In today’s episode, I’m inviting you to take a pause and reflect. What were some of your highlights of the last year? What were some moments you loved, things that went well, and what was it that filled your cup? I’m taking a moment to look back on some of the best parts of my 2022, and inviting you to do the same.
The Shoot It Straight Podcast is brought to you by Sabrina Gebhardt, photographer and educator. Join us each week as we discuss what it’s like to be a female creative entrepreneur while balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood. If you’re trying to find balance in this exciting place you’re in, yet willing to talk about the hard stuff too, Shoot It Straight Podcast is here to share practical and tangible takeaways to help you shoot it straight.
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Review the Show Notes:
Launched my new website on ShowIt (1:44)
Speaking at my second Reset conference (4:05)
Starting the Shoot It Straight podcast (5:03)
Exceeding my goal to be interviewed on twelve podcasts (6:45)
Photography travel sessions (8:02)
Root to Rise mastermind (9:28)
Mentioned in this Episode:
The Reset Conference | Use Code SABRINA for $100
Gaffin Creative Podcast Production
Spotify Playlist of Interviews
Review the Transcript:
Welcome to the shoot it straight podcast. I’m your host, Sabrina Gephardt. Here I will share an honest take on what it’s like to be a female creative entrepreneur. while balancing business, motherhood and life. myself along with my guests will get vulnerable through honest conversations and relatable stories because we’re willing to go there. If you’re trying to find balance in this exciting place you’re in yet willing to talk about the hard stuff to to shoot it straight podcast is here to share practical and tangible takeaways to help you shoot it straight.
Welcome back to another episode of the shooting straight podcast. I thought it would be fun if the last episode of the year was a list of highlights. So things that I love things that went well and things that filled my cup this year. And my hope is that it will inspire you to make a list of your own. Like I mentioned in the last episode, I think it’s really important to take a pause and reflect. And really I want you to reflect but focus on what is good and what was positive. No matter how hard your year was, you had wins, you had high points you had success. And it’s very important to take those and focus on them and carry that positive energy into the new year. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote before, what you focus on expands. And that is so true. So spend some time focusing on all the good things that happened this year and then carry that positivity with you in to the new year. So without further ado, here are some of my highlights from this year in no particular order. Number one, I launched a new website and moved platforms over to show it this was something that honestly I had toyed with for a really long time. But if you have ever moved website platforms before you know that it is an absolute beast of a project. But as my focus was really starting to shift into education and coaching over the last few years, I knew that it was time to move. So if you know me, you know that I like to outsource all the things and this was no exception. I bought a template from Davy and Krista and hired someone to customize it for me. Even though I didn’t do the website work, I had to pull everything together. The copy the images, the links, I had to make a million decisions along the way. And it was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it. Also, if you are even considering show it for your website, let me give them a little plug. I am obsessed. I am 100% obsessed. I was very nervous about moving to a new platform and learning all the ins and outs because while I do want someone to set up the website for me, it is very important to me that I understand all of the inner workings and that I can make changes and updates going forward on my own. I want to feel in control of my website. So moving to a new platform and having so many things to learn. I was really really scared. Let me just tell you, there is a little bit of a learning curve. But once you get used to it and once you get your bearings, it is so dang intuitive. I literally love it so much. Plus I love that the blogging is tied into WordPress and how powerful that is and all of the SEO goodness that comes from that. And the last best part of show it is the customer service. Their customer service is unmatched. I am at a point in my life where customer service matters to me more than anything. If something is more expensive, I will go for that option if it means the customer service is better. And I’m not saying that is the case here because it is not but their customer service is unmatched. It is absolutely incredible. So just in case you are like totally sold on show it I will have a link in the show notes that will get you 30 days for free. The second highlight of my year was speaking at my second reset conference. So it was a total dream come true to speak at my first reset conference in 2021. And then to be invited back was even more of a pinch me moment. Reset conference is such an amazing community. They pride themselves on leaving egos at the door and let me just tell you, it is so true. The speakers and the attendees they intermingle the entire time and everyone is so kind it is a blast to attend and getting to speak there for the second time was completely amazing. If you are considering a conference for this year, why don’t you join me at reset in Chattanooga, Tennessee where I will be speaking for a third time. I will have a link and a discount code in the show notes but you can use code Sabrina at checkout and it will save you $100 off your registration and if you come
