with me, I've basically coached in the same work that I've done in the way that they show up. But I think ultimately, it created more harmony between the speed and the grind and that version of me with also the creativity and the intention that can come from pausing for a day or thinking through something a little bit more, questioning the outcome and why we're doing something. And it just brought more harmony between those two spectrums for the company, which.

I, which is so beautiful and so needed. Right. And I think, too, like, coming from corporate, I'm always kind of like, what can I ensure that I. How do I build or install a culture that is, like, not corporate y and cold? And I think you mentioned a lot of those things that are, like, opposite of what somebody might feel or I experience in corporate. So kudos to you. And also, I think that you have really started to, I think, too, like, with age, like, we start to kind of even become a little bit more softer. Right. Again, more feminine energy and sort of just kind of, like, I see you kind of stepping into that, like, mentorship leader, even with your team and your company. And I I would imagine that, like, giving a little bit more control back to your team.

Like, what is that like?

Yeah, absolutely. And I also recognized I wanted to be more removed, and my passion is in more. So, like, the retreats that I'm doing, the mastermind that I have, and so I had to give more autonomy and empower my team more, which has been super positive. And. And I've never been a big micromanager leader. Yes, I had. I used to control a lot, but I also really recognize, like, my energy and time is really valuable. And so I would always, like, delegate, but I think the empowered piece of, it's more than just, I'm going to let you do that on your own. It's, I trust you, and I believe you can do it, and you're going to crush this type of leadership instead of, oh, yeah, I'll just let them do that. They'll probably not do it very well type of energy.

And so I think the team has definitely had a shift of being more empowered in who they are, and then therefore, the job that they can do.

That's so good. A completely different energy. Right. Of, like, trusting versus kind of just letting go and hoping for the best. So I love that visual representation almost. I can see it. I always create these funny images in the contrast of things of, like, I don't know, it's kind of random, but going back to even the shifts, how, I'm curious, how did, if you think about this new season of you and this new version of you, if you will, how has this contributed to your relationship with money and abundance?

Mm. Well, there's a lot more trust. I will say that, like, I. There's a lot more. I think that you want to be. You need the masculine with money and planning and goal setting is important and all of that. But I think the biggest thing, whenever I'm up against a situation where it feels stressful or overwhelming, because whatever reason, cash flow, investing in something I now can recognize, understanding, okay, this is the right decision. I know it's the right decision, and I trust it's the right decision, and that's never failed me, and I don't have the stress that I used to. And there's so much in business that's unknown. So we control all of this, but we can't. We don't know what's going to happen with the economy. We don't know what's going to happen six months from now in our world.

And so you have to develop an ability to trust, I think, to get past a certain level, because when your overhead gets big and your cost gets big, you can have as much structure as possible and process and systems, and there's still so much unknown. And I think there's a part of CEO growth where you have to now become comfortable with that unknown because the unknown becomes so much bigger and scary when your payroll is $60,000 every two weeks. Right. And you have to have the capacity for that. So I think, yeah, with money and abundance, it's like there's a different level of trust now, but it hasn't taken away from the action. Like, I don't believe in, like, well, just put it on my vision board and it's gonna happen. I think they have to be paired.

You have to have the belief, and you have to become that version of you who already has those things, and you have to take the action.

Yeah. So good. Thank you for reiterating that. That's obviously so important. So speaking of the economy, and also, we haven't even had a chance to talk about what your agency does. So specifically marketing, and also, even more specifically, most of your businesses, paid advertising. But I know you have some additional services in relation to, like, organic marketing, and you also have some, you know, programs and masterminds. But your zone of genius is 100% marketing when it comes today's economy. What advice do you have for our listeners as far as, like, what they should be paying attention to, what they should be leaning into as it relates to, you know, their own marketing efforts?

Yeah, I think the last two years, the economy hasn't been great. And I think, you know, my opinion on that is that I, but business is about the ones who keep going in the hard times, and it's not about winning. It's about keep, you keep going, you keep on your feet, you keep pivoting, you keep adapting. And so, to me, when there is something that is making it so there's higher buyer hesitancy, that's ultimately when the economy is not doing as well, you just have to be the best. Like, you have to have higher level marketing, your messaging has to go deeper, you have to connect more with your audience, you have to listen to your audience, you have to listen to your ideal customer.

And that can come in the form of maybe you have to shift your offer, maybe you have to launch a new strategy, maybe you have to show up more in your content to connect. Maybe the buyer journey gets longer, so success is always still possible. It does take a lot more intention and energy right now, for sure, and it's not going to be that way forever, but that is the way it is. And I think a lot of it's coming in the form of the messaging. You know, when people are hesitant, you have to not convince them more, but you have to connect with them deeper. You have to become a need for them, not just a nice to have thing. And that comes up in all marketing.

So I think everything stems from your connection to your ideal customer and your audience and the way that you're serving them. And as long as you're building your audience and you're building your leads and that's growing and you're serving them with something they need, you'll be fine.

Yeah. Oh, 100%. And I imagine even that your marketing has, or that just even being a little bit more in your feminine when you're developing your marketing, although I know you've got, you know, team to help you with that, but I would imagine even this has helped you connect more deeply with your audience in some capacity. Is that correct?

