149: Real Women, Real Stories with Kristen Dyer

Sabrina: Welcome to the Shoot at Straight podcast, where honesty meets heart and real talk actually means something. I’m your host, Sabrina Gebhart, and each week we get vulnerable, practical, and just a little bit bold so you can feel seen, supported, and ready to take the next step in your photography journey.

Let’s go.

Welcome back to the Shoot at Straight Podcast, my friends. This is another installment of Real Women Real Stories. This is the Candid series where I’m sitting down with women who have been through the Root to Rise Mastermind, and these conversations are really cool because each one is really unique to the woman and her experience, which is the whole point.

They’re honest, they’re vulnerable, they’re full of these. Growth stories of what these women have experienced. And my hope behind this series is that you, the listener, will hear their stories, where they were, what shifted for them, how they evolved as women and business owners. And it’ll help you feel less alone in your own business journey and also more inspired and hopefully you will even see a piece of yourself in their journey.

So we are gonna dive straight in, and today I have my friend Kristen Dyer. And before we get. Going. Kristen, will you introduce yourself to the listeners?

Kristen: Yes, I am Kristen Dyer. I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am a newborn and family photographer.

Sabrina: You are. And you are a mom and Yes. Um, you are a bar fanatic.

Kristen: Yes. A bar three fanatic. I love it. It’s what helps me stay grounded in my business and my personal life. And so yes, I am very big fan of far three as well, and I’m a mother of one. Who is a kindergar.

Sabrina: And

Kristen: tell

Sabrina: me,

Kristen: how long have you been in business

Sabrina: now?

Kristen: Well, full-time, just by myself. It’s been a little over seven years.

Before that I had, I was doing weddings with someone else and just kind of working for some other people, but on my own full-time, it’s been about seven years. That’s so awesome.

Sabrina: We’re gonna go all the way back to the beginning. Kristen, you’ve done root rise several times, which is so fun, and I’m sure we’ll get into that today.

But you started in the summer of 2023, so right about two years ago. I would love for you to kind of think back to then, if you can, put yourself in those shoes. It’s summer 2023. Root rise is about to begin. Where were you in your business, in your personal life? What challenges were you facing? Kind of what brought you to wanting to start the program?

Kristen: Yeah, so for a few years I knew I was always wanting to coach and I was really just watching a lot of people. ’cause I knew I needed a push in my business, but I didn’t know exactly what it was. I kept trying to like journal about it, think about it, and I just didn’t know exactly what it was. I think I was following Sabrina maybe for a little while, and then it just, I was watching one of your masterminds and retreats and I just kept watching and I reached out because I was like, I don’t know if this is the right thing for me, but I’m feeling a little stuck in my business.

I need a really big push. I was just kind of feeling like, not like a clear path of like how I wanted to move forward, maybe with my family and with my newborns, and so. At the time too, I felt like I was very focused on my mini sessions and I was really talking a lot about that and kind of just gearing everything towards my mini sessions and didn’t have a clear path in the other part of my business.

Yeah, I just felt a little bit, I. Lost in a little bit of an area, but also I felt kind of comfortable where I was like a little too comfortable that I really needed some more pushes within my business.

Sabrina: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I love what you just said. You were comfortable, but a little too comfortable. Honestly.

That’s a, that’s a great place to be in because it means that you had found success on your own and you were doing well, like things were not necessarily a struggle for you, but you. Felt like intuitively there was something more for you and you weren’t kind of sure how to get outta your comfort zone and into like that next level for you, which is such a blessing, honestly, that you were, that you were comfortable because let’s just be real.

A lot of women. Don’t find that easily. And you were, you were running a successful business and so that was really awesome. I’m curious, was it an easy step for you to join or did you go round and round? Was there any kind of like struggle or debate going on? Or was it an easy Yes.

Kristen: I would say it was not an easy yes, it was an easy yes and no.

It was not an easy yes because I. I knew it was gonna be financially a cost upfront, but I also was like, I don’t really know who Sabrina is, like a ton about her. Like, is this the right thing for me? However, I’ve been searching for quite a few years now and I think I just need to already make the move.

