How to Boost Your Productivity by Managing Stress w/Hayley Schiller

[00:00:00] J. Rosemarie: Hayley Schiller is a social worker, stress coach, and the founder of Reaching Equilibrium. As a stress management program for entrepreneurs and professionals in the workforce, she believes that stress is universal and that with the right tools and strategies becomes easy to manage, Haley is also a wellness author and advocate. [00:00:26] Jennifer: This is Tools of the Podcast Trade, where you can learn about the tools and resources. You can use the start and grow your podcast tune in next week, as we talk about the help, you need to remove the mystery from podcasting. So you can become a successful podcaster that can reach your audience, where they are.[00:00:46] My guest today is Haley Schiller. And we're going to talk today. I think about stress management among other things. We're pretty free and easy here. Thank you for coming and talking to me today. [00:00:58] Haley, [00:00:59] Hayley Schiller: [00:01:00] thank you so much for having me. [00:01:01] Jennifer: Of [00:01:02] course. So before we get into the meat of the show, could you tell us who you are?[00:01:08] Hayley Schiller: Absolutely. As you mentioned, my name is Haley Schiller and I am the founder of reaching equilibrium. I'm a social worker by degree and my business is now I am a stress management coach. So I focus on stress management for our entrepreneurs and professionals in the workforce. [00:01:28] Jennifer: Okay. All right. Thank you for sharing.[00:01:29] Well, we need the money to stress. Don't we? So, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So I, I think I w I have an interest in stress and how to manage it, but I think as an entrepreneur, we might tend to overdo it. So can you address a little bit about how we as entrepreneurs can better manage stress and I we're jumping right into it, but I think that's the best place to start.[00:02:00] [00:02:00] Hayley Schiller: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like as small business owners professionals in the workforce, just simply having a career, we tend to overload ourselves with what I call false productivity. So we get so stuck in the workflow trying to meet deadlines, trying to put out more content, trying to take another. Course, and just really overwhelming ourselves with more things that end up on the to-do list side of things that we don't spend enough time really taking those same practices to ourselves and our wellbeing.[00:02:37] So another content creation course would be great, but if you're feeling too stressed to be able to implement it, then we need to take a step back and really. Look inward at how we can be more relaxed and productive and efficient. So what I always say is they actually need to follow in that order. So first it's [00:03:00] important that we relax.[00:03:02] So that way we're tackling the symptoms of stress, both the physical and the emotional symptoms. And then we can go and be productive and organized. I think one of the really important strategies that we can use as podcasters entrepreneurs, professionals is really first grounding ourselves back in the present moment.[00:03:23] Oftentimes we end up in a rush in our heads thinking of all these great ideas and they aren't great. Yeah. We need to be able to do it at a realistic pace. So rather than jumping too far into the future in our minds, or worrying about things that we've done in the past, whether they were effective, not so effective, we need to center ourselves back into the present moment. [00:03:46] Jennifer: Yeah. [00:03:47] That's that's good advice. And it's as entrepreneurs we're bad. We have a lot of people who've gone before us who could probably show us better ways of managing or managing ourselves. Right. But [00:04:00] as podcasters, because podcasts is still fairly new, we tend to have this you know, where we want to get it right. [00:04:07] Right. And there's so much stress associated with comparing ourselves. So how can we address that? So that one, we provide a good show for our audience because you know, that's the bottom line, but two that we remain well doing it? [00:04:25] Hayley Schiller: Yeah. So [00:04:27] podcasting, I think, is really one of those vulnerable spots where perfectionism can creep in.[00:04:34] Right? And there's a lot of steps that go into podcasting that I don't think people always realize until they're actually in the throws of making a podcast. So like I mentioned before, being in the present moment is very essential because you want to be taking this one step ahead. At a time not jumping ahead is what I mean.

[00:04:53] And I think another thing that's really helpful to address your point about [00:05:00] comparison, but wanting to put on a really good performance. Having a piece of what I like to call acknowledgement. So this is kind of where your affirmations, your intentions come into play. And I always say whether you love a term like an affirmation, or you think maybe it's a little too fluffy, really think of it as a way to set a goal. [00:05:25] Before it's even happened. So really thinking what is my goal to get out of this? I want my audience to enjoy the piece that I just put out. I want them to learn something from me and sometimes it doesn't need to be the most polished, sparkly, fancy elaborate thing out there. What really matters is that content that you're giving people, because that piece of information, that's where the golden nugget is at.

