Today we’re joined by mindset coach and Proctor Gallagher certified consultant, Makini Smith, who’s here to talk about turning goals into accomplishments. You will hear about her work inspiring and helping authors through her business, Legacy Leavers Media, as we unpack how to move from a frustrated, confused, and isolated place into a place of success and clarity.
Listen in as Makini discusses some of the key ways that she helps people find peace, direction, and connection through writing books, social media, and more. You will also hear about her own journey, from shifting careers to passing on impact and solutions to others. If you’re looking for the confidence to turn your dreams into a reality, this episode is for you.
What You’ll Learn:
How Makini’s childhood drew her to where she is now.
Her journey and why she shifted her career.
How she met Bob Proctor.
How to break free from your pity party and redirect your focus.
How to identify strengths and use them to your advantage.
How to move through grief without letting it take over.
Ways to look at success differently.
How Makini helps people share their stories.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“I believe that our childhood experiences translate into what we do.” - Makini Smith
“I think we often discount ourselves or doubt ourselves on things we never experienced before, but you never really know how strong you are until you have to be.” - Makini Smith
“You don’t know what skills are lying dormant until you’re asked to use them.” - Molly Hillenbrand
Resources:
TRANSCRIPT:
Molly Dare 0:06
Hello and welcome to On Air with Molly dare. I'm your host Molly Dare and I am joined today by the amazing Makini Smith Makini. Smith is a mindset coach and proctor Gallagher certified consultant helping turn goals into accomplishments. She's the founder of legacy levers media, helping women entrepreneurs Self Publish. Makini is also a four time published author and host of the five star rated A Walk in my stilettos podcast. By coaching women who are frustrated, confused or isolated. She helps them find peace, clarity and connection. Whether it's through conquering social media, publishing a book or mastering a podcast, her passion is to help you find the confidence to turn your dreams into a reality. Vicki, welcome. So great to speak with you today.
Makini Smith 0:55
Thank you so much for having me, Molly, I truly appreciate the opportunity to be on your platform and to share and just excited to have this conversation.
Molly Dare 1:03
Oh, absolutely. You know, I was saying to Makini, before we started recording, I have never in the history of my podcast or my film series had to reschedule more because of my crazy life. And Makini has been so considerate and kind. And you know, it just goes to show, you know, with entrepreneurship and starting out your business, there's always curveballs that we are. She's moving this week, it's not opportune time for her to be doing this life. So appreciate it even more, and we just make it work. That's what we do. And I know that's what you coach, a lot of women on Makini I always ask my guests, you know, kind of in the beginning, just kind of talk about them as like young Makini as a child, because I do believe a lot of our childhood experiences kind of translate into what we do what we're passionate about pursuing today. So who was young Makini?
Makini Smith 1:57
Wow, young Makini, I want to say is very similar to present day Makini. Except for I mean, when I was young, I was super quiet, super introverted. You know, my mom said, I was gonna say, you know, kind of like the neighborhood kid, I was we grew up in this, how do I say this, we grew up in government housing, and there was a lot of different cultures, a lot of single moms. And it was like, helping each other, raise each other's children. And I was that little kid that was welcomed in anyone's home, and I would, you know, walk up the houses down, and they'd welcomed me in and I'm gonna say friendly, as as a child, but very much a tomboy, love to climb trees and, you know, catch tadpoles and the river and all of those things. So Young Makini was an explorer.
Molly Dare 2:48
Hmm, I love that. And you know, as a single mom, myself, I have so much respect for single parents, and it does take a village takes a whole village to make it have a single or not, it takes a village, but even as a single day, a little bit more challenging. And you really, really do appreciate those who are willing to reach out lend a hand. So let's talk about your career journey that led you to where you are today. Take us kind of through that, that journey.