And I specifically remember myself going on a walk with my daughter and I was just, or I was like messaging you back and forth and we were just having very open conversations and I was like. Wow. She is like really raw with me on this and is like not pushing me, not being salesy, but is also telling me like what I could get out of this program.

I remember then that night my husband and I went on a walk and I was telling him all about it. He is like, well, why didn’t you already just like buy it already? Why didn’t you sign up? And I was like, I don’t know. And he is like, you’ve been talking about this for years. Like just do it already. And so I think it was maybe the next day or something I still thought about it and then I finally decided to sign up.

So I think it was just kind of like really thinking everything through and journaling it. Journaling the process as well.

Sabrina: I love that you reached out to me and we were able to communicate back and forth. I honestly wish more people did that. You’d be surprised how many people don’t go through that process.

I mean, they join and I love it and I’m happy and we get to know each other, but I feel like the women who are willing to like ask the question and send me messages before we almost get like a jumpstart. You know what I mean? Like I’m able to get to know them a little bit. Before we start the program, they’re able to have another level of comfort with me because they can hear my voice, they can hear what I’m saying.

It feels like they’re not just like following on online anymore, like we’re actually talking and the women that do reach out to me either like DM me and we start like voice chatting back and forth. I also tell people when they’re interested in the program that we can Voxer, and I’ve had a couple people done that where they just wanna have a little bit longer time back and forth without getting cut off by the Instagram dms.

And I do, I love that because. You’re right. Like I’m not a salesy, salesy person. I want each person to feel comfortable with their decision. And if chatting makes you more comfortable, like I’m all about that. But I also love how you brought it to your husband and he was like, I. Okay, you have permission.

Just like do it already. You know? I love that because it is a big investment and even though it’s a business investment coming from your business, you know that as a small business owner that bleeds with your personal finances a lot. And oftentimes we do want that like stamp of approval from our partner just to know that like, Hey, I’m about to make a big investment.

It is coming from my business, but like, just so you know. And so I love that you had that conversation and that he was supportive right from the get go.

Kristen: Yeah. And yeah, I think again too, it just helped that we really had that conversation over Instagram Messenger and just kind of talking it through, because I already felt like you said, a connection with you before even starting the program, and it just made it an easy, an even easier decision to sign up for it.

Sabrina: I’m curious, Kristen, what, so you’ve done root rise three times, which is so fun. Yes. Um, which is so fun because to hear you say you were nervous to join the first time and now you’ve done it three times. I’m curious, the very first time, the very first run you were in, obviously that was your inaugural experience with the program and with me and with the group and everything, what surprised you most about joining the mastermind?

Kristen: Oh man. There’s so many things. I think one of mine was how much I would get out. From the other women within the mastermind of like things that I needed to shift or think about within my own business. I just felt like I was able to move so many things that I was like light bulb moment, light bulb moment.

So many times we were on calls that I didn’t actually necessarily think I was gonna get out of. Our group time together. Always.

Sabrina: Yeah. There is something about being surrounded by women who are growing alongside you, even though the group is going in different directions based on their different goals and seasons of life and whatnot.

Women rising together who are also willing to be vulnerable with each other and share their struggles. What’s working, what’s not working? Ask hard questions. It’s something that I say, you remember you’ve done it three times now, but on the very first kickoff call of the program, I kind of lay the ground rules in like how this is gonna work.

And I, I say very clearly, I’m your facilitator and I’m going to host this process and bring you along, but you are gonna learn from everyone and it’s so true. And don’t you think it’s really interesting how. Each time you’ve done the program, you’ve had different peers and you get different things out of it because the dynamic changes a little bit.

Kristen: Yes, for sure. And I think it’s just interesting to see how everyone runs their businesses differently and how we can change within our own business by taking some ideas and shifting ’em to make them work for ourselves and for our own businesses.

Sabrina: Yeah. Yeah. It’s a really cool experience, how the community supports each other and.