[00:05:54] Jennifer: Yeah. Yeah, of course. And I, I dread to use this word, but that's [00:06:00] where being real realistic comes in, right? [00:06:04] Yeah, absolutely. And it takes time and it definitely takes practice, but. When we start to put these habits into place of saying, okay, I'm going to set a realistic intention of, this is what I want to do.[00:06:18] And this is the piece of information I want to put out there and provide for my audience after a while it, it starts to become routine. [00:06:27] Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So can you give us an example of Exercises or habits we could develop to center us before we jump into the madness. [00:06:39] Hayley Schiller: Yeah, absolutely. So going back to that, getting into the present moment, because I'm sure there's some audience listeners who are like, that is such a great idea.[00:06:49] How the heck do I do it? Right. Really what it comes down to is engaging with your senses and really playing around with that. You can be. Looking around [00:07:00] your room that you host your podcast and then really taking it in visually. It could be maybe when you have your podcasts, you have like a candle or some kind of aroma in the room.[00:07:14] Bring yourself back. Our sense is very powerful. There's a whole section of the brain that's just for scent and subscribing that to memories. So there's ways that you can play around with senses to really root yourself back. You can even do something like I do, which is hold the microphone. It's a gentle reminder to say, Hey, in production mode right now.[00:07:39] Jennifer: Right. And why, you know, I was thinking that maybe one of the other ways, cause one of the biggest fuss that we make as podcasters is that there's no outside noise, in our recording. So maybe in preparing our room, we prepare our room so that we're away from the noise, right. That reduces the. [00:07:58] Hayley Schiller: Yes.[00:08:00] [00:08:00] Jennifer: angst[00:08:00] Hayley Schiller: Right.[00:08:01] Right. You touched on a really great point because you want to be able to use these strategies in a way that doesn't become sensory overload, that doesn't affect the podcast. So that's why it's great to get a little clever use things like your site use things like your smell, and you can use things like touch to really.[00:08:20] Engage with your senses while podcasting. It just is a reminder of, okay, we're going to come. We're going to center ourselves. We're going to get ready. And we're just going to focus on just delivering, not worrying about the output, not going to ruminate about it after if it was good or terrible. We're just gonna roll with [00:08:38] Jennifer: okay. All right. Sure. Thank you. And so you were saying we stay in the moment, remain in the moment as much as we can. Can we go back to the, the, the preparation stage how does deep breathing? And I was looking at your website and I did see an image of someone doing this [00:09:00] and meditation came to mind. So can you explain some of that?[00:09:04] So, you know, some practical tips. [00:09:06] Hayley Schiller: Yeah. So this is something that I teach in my course. I have a few core competencies for both relaxation and then as well as for productivity, but focusing on that relaxation side, the later core competencies that'll come into play are breath work and self-soothing exercises and that's to address the symptoms of stress.[00:09:29] So breath work is a great one. If you feel. Physical symptoms of stress. So if you know that you start to sweat or your heart starts to race, or your stomach gets a little bit tight, then you can use breath work to help regulate your body, help regulate your heart rate, your breathing rate. And then alleviate some of those physical symptoms.[00:09:51] And then when I say self soothing exercises, that can look very different for different people. It could be engaging in hobbies and activities. [00:10:00] It could be finding different distractions, things like that. And that's to help, those emotional sides of anxiety. So, yes, while we prep, we want to make sure that we're.[00:10:11] Outlining, and we want to make sure that we're getting ready for the podcast itself, but sometimes you might need a little extra source of comfort. So you might have music in the background while you're outlining getting your script together. That might be a good example of what a podcaster might do.[00:10:29] Jennifer: Yeah. [00:10:30] Okay. All right. Thank you. So now tell us about your work and what you have to offer. [00:10:36] Hayley Schiller: Yeah, absolutely. So my website is www.reachingequilibrium.com and I have two offers actually, which are both coming out throughout May of this year. And one of those is my e-book bundle. You learn more about.[00:10:56] This two step system with the core competencies, you [00:11:00] learn all about the methodology, how to implement it, and it really gets you going on your path for your lesser stress journey. It's written in a very general way. So that way it's really easy to understand. Really simple to follow and it comes with a workbook.[00:11:16] So that way you keep yourself organized as you go. And then my other offer will be, if you want to take a deeper dive and really have me teach you how to really implement these competencies, I'm going to have my online signature course as well. [00:11:33] Jennifer: Okay. All right. And. We'll put the link to your website in the show notes and how, how can we get in touch with you on social?[00:11:43] Hayley Schiller: Yeah. So Instagram is my main platform. My handle is @reaching_underscore_equilibrium_ and hopefully very soon there'll also be a YouTube coming out, maybe even by the time this is published. [00:12:00] So we'll see. So you could be on the lookout for that. [00:12:03] Jennifer: Okay. Awesome. And what is Haley grateful for today?[00:12:07] Hayley Schiller: I am very grateful for just the wonderful opportunities to be able to connect with people who are also entrepreneurs and really get to meet others. Because I know sometimes when, whether we're a podcast or entrepreneur, it can get a little lonely, cause it feels like you're doing it remotely on your own.[00:12:28] So when you really get to meet other people and see, it's not just, you. Developing, creating, being an entrepreneur. It's really such a great feeling. [00:12:38] Jennifer: Yeah. [00:12:39] That's awesome. Thank you for sharing. And I know you just spread some wisdom about how we can manage our stress and better create a day that works for us.[00:12:49] But give one piece of advice for a new podcaster. Who's biting their nails, trying to figure it all out. [00:12:56] Hayley Schiller: Yeah, I would definitely say to somebody new [00:13:00] is really take your time. If you're feeling a little bit nervous, that's okay. Just kind of allow yourself to feel, however you feel say that's totally normal, but still keep trying to slowly but surely push through it because I know if you have that idea, then you have something great to share with other people.[00:13:20] Jennifer: Amen. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anything else? [00:13:24] Hayley Schiller: No. I just want to thank you so much for this opportunity to speak on your podcasts and it's really been a pleasure. [00:13:31] Jennifer: That's awesome. Thank you. And I hope you will come back sometime. Yeah, [00:13:36] absolutely. Thank you.[00:13:38] Got questions about podcasting? Do you find yourself struggling with the tools and strategies that you know will help you launch and grow your show? Why not join The New West club, where you can get your questions answered by me or one of our guests expert the link to [00:14:00] our meeting is below sign up today and don't let confusion about podcasting.[00:14:06] Stop you from owning your genius, whether you're an individual or a nonprofit, the New West Podcast Club is where podcasters. Come for answers. Link below for next meeting.