You better come find me so that I can give you a hug and person. Number three in my highlights this year is starting this podcast. Okay, but really, this has been on my vision board for years, literally years. I knew I wanted a podcast, and I’ve known for so long, but it seemed really overwhelming. The massive amount of content, the preparation, the technical gear, the editing, the graphics, all of it. And Secretly, I was also terrified that people would hate my podcast voice, which is so silly, but it was a real fear. At the beginning of the year, I decided, no more fear. This was it. I’m starting a podcast this year. And then I did what I coach all of my students on, I made a plan to make it happen. I blocked off time on my calendar to learn about the process and take an online course. I made a massive content idealist, I researched and hired an amazing Podcast Producer Haylee Gaffin, Haley held my hand in all of the launch prep the editing of my episodes, and she does literally so much I could not imagine doing the show without her. And I’ve been putting one foot in front of the other ever since. I will be honest, launch day was super, super scary for me. Just something about how vast podcasts are really terrified me I was a ball of nerves. Knowing that I could be heard all over the world was like mind blowing. And I was again afraid of trolls that would just generally not receive the show well, but you have all been incredibly amazing. And I am absolutely loving this experience. Number four on my highlights this year. Okay, so at the very beginning of the year, one of the goals I set for myself was to be interviewed on 12 podcasts. That may sound like a super easy goal to meet. But let me tell you, it is not. You have to research which ones are a good fit, you have to pitch yourself to the host there are there’s a lot of ghosting, like you may pitch yourself to 20 people and only hear back from half, there’s also rejections, people telling you, you know, you’re not a big enough name, or you’re not a good fit, or they’ve already recorded all of their guest episodes for the year. And then when you do get a yes, you have to schedule it, you have to prepare for it is a lot of work I promise. So especially when you already have a full plate. Okay, so already having a podcast and multiple courses and a mastermind program. And all my photography clients and my family and my kids, my plate was already full. So finding the time and the bandwidth and getting enough yeses to actually do those 12 interviews was was a pretty lofty goal. For me, I’m so proud to say that I actually exceeded my goal for this year. And for fun, I’m going to drop a link in the show notes of a Spotify playlist that I created with all of these different interviews in them. So you can kind of binge them and listen to different shows with different hosts and hear what I have to say on those episodes. Number five on my list of highlights is my travel sessions. So this is flipping things over to the photography side of my business. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this on the podcast yet, but for the past five summers, I have offered travel sessions to my local photography clients. This is basically where I traveled to the same place that they are on vacation, and I photographed them in this beautiful destination. So over the years, I’ve gotten to go all over the country and visit so many new places. These sessions are super special because one, the scenery is always stunning. And it’s a break from my normal North Texas spots. Number two, I already know the families and so we generally end up spending a little extra time together, maybe over a meal or dessert or swimming or something like that. And the most special part about it is that number three, on most of these sessions, I bring one of my kids with me, they tag along, they watch me work, they take behind the scenes shots, and then they get to spend a couple of days solo with mom in a cool destination. My kids love to travel as much as I do. And so these are some of their favorite experiences all year and mine too. So this year, I got to shoot travel sessions in two places in Colorado, New York, Park City, Utah and Oklahoma City and they were all delightful. Number six and the final thing that I want to talk about in my list of highlights of 2022 I did say these were in no particular order, but I did save the best for last. The overall most incredible experience for me this year was my very first route to rise mastermind group. For years, I wanted to create an experience like it and at the end of 2021 I felt the pull that it was time that it was time to finally follow through and to do it. So I built out this
program unlike anything else in the industry, the program consists of four months of weekly calls online, monthly guest teachers monthly book club meetings weekly one on one boxer hours and a three day in person retreat where we shoot three sessions together, do portfolio reviews, brainstorm and have incredible fellowship. I was so excited about it. And then came time to launch. And much like with the podcast, I was nervous, because it was so unique to our industry. And I had never launched anything like it before. And it was like birthing a new child into the world, how would this be received. And then it sold out incredibly fast. And that’s when I knew how much it was needed. You see, this program is not only unique in the layout, and the container, it’s also unique and that it is very heavily personal development focused. I truly believe that when you better your life, you better your business, one bleeds into the other. And while we do go deep into photography, business, the teachings and the trainings, start with heart and mind work and then spill over into business. So the program sold out. And then it ran from early January until early May. And it was the most incredible experience truly one of the best in my life right up there with getting married and birthing my babies. It stretched me it inspired me it was absolutely magical. And watching all of the women go through the program and have so many transformations was mind blowing. Anyways, that was by far and away the biggest highlight of last year for me. And the best thing is next week starts the 2023 cohort of route to rise. And I literally cannot wait to do it all over again. And yes, if this sounds like something you’re interested in, I’ll have a link for the waitlist in the show notes. So there you have it. Those are my top six highlights from the year. And while I’m sure there are lots of other moments that I missed, those are the major ones for sure. And now I’m going to encourage you to do the same. Think back through your year and look back through your calendar if you have to and make a list of all the high points. Spend some time reflecting on all the good and allow yourself to have deep gratitude for these things. And then carry that energy into 2023. Happy New Year, my friends. I’ll see you next week for the first episode of 2023.
Thanks so much for listening to the shoot it straight podcast. You can find all the full show notes and details from today’s episode at Sabrina gebhardt.com backslash podcast. Come find me and connect over on the gram at Sabrina Gebhart 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.