They, you know, everybody rises together and it’s, it’s a really beautiful thing that I think is super unique to the program that, that we have, and I love it. I’m curious, when you think about your experience over all the time we’ve been together, can you name like a specific breakthrough or aha moment where things like really shifted for you?

Again,

Kristen: always so many, but I think for me it was the way that I was like kind of. Marketing towards my repeat clients, also towards my family and newborn clients. You and I worked really hard on just shifting those ways and me being confident of reaching out to my repeat clients in a way that I would never have done before, and having that confidence to send those emails, um, without being salesy or pushy and for them to email me back.

And so. I feel like a lot of those were like, oh, this is how I can market differently and not just be like, Hey, I’m having a session, or I have an opening. How can I redirect those moments? And want people to work with me and thinking differently.

Sabrina: And for you in your particular business, you start selling family sessions a little bit earlier in the year than some people do because you have such a robust amount of repeat clients.

It’s like a necessity for you to start booking things earlier, which I love. And so because you started in the summer of 23, we’ve been through two springs together. We’ve gotten to, like you said, work through how you’re selling your year and we’ve kind of worked out the kinks last year and then this year you were able to just kind of like do it again and refine it even more.

How has that changed how you feel energetically about your business? And, I mean, it’s been cool to see from the outside, but I wonder what it’s felt like to you.

Kristen: It’s felt great. It’s felt like not. Maybe like a sense of urgency to like hurry and try to get all these people. It has felt more like a relationship with my clients and I don’t know, it has just felt like not so much heaviness and so much stress on to try to get these clients and so I’ve even tweaked it a little bit more this year, which has felt really good and I’m just launching things.

A lot different and that I’m way more excited about rather than like watching how everyone else is doing things and feeling like, oh my goodness, I need to like start selling next week. I have a way better plan that just feels more fluid and organic to my business.

Sabrina: Yeah, it’s created a lot more ease for you.

Instead of that, again, like. Keeping your eyes on your own paper as opposed to everybody else’s, right? You’ve been able to write your own rules and you’ve figured out something that really works both for your clients. It serves them really, really well, but it also just feels better to you. How do you think that has made you feel like throughout the year?

Do you, I mean, are you feeling better about your business overall? As far as like the stress and the kind of chaos of up and down seasons.

Kristen: Yeah, and to speak to that too, it’s, I can feel like I don’t have that big of a lull during the January to May time because of how I’m launching things and I’m still getting that income in.

And then, yeah, like I’m just mapping out my calendar year a lot better. I can see where I’m having those holes where I can push more towards the mar marketing area, and it just feels a lot more comfortable rather than like everyone just wants a session in September, like how am I gonna open my whole entire September and then not work many other months, or just September and October?

And so it feels like I have a lot more stuff happening throughout the year, and it’s a lot more streamlined system.

Sabrina: How do you feel about, kind of quote unquote like being in the room with other women who are growing and chasing dreams and making changes, whether it’s just like the virtual room of our calls or actually at the retreat physically in a room with these women.

How has that impacted your energy towards your business and towards the community?

Kristen: I love it. I love to being able to talk with other women virtually online and obviously in person too. I loved, again, seeing what they were doing in their business. Or I even asked a few, like, you’ve seen my business within the last two masterminds.

Like what is an area that you think. That I could change. And they were very open, as open and honest with me between my first route to rise and second route to rise. I, there was so many of us that did the two rounds together, and I felt like our group was just really rock solid core group and we all felt very comfortable speaking up and being able to speak into one another’s businesses by saying like, Hey, have you thought about this?

Or maybe change this. So I felt like that was just, felt really, really comfortable and I loved having that honesty and taking notes and reviewing those areas of my business.

Sabrina: So how does someone go from not sure about joining to doing it multiple times? Like how, what, what shifted for you that made you

Kristen: just wanna keep going?

Obviously you obviously the community of women that I felt so comfortable with that I was getting so much out for me, I was just like. I’m already on like such a great path that I feel like if I’m gonna end now, yes, I know I can move forward and I can continue my business moving forward. But like I’m loving the support, I’m loving these challenges and I feel like I just wanted to keep going and keep going.