Makini Smith 3:16
Okay, so let's see, I jumped into entrepreneurship. In 2009, I was going through a divorce became a single mom. And I thought about okay, well, I was a stay at home mom for five years prior to that. And I thought my kids are used to a certain type of lifestyle. You know, I grew up in government housing, I could go back to, you know, certain things, but I didn't want my kids to have to experience that, you know, they had experienced a world of being able to travel and have luxury things. So they didn't know, you know, the the other side of things. So I went into entrepreneurship, and I wanted to be able to have the flexibility to still be a full time mom, but also the flexibility to be able to be there for them, you know, while I was working, and in doing so it started out with a lot of bringing the kids with me to open houses, bringing them with me to you know, showings having them in the car. And then I did real estate full time for about six years. And because of some health challenges, and I was in a car accident, I wasn't physically able to do that. And when I started writing my first book about, you know, my life and my journey, because, you know, my, my sister had passed away and there were so many things that shifted my paradigm, my thought process and who I was as a person. And when I started writing my first book, I was just like, I don't want to do real estate anymore. I don't think this is for me. This is not the industry I want to be in. And after my sister passed away, I started doing some work on myself. So that was in 2012. And I started doing a lot of personal development for me, you know, getting into what that even was And in that process, I thought, well, this information is incredible. It's life changing. Everybody needs to know this, like, why doesn't everybody know this. And I got really passionate about sharing what I was learning. And in 2013, I had a complete stranger reach out to me off the internet because of the, you know, the quotes in the post that I was sharing. And he said, I have an opportunity for you to meet Bob Proctor in person. And I thought, okay, maybe this is some kind of scam, I don't have time for this. You know, I was selling real estate at the time, like phone numbers on the internet, all kinds of people can call. So I said, okay, buddy, just send me an email. I'm in the middle of doing a real estate deal right now, I don't have time for this. And he sends me an email. And I saw a picture of him standing next to Bob Proctor, with the address of a hotel conference room in Richmond Hill, Toronto, which wasn't far from from where I lived. And I thought, oh, okay, so I knew who Bob Proctor was. Because when I was going through my divorce, a friend of mine had forced me to watch the documentary The Secret. And, you know, I had gotten into doing vision boards and things like that, but I wasn't, I'm going to say fully into, like the information of the law of attraction and how to, you know, use manifestation and stuff. And I thought, wow, okay, so I know who this person is. I was looking at his courses. And at the time, you know, a three day weekend workshop was like, $12,000. And I thought this complete stranger off the internet just invited me to meet this man in person. And there's no fee, something's wrong. So I decided...
Molly Dare 6:38
Always difficult right when they say free, right?
Makini Smith 6:43
Exactly. I'm like, what's the catch? So I was very skeptical about going and I let your friends know that I was considering going, you know, being a single mom at the time, selling real estate. I thought, Okay, what's the worst that can happen? But what if, what if I go and you know, something does happen. So I set up a plan, but everything that could go wrong, that day went wrong, the babysitter didn't show up, I got lost, I ran out of gas, the whole nine yards. But when I arrived there, Bob Proctor was standing at the door greeting people as they came in. So I was like, Oh, this is real. So I got there. And I, you know, I said hello to him at the door. And I went inside. And the guy who invited me off the internet came and approached me and introduced himself and it was a room of maybe 30 people. And you know, the introverted quiet, Makini still very introverted. At that time, I was very nervous to go and interact with the people who were already having conversations. So I went and sat at an empty table. And an older woman, and another younger woman came and sat with me, and we just started having conversation. And you know, they were asking me about my story and things like that. And the other woman says to me, Well, your story is so inspiring, you should tell my husband. And I said, Well, who's your husband and she turns around, and she says, Bob, and calls Bob over. I wanted to like sink into the floor. I want to say that was the very beginning of me shifting and getting into personal development because I ended up staying connected with Bob Proctor, his wife, Linda, his daughter, Colleen, I was mentored by them hands on for about a year spent time in their home. And then I had some health challenges again, and kind of disappeared. And then I got an email that Bob was looking for more consultants for his company and Procter Gallagher Institute. And I, honestly, at the time, I was not in the right mindset, I didn't have the money for the program, I didn't have the confidence. I was, you know, single mom, because I had gotten to the car accident, I wasn't working full time. So you know, when you're an entrepreneur, you know, if you're not working, you're not making any money. But I decided to jump straight in headfirst and completely changed my life changed my thought process, it changed my view of the world, it changed the impact that I've been able to make. And that's how I got into becoming a mindset coach.