Yeah, for sure. And also the creativity, you know, we've had some incredible, even the event that I put on, like, we've had some really great ideas that have come from me being able to allow the space for the creativity and the unknown more so important.

And as it relates to paid advertising, what can you offer as far as, like, a quick rundown of where we're at with paid advertising and what you see in regards to where we're going, especially, like, I know we have an election year. Do you believe that there's going to be increased ad costs? What should people be paying attention to.

On that side of, yeah, right now, ad costs are really inexpensive, I think, because some people have pulled their marketing, which makes it less expensive for the people who do keep marketing. So, I mean, we have, I see really low cost per lead right now. And overall ad costs, which is good historically, it can get more expensive around the election, but it also can do the opposite because I've found that more people are on social media when events happen, which basically creates more ad space. So I don't think that the cost will be majorly impacted by the election. I think the biggest thing businesses are going to feel is the sales conversion. Is there buyers taking longer to buy, being more hesitant to buy, needing to make sure this is a real need.

Like people are just being more careful with where they put their money. I do think that the businesses marketing right now and continuing to grow their list and their audience will really benefit when we come out of where we are, like, going into next year, because if you paused it all out of fear this whole year, you're going to pay for that next year. So I think being consistent, and I love paid ads because I don't want to be on social media all the time. And so they help me not have to be on social media all the time and create consistency to my lead generation and my audience growth, and then I can nurture them. So I think the biggest impact with the election is your actual sales conversion and your offer.

Yeah. So good. And those are just, again, simple things that you have to just pay attention to. And it might mean adding layers into your nurturing sequences or adjusting, or again, just listening to what your audience is saying. But as we wrap up, Emily, I would love to share. You recently went through a shift in even renaming your company previously HIrsch Marketing, and it's now embodied marketing. Tell us more about what was sort of the, I mean, I guess we could probably assume, but what was the reason behind that? And tell us more about what you want people to experience or feel when they partner with your agency. Embodied marketing.

Yeah. So I've wanted to rename the agency for a while and just taking my name out of it, I just, you know, that just became what it was because I had that story of starting with myself. And then as this year went on, I realized I wanted to personally be able to expand and do my retreats that I've offered my mastermind. And so I wanted to separate the agency even more for that reason. Also, for a long time now, my agency has run without me. Like, it's run based on my marketing process and all of my strategies and the way that I teach marketing and look at marketing, my team executes it. So it's still very much me infused in it, but it's executed by my team.

So I felt like calling it my name was, like, no longer an accurate representation of what the company is. It's my team now. So, yeah, we had that idea. I wanted it to start with an e, because all of our offers start with an e. And then obviously I have Emily. And so embodied kind of just came through, and it was so perfect. I love that word, and I think I use it a lot. I think that because your growth and everything you experience in life to actually make a difference, it has to be embodied. It has to be that embodied experience. And so when I look at how we look at marketing, it's not just about the blueprint or the templates or the tactical. Like, embodied is the feminine. So true marketing is always comes back to the connection of the heart.

That's what people respond to, whether it's a physical product or a service or a digital product. People are buying based off that connection. And so that's how I've always done marketing, is looking at it holistic, all the levels, the relationship, the experience with your audience. Using a funnel to create an experience that has someone actually feel something and experience something. And so embodied really fits that belief that I have. And I think that's the only way to have successful marketing is through that. So it felt very representative of who we already were in a new era.

Yeah, so good. Congratulations again. And such a fun thing to watch again, as you sort of slowly, but in some capacity, have quickly moved through some of these shifts. But like you said, it's kind of like a slow burn as things go on. Like, it just makes sense that these pieces are starting to sort of fall into place as they are. Lastly, what I always love to do is ask our guests what, as you know, with at the category queen, our mission is to help female entrepreneurs really elevate themselves as the go to, as the category queens of their industry. What, you know, strategic, tactical, or even conceptual advice do you have for women that really want to stand out and build a really profitable, legit business around their unique brilliance?

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is understanding who you are, your values, what makes you unique, what comes easy to you, and leveraging that so hard in your business. And I talk about that as a first step when someone comes to work with us, as we call it, identifying a line like, what makes you different, what are your values? And leaning into that and leveraging that. That's how you become a category queen. And that's the only way to be successful in business, is to lean into that. And that's what creates polarity, that's what creates authenticity. That's how you stand out. And the only way to do that is first be clear, and then unapologetically and courageously express that and express that in your content and in your marketing. How you set up your business is there really are no rules.

I think people look for, like, what, how do I structure my offer in my funnel and how many emails and, like, the best strategies, and I've seen hundreds. Right, hundreds of strategies. The best ones, they're custom and they leverage what you know is right for your audience, who you are and what already is your superpower and what comes natural to you.

So good. I couldn't have said it better myself. Emily, thank you so much. This was such a beautiful conversation. I love your energy. Your wisdom is so incredible. And again, it's been such a cool experience just being sort of a bystander of what you have really gone through in this big transformation and journey. So thank you again. I'm going to link up all your socials. What's the primary platform you would like people to connect with you on?

Yeah, Instagram is great. I have Emily Hirsch and then also embodied markethood. Cool.

All right, we'll link that up in the show notes. Again, Emily, thank you so much for your time today.

Thanks for having me.

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