And so it was easy for me to sign up for my second one. And then obviously my third one, I was like at the retreat during the middle of my second one and I was like, oh man. I don’t know. I might have to do this again. I’m really loving this community and this support and so gone down for another third time.

And what I always tell women too, I’m like, even if you’re unsure like I was, I wrote a whole letter to myself in the beginning of root rise of. Fall of 2023 and just said, I have no idea why I am here. I don’t know what I’m gonna get out of this. I’m excited, but I don’t have like a breakthrough, like what I’m really trying to do.

And now I have like a notebook full of things that we have worked on together, how my business has changed. And so you’re gonna get something out of it, plus even more out of your out of ized.

Sabrina: I love that you kind of didn’t know what you wanted. I also love it when women have a very specific, like, I need help with X.

The point is it doesn’t matter where you’re coming from. I meet you where you are. You know what I mean? As long as you’re not in a position where you’re like, everything’s perfect. I don’t need to change anything. Like if you’re there, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you. I don’t think I can serve you. But you know, if you know there’s something more for you or you specifically are like, I am stuck with this thing.

It’s such a unique program, you know? And. I said this on another chat with another woman, like, I’m not out to create a whole bunch of mes. You know, I don’t expect anyone’s business to look like mine or their story to look like mine. We’re all in different seasons with different experience levels, different passions live in different areas.

I. And I want you to be your best you. You know? And what was so great about you, Kristen, is that you came to the program willing to let whatever happened needs to happen. ’cause you were kind of unsure of the path ahead of you and. You took it all in stride, which was just really, really cool to see. Um, and you’re also such a good student.

Um, you know, we would talk about things and then you would immediately go implement the things or do the things. And so you’re definitely a star student in the program and I love that. I love that. Okay. What is something that you are doing now in your daily life or in your business that maybe would’ve felt too hard before route to rise or something that wasn’t even on your radar?

What is, what is a change that’s specifically come out of it for you?

Kristen: Definitely my confidence piece of communicating with my clients and really setting those boundaries really firm, but also in a very friendly, gentle. Business way, way. Um, another way is I was maybe emailing my client or my newsletter list maybe once a month or every other month.

Now I’m emailing them at least once a week, sometime obviously more when I am in the middle of, like in a launch. I now have a photographer’s email list, which I would’ve never had the confidence to do without your support, which I email once a week for that. I take off every Wednesday and Friday during the summer to be with my daughter.

Um, and just have those experiences. And so there’s a lot I feel like has changed. And so yeah, those are two, three big areas.

Sabrina: So the confidence piece and the like communicating and all of that is huge. That is a seed that you have planted that is now gonna like, carry you forward no matter where your business goes and how it morphs and shifts and change and, and that’s so beautiful.

And then the, the marketing and the emailing to your list for both groups, for both the education and your clients. Again, that’s just a great habit that you’ve started and let’s circle all the way back around to how your business has felt easy and your booking clients throughout the year and all of that.

Those things go hand in hand, you know, they really do and, and so it’s not so much feast or famine in your business, it’s just this slow, steady. Bookings that you have all throughout the year just because you’re communicating with your audience and you’ve gotten into the habit of that. And, and so I love that.

And then I love that you take two days off in the summer. Um, it makes my, it makes me so happy. It’s, it really is a beautiful example of like, I. Somebody having it all. And you’re so good about holding that firm boundary about these are my days off. And like you said, going on adventures and having those experiences and what a great example for the women that you serve.

You know, like your photo clients and also the photographers that you’re starting to educate. It’s such a beautiful example of what putting boundaries and intentionality in your planning can look like when you put that in place in your business. So I love that. So. I’m curious, somebody is considering joining the program, they’ve heard people talk about it, they’ve seen your success, they’ve whatever, they’re interested, but they’re nervous for whatever reason.

Maybe it’s the financial commitment, maybe it’s the time commitment. Maybe it’s the fact that they don’t know what they want out of things. Maybe they’ve been burned by a coach. I don’t know. They’re on the fence for whatever reason. What are you gonna tell her about the program?