Molly Dare 9:16
It's, you know, you brought up so many things, and I want to touch on each of them. Because I think it's really, really important a lot of the things that you brought up during this journey, because just through the comments that I get through a lot of these podcasts from the people who listened to it, they deal with a lot of the same things that you brought up and a lot of them get stuck somewhere in one of those challenges. You've mentioned many, but a lot of us myself included get really trapped in our own head when when we deal with these certain obstacles. I want to go back to you mentioning that you know, you were divorced in 2009. Let's talk mindset around divorce. There's a lot of us who are single and gone through a divorce, whatever that is a breakup, whatever it is for you. And a lot of us get really really stuck in that moment and the pity me In the pity parties that we do, and for those of us who are divorced with children, we're like, oh, man, you know, how am I going to do this, and I talk a lot about myself when I was going through my divorce, and my girls were four and six years old. And I believe me, I gave myself a pity party, I allowed myself to feel the feelings. But I also turned it around to say, Okay, this is not about me anymore. This is about me showing my kids what is possible when life doesn't go the way you think it's gonna go. And that's actually a really powerful lesson. So what were some mindset shifts that you would give someone going through that kind of a life change or relationship change, whether it be divorce or something else to not let them get stuck in that moment,
Makini Smith 10:45
right? Oh, my, there's so many things. So one, because I was coming from being a stay at home mom for four and a half, almost five years at that point, I at first didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I didn't have the belief in myself that I could make it on my own. I didn't have the belief in myself that I could take care of three kids on my own. And honestly, like, if I had to go back and tell that version of me then like, you can do this, it is possible. I think, oftentimes, we doubt ourselves or discount ourselves on things that we've never experienced before or never had to do before. But you never really know how strong you are until you actually like have to be.
Molly Dare 11:30
True. It's so true. It's you watch people go through things like Oh, I could never I could never, and then God forbid something like that happens to you. And you're like, I'm actually more capable than I thought.
Makini Smith 11:40
Yes. Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think even that whole thing about being capable, that's how I look at everything and how I approach even in business where, you know, I may not have the competence in it now, because I've never done it before. And I don't know how to do it. But once you try, and then you continue to try and then it becomes an automatic thing. And then you realize that you have the what's the word I'm looking for? Competence, there we go. Like, what is it. But after doing, like, you know, something you never knew how to do in the beginning, but you learn how to do it, and then you do it over and over again, until you get comfortable doing it, you build the competence to do it, and having the competence in doing it gives you the confidence to do it. So I think in all areas of my life, I've been able to build confidence through doing you know, oftentimes, like, well, I don't know how to do that I'm not good at that, I can't do that. We tell ourselves the stories about what we can and cannot do, because we've never tried. But then knowing that once you do try, and you take the action of doing it over and over and over again, your comfort level of doing that thing, you know, becomes more comfortable, you know, it's, you know, using the old cliche of get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because it's very uncomfortable at first. But all change is uncomfortable at first, it's it's messy in the middle, but then the rewards are in the end once you figure it all out. So I've been able to use that whole thought process throughout all areas of my life.
Molly Dare 13:14
I love that so much. And I just want to reiterate, what you said is that competence builds the confidence. And that is so true. And I'm going to lead that into what you said about being an introvert. Because up until I was 37 years old. That's how I labeled myself as an introvert. And it wasn't until an opportunity came to me that required me to have some extroverted, extroverted skills, being in front of a camera, etc, being you know, a host blah, blah, blah. I didn't even realize I had extroverted tendencies very deep deep inside my introverted self. So now I call myself an introverted extrovert or an extroverted I don't know which way, right? That's right. Okay, there we go. I knew there was a fancy name for it. But it's true. It's like in life's challenges, although I don't wish challenges upon everybody. Again, you don't know what skills are laying dormant until you're asked to use them. And so then the more you know, originally, I said, No, when that opportunity came to me, because it's like, oh, it's not a skill set I had that's not No, it's just not a skill set I've had yet or have used it yet. But doesn't mean it's not there. And the more that I do it, and then master it, the better I can become at it. And so I really love that you said that and pointed that out. Because that that for me that age 37 In that moment was very life changing for me, life changing for anyone who allows yourself to say that, yes
Makini Smith 14:36
Yes, I agree. I think and I often think that sometimes when we use the title or the label of introvert or extrovert, we almost boxed ourselves into this place that we think that it means but I've been doing a lot of studying on introverts because I've the pandemic has allowed me to love being an introvert and not me. gonna say, like some people just look at someone who is an introvert, you know, they think that because you're severely shy, you know, you don't want to do certain things or you can't do certain things. But there are so many strikes within being an introvert. And it's not that us, you know, hosting podcasts and doing speaking engagements and coming out of our comfort zone. We're still introverts, but we require alone time to recharge, we require time to be able to prepare, you know, not being having to do things impromptu, so that we don't have that anxiety. So now that I understand the strengths of being an introvert, I utilize those to my advantage. So I am still an extreme introvert. But I am still someone that coaches people all over the world, I am still someone that does speaking engagements all over the world, I am still someone that hosts an amazing podcast. But I'm still an introvert.
Molly Dare 15:55
It's so true. I love that it you don't allow it to limit that you don't allow it to put yourself in a box because that is something that we all struggle with is we define ourselves so early on, I always think it's crazy that they make us pick like majors, you know, when we're like 17 years old. And I'm like, I don't even know who I am. Are you kidding me? Like I'm still figuring out what I'm majoring in. And I won't even discuss how old I am now. But I'll tell you right now, I turned 44 Next week, so thank you, we it's a it's an ever developing process, that's for sure. I also want to touch upon something else that you brought up a really big moment in your life, you know, your sister's death in 2012. And I know a lot of us have dealt or had to unfortunately deal with grief, moving through grief. And again, not letting it take over. The common thing that I say that has helped me when I've lost people very, very close to me in my life has always been my they were in my life for a reason. And I need to honor their memory, their legacy by continuing on and using the lessons that I learned from that relationship with them to propel me forward in their honor. Right? And it kind of it still hurts, it never gets, you know, you'd ever lose that feeling of loss. But what has helped you or what do you wish you had known back in 2012, that you know now about dealing with grief.