Kristen: First, I would say, look at your numbers.

See where you can maybe cut other things to move forward with coaching. I would say reach out to you, um, and have those like honest conversations because that definitely helped me feel more connected. And knowing that, again, like I’ve worked with you for a long time now, but knowing that it wasn’t just like a salesy thing.

And so you can really have that communication piece and knowing that like. Even though you’re gonna learn so much about your business and different areas of your business, you’re gonna grow just personally a lot. You’re gonna gain some wonderful friendships that I still talk to every single day, and that has just grown my business and my personal life too.

Sabrina: Yeah, and you’re, you’re someone who, you know, I’ve spoken to a lot of women who are like, I didn’t have a community before this, but you did. You had a community of photographers before Roots rise, and so you were not in the valley of feeling lonely or anything like that. You had that, but this has expanded you and your community in a different way,

Kristen: right?

Yes. Yeah, totally different way. I think it was just. Yes, I talk to my friends and we do like little retreats here of just us, but it was just, it was a different, it’s a different kind of community based, um, within Roots Rise and these women were seeing my business in a different way, I felt like, and that they were able to speak into me there and that I was able to share different ideas with them.

And yeah, I love it. I still, like I said, get to talk to them every day.

Sabrina: Okay. Kristen, what’s your favorite retreat Memory?

Kristen: I think a lot of it was like the side conversations of us, like when we were walking to the coffee shop or down to the beach and we’re just having these conversations with each other and just getting to know.

Everyone on a different level because we were behind the screen for so long and it was so good to see them in person or the ones, um, in the air or going to the airport. Like I had a really good conversation in the car with one of the women that I still hold dear to my heart of just like the conversation we were able to have.

And so I think it was all those little conversations and staying up late and having those deep connections with one another.

Sabrina: Yes, sign up for the program. Come to the retreat. I want you to have growth. I want you to do all the businessy things, but like just connecting women to women with a group of people who.

Deeply understands what you’re going through, balancing motherhood and marriage and a business and going through the same struggles that you are. Like we are able to connect in a different way than like our regular friend group, you know? And I also think that we’re so busy with life and business. We don’t get enough time for that connection in our day-to-day life.

And so it feels so special at the retreat when we’re not having to deal with our kids, when we’re not having to cook dinner, when we’re not having to wash anybody’s clothes, that we can just really be seen and see others. And the connections at the retreat are just, they’re just magic. They really, really are.

Kristen: Yeah, they’re really sweet. Like one of ’em. I’ve talked to almost every single day since leaving the retreat and that we were just able to have those honest conversations and that they’re super fun. And I wouldn’t have these other women speak into my business if it wasn’t being within roots eyes and having so many of ’em see different eyes on my business.

Sabrina: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I love it so much. It just makes my heart so happy. I can’t tell you how many times. So all through all the root to rises, and then even like my OG Online mastermind, that was before Root to Rise. The way my mama heart reacts when I see women that I know I brought together and that met through something of mine, not only do they like continue their friendship and I’ll see them like tag each other on social media, but sometimes they like get together and travel together or see each other when they’re visiting or whatever.

And I just. My heart explodes because I’m like, I had a little tiny role in that, you know? And seeing the ripple effect of connecting women, it just, it makes my heart so happy. I love it so much. It is really,

Kristen: really fun.

Sabrina: Okay, my friend, thank you so much for your time and for sharing with us today. We tell the audience where they can connect with you if they wanna chat

Kristen: again.

I am, uh, Kristen Dyer on Instagram, and my website is er free. You can also sign up for any of my newsletters within my Instagram, um, handle as well.

Sabrina: Awesome. Thanks for being here today, my friend. We’ll see you next time. Thanks so much for listening to the Shoot at Straight podcast. You can find all the full show notes and details from today’s episode@sabrinagephart.com slash podcast.

Come find me and connect over on the gram at Sabrina Gehart Photography. If you’re loving the podcast, I’d be honored if you hit that subscribe button and leave me a review. Until next time, my friends shoot it straight.