Makini Smith 17:19
So when my sister passed away in 2012, I'm gonna say that was probably one of the most pivotal moments in terms of changing my mindset. Grief, definitely changes people. You know, as adults, there's like two major ways that we'll shift our mindset because they say after the age of 25, we're like, programmed and stuck in our ways. Right? So one is through repetition. And the other is through a huge emotional bank, which is usually negative, which is grief. Right? You know, something traumatic happens, and it forces and shifts the way you think immediately, right? So when my sister passed away in 2012, she was like, my best friend, she was like my older twin. She was like, my lawyer, she you know, she was so many things to me personally. And in losing her because she was also the hub of my family. So you know, she was my mom's first daughter, my, you know, my father's first child. So her being the hub of the family. When we lost her physically, we all went through almost like a, I'm gonna say, it was like a six month to one year. What's the word I'm looking for? It was like the whole family went through, like, PTSD together. We couldn't function, you know, I had completely stopped working friends had to be making meals for my kids. I couldn't, I couldn't function. And in those first six months of, you know, we would spend time together my mom, my brother, my sisters, my grandmother just being together, basically trying to, you know, share happy memories and just be there for each other every day. In that time, I had people reach out to me, all over from the internet, people were calling people were sending messages through social, letting me know what my sister meant to them. And that shifted me from thinking about only what she meant to me. It was a lot less selfish. It was, you know, hearing how important she was to everyone else, and the impact that she left on everyone else. And hearing the stories from people that she supported when their family didn't support them or hearing the stories of people that she regularly sent in hearing all of those stories. I thought to myself, wow, like she has left such an impact. Like, even though she's not here physically, the legacy that she has left just in her
sharing her heart with other people. And I thought to myself, Wow, what legacy do I want to leave behind? You know, in sewing, I was able to take my pain and transmute that into purpose. So, a lot of the crying and you know, pity parties that I was doing, I shifted that energy and thought, okay, how can I make other people feel like how she made them feel. And I shifted my focus from self into, I guess helping raise other people's vibration. But in the at the same time it raised mine. So you know, from being in this low vibration of being sad and, you know, depressed and all of those things, me taking my energy and trying to raise others lifted me at the same time. So then when that started happening, I felt like I was making her proud and continuing her legacy. So every time I did something or accomplish something, I was just like, I know you're watching, you know, I would even have people that knew her that said, you know, your sister would be so proud. So it was taking that grief, like I said, and just transmuting it into purpose, re shifting that energy.
Molly Dare 21:07
That's so powerful. And I love that, and I love it, you keep bringing up the word impact, because that word is so powerful to me as well, you know, in my 20s, and even into my early 30s, I would say that I looked at success in kind of the old fashioned way of how many how much dollars? Or is in my bank account, right? Am I successful? That's how I equated success. And it wasn't until later on in life after a few losses, that I realized, oh, nononono? No, it has, it's nothing about that. And obviously, you want to have enough to like live a life where you're not, you know, worried about it. But really, my definition of success now, and I love that you keep bringing this up is how many people have impacted instead of looking at dollars, it's people it's like, can I impact using whatever talent or gift that I have? And we all have different ones? Can I use that gift to impact other people in a positive way? And if so, you know, how many kid I reach. And you know, it's great work with people like you, you know, helping people who have now you know, overcome whether it's divorce or death or something, you know, in their life. We all have so many dreams and goals. And for the people that you work with, what are some initial steps now that they've come through? And like, you know what, I do want to have purpose? And I do want to come through this and use this in a positive way. What are some initial steps someone can take to turn that dream into a reality?
Makini Smith 22:32
Yes. So to start with what you just said, like, everyone's definition of success is different, right. And that's why I said before about like titles and labels, it's about you know, how we view it. So to one person success may be money in the bank, and to another success, maybe, I don't know, I'm just keeping a roof over their kids heads. But at the end of the day, no matter how much money you have in the bank, you can't take that with you when you die, you know, there's no truck following you to the graveyard with all the money that you've made. And if you look at history of all the rich people, you know, even emperors back in the day that were filthy, filthy rich, no one even remembers their names like, yeah, great, you have a lot of money, who cares? What are you doing with it? Right? So with a lot of the clients that I have, in terms of like shifting or getting them to accomplish the goals, it's first what's important to you. Right? What what matters to you, what are your priorities, because oftentimes, and I'm going to say about 95% of the time, people start out with not even knowing what they want, it starts out with them, either the laundry list of what they don't want, or them explaining that for majority of their lives, the first 30-40-50 years of their lives, they have spent their time doing what they thought they were supposed to do, doing what their parents wanted them to do, doing what they, you know, society expected them to do. And it's not about what they wanted to do. So it's first getting very clear about what you want. Because as people we think in pictures, right, so if I said to you right now, dog, you would picture your dogs. If I said to you tell me what your front door looks like you would describe to me your front door. So you can see those things we think in pictures. If you don't have a picture of what you want, how do we know what you're working
towards. So you may have a goal and oftentimes, once you even figure out what it is that you want, it's getting specific and clear about what you want. Some people may say, their goal, like I used to have clients that would come on to a discovery call and say their goal is to make 100,000 a year. And when you ask them to describe to you what they really want, what that life looks like, where they would like to live, what kind of school they want their kids to go to where they want to travel, what kind of car they want to drive equates to way more than $100,000. So, if you're not clear about what you want, you don't know what it what the end goal is, you're never even going to know how you got there. I think oftentimes, even when we think of a goal, and people will say something random, they're thinking, Okay, I'm working towards, I don't know, the $100,000. No, that's actually, you're not going to be able to manifest it, just by saying you're, you know, working towards $100,000, and I'll picture the life that you want. What does that look like? What does that feel like? How is that going to make a difference in your life, and the people around you, your community, the world at large. And if you can visualize that, and you can picture that, then you can come from that picture, you're working backwards. So then you can start to create a plan and break down what it is that you need to do to get from where you are to where you want to go.
Molly Dare 25:56
I love that it's so so important to really have it so defined and clear in your head. You know what I know when I get up every day? It's like, I have my vision every day, and it helps you honestly, say no, as well as the things that don't, you know, we all get enticed by sparkly thing over here, or this opportunity over here. But if you're so focused on that end goal, what it is, does that get me here, it may be exciting and fun. But is it a distraction? Or is it going to help me get there? And it's helped me say no. And when I say no, I feel like I show up better to the things that I say yes to? And that's helped me say the word no, which I was afraid to say for 40 years. Yes. It wasn't a joke. I always say that it wasn't up until my 40th year that I learned to say no. And man did that feel good. I'd love to talk a little bit about legacy lever media, and why self publishing is a passion of yours. And getting, you know, women to self publish their books is so important.
Makini Smith 26:53
So I mean, the name itself came from the, you know, when my sister passed me thinking about the legacy that I want to leave behind. And it was very much in the beginning just about helping other women to own their stories. Because one, most times the narratives that are told, are not told, from our perspective, or from our own voice, you know, our narratives are being like, if we look at, even, I don't know, if you name most of the feminine products that are even created, they weren't created by a woman. You know, women are not in the decision rooms in the boardrooms in the science labs, when they were created or being made. So us being able to tell our own stories from our own perspective and sharing that was very important to me. And when I published my first book, it was a nightmare experience where I went from having a publishing deal with a big publisher and them trying to have full control. But it's like, it's my story. So it's my baby, and not being able to make final decisions and decisions that I'm comfortable with, didn't sit well with me. So I basically ended up breaching my contract losing 1000s and 1000s 1000s of dollars, and chose a boutique publisher. And in that process. I think it was
maybe within the first month of launching, as you can actually see behind me that was the original book cover, that ended up being changed because I had to shift publishers again, because, again, I wanted to leave a legacy and my values and morals didn't align with that company. And I thought, this is not going to sit well with me to have my story. And something you know, there's a chapter in there about, you know, losing my sister, something that was so dear to my heart, connected to something that didn't sit well with me. And learning the self publishing process and learning that there are so many people that are taken advantage of and there are so many people that lose control of their story and unable to own their story. I thought, okay,
I don't I remember back then saying to myself, now I know how to do this for myself, but I don't want to have a publishing company. So what I say, you know, years ago, but then it was like, God was like, Okay, I don't know what it is that you think you're going to be doing. But here's the plan that I have for you. So the universe just kept sending people to me asking publishing questions. So I was doing things just through a consulting basis. And then I have a friend of mine who she's a celebrity ghostwriter. She was doing a lot of ghost writing for politicians and celebrities and media personalities. And then she started asking me publishing questions. And she had a client that was in a situation where they were about to sign a publishing deal with this company. She like he used to look over the contract for me, I'll pay your consultation rate. And I looked at it and I crossed out maybe 23 lines on the first page and I was like, There's no way this person should be signing this contract. They're giving away everything, including first right of refusal on all future books, no way. And this person already had their own platform already had a product that was making them over a million dollars. And I thought, there are so many people, even with money and access to lawyers that are being taken advantage of from owning their own stories. And I decided to help that client and I thought, Okay, what if there are people that I can help regularly, just by letting them
know that one, their options, what's available to them, but to letting them know, like, there are people that think that they could never publish a book, because it's too complicated. You know, we hear stories all the time about people saying I'd love to publish a book one day, but then they don't think that it's possible. So letting them know that it's possible to do so not only affordably, but having someone to walk them through the process, having someone to basically hold their hand and help them to complete that process, and giving them the same access to tools and resources that traditional publishers have, that they don't have to give up their rights or their copyright or, you know, the royalties or any of that. So, you know, my clients get to still maintain ownership. So that is how that came about.
Molly Dare 31:21
Oh, that's so important. And I love that you do that. And I too, believe that everybody has a story, and that it has value, and it will help someone else by sharing it. I wish everyone would share their story. And so I love that that is what you're doing. You also have an amazing podcast. And I'm such a huge fan of anyone who has a podcast. I feel like everyone deserves to pass. There's room for everybody. Yes. Everyone's always like, Oh, it's so oversaturated. I'm like, No, Your voice matters and the way that you think you know, and your audience needs to hear it from you, because they follow you for a reason. Why do you love it so much? And what's some advice you have for others who want to get started with their own?
Makini Smith 32:01
Well, you know, just like you said, I believe that everyone who is building a brand, whether it be a personal brand, or product or whatever, should have a podcast, it's definitely a great way to connect on a deeper level to your community. When I first started my podcast, I was still in that phase where I hated the sound of my voice. I was still in that phase where I was super, super introvert. I was like, ah, you know, my community was begging for a YouTube channel. And you know, the introvert shy, Makini was like, I don't want to be on any more video. So I started the podcast, and I thought, okay, I coach women, I help with mindset, but how can I make these podcast episodes less about me. And because of the feedback that I got, from my first book of everyone telling me that me sharing my story felt like I was in their house with a camera sharing their story. I thought, okay, let's make this about our stories. Let's make this about our stories of resilience, let's, you know, talk about how we've overcome the adversities. And when I started out, it completely took on a life of its own, I'd say that the way the podcast is now is very different than how I originally intended, but I love it. I feel like every conversation is a form of therapy for me and the person that I'm interviewing, I feel like the messages that I get from the listeners that message me through Instagram, the impact that it has, where, you know, they don't feel like they're alone, especially because sometimes we get really transparent talk about things that, you know, they may not have been able to talk about with their girlfriends and 90% of the time, the women that I interviewed will tell me afterwards that they shared something that they've never shared publicly before. Or they'll say, Wow, that felt like therapy, like where do I pay? So just that feeling, it feels so fulfilling, to be able to not only have these conversations, but to share them. And when I think after, after the two year anniversary, I had taken a break from from the podcast, I thought, You know what, I don't know, who's listening. I don't know what's happening with these conversations. But I think I need a break. And when I was making the decision on whether or not I should start recording again, and then I started doing my research, and I at the time came across this site that ranks all of like podcasts globally. And I thought, hold on a second. This can't be right. So I started punching in, you know, the names of other podcasts that I listened to to see and I was like, Wait a second. So when I hit the two year anniversary, that's when I found out that I was in the top 2% of most popular podcasts globally. And then now presently, because we're we've passed the three year mark. So coming up to the four and actually, we're in the top 1.5% And I thought okay, the shy introvert girl who doesn't like the sound of her voice is you know, right to be in front of people. How is this possible, you know, recording, especially the first year I recorded from my bedroom because I was sick, I was having health challenges. Like this doesn't make sense to me is when I started doing the research and the numbers in 2018, when I started the show, there was 500,000 active podcasts at the time. In 2020, there was, I think it was 900,000. And the number was projected to go to, I think it was just over 1 million. And we are presently almost at 3 million active podcasts out there. Like because of the pandemic numbers obviously shot through the roof. But like you said, it's not oversaturated everyone's voice will resonate with someone differently. You know, I could say the same thing every single day on my podcast, and someone may hear an interview that I do with you. And you just say it differently, it connects with them differently connects with different parts of their heart and their soul. And they receive it differently. And, you know, I feel like, no matter the topic, no matter, you know, the length of your episode, whatever it is, what you're saying, especially your your story, it's needed, it needs to be shared, it's important, it matters.
Molly Dare 36:15
I love it so much. And I love you know, something that I think is so important. I'm only in my second year of doing a podcast. And I mean, I My only regret is that I didn't start sooner. Yeah, biggest regret. Because it's just been amazing. And I so agree with you. It's like every single conversation, I get asked all the time, who's your favorite or who you know, and I'm like, when I tell you every single person has taught me something. Every single person taught me something, I walk away better forget the audience might walk away better, I really do hope that everyone who's listening along the way do better. That is the purpose. But it also is self serving, you know, as well in that, but I also love that you said that you did have to take a break. I do take like a month off here and there just to recharge just to get refreshed. And I think it's it's important to acknowledge when you need that and to do it. You know, I held myself to this, I have to have one out every single Monday and I have to and it's sometimes you need to really listen to what mind and body is saying there. You actually posted something. I think it was your most recent post on Instagram that you love using the phrase, I don't have the capacity. Oh, yeah. I'm gonna start using that. I don't have the capacity to do X. Right. I love that. What kind of made you shift into that thinking?
Makini Smith 37:35
So interesting enough, I think it was just before the pandemic hit. I went through a I call it a traumatic breakup. Anyone who's experienced narc abuse will totally understand. So I had to learn to trust myself, I had to learn who I was all over again. And in doing so I had to learn healthy boundaries, and studying self care and implementing things. So I have a very, very detailed and strict self care routine. But in learning to do so, learning to say no. And not feeling guilty for saying no. And understanding that just because someone who is upset that you said no doesn't mean you should have said yes. Learning that, you know, it may feel uncomfortable to say no. But then you have to ask yourself saying yes to them. means saying no to me. And oftentimes when you've grown up, you know childhood wounds, childhood traumas. You feel guilty saying no, because you were taught that no is a bad thing. It's negative, you know, you can't upset whoever asked you or you know, anything like that. So, learning to have to, I'm going to say comfortably say no. without guilt brought on the I don't have the capacity because I have to ask myself if someone asked me to do something, do I have the capacity mentally, physically, financially, spiritually? I have to sit and before I automatically say Yeah, sure. No problem. No, no, I need to sit and think okay, do I can I physically do this? Can I mentally do this? I don't know. Like, do you know what I mean? So it's I don't have the capacity is so much easier to say no to almost everything that doesn't align with my purpose right now. Whether it be if someone asked to hang out whether it be someone asked me to speak at an event, whether it be the kids ask for a drive somewhere. If if I think to myself Do I have the capacity? No, not right now. Sorry. I don't have the capacity.
Molly Dare 39:47
I love it's such a good phrase. I love that. Where's the best place for people to follow you and connect with you?
Makini Smith 39:57
So I hang out most on Instagram on my personal page, which is @therealMakiniSmith, but they can find me online anywhere if you just Google Makini Smith or walk in my stilettos. I'm pretty social on all platforms.
Molly Dare 40:12
Well, thank you so much. I so loved this conversation and I know it's gonna resonate so much with everyone who's listening. I love your platform. I love that you help women find a piece of clarity and connection to really focus on their vision and their end game, no matter what life has thrown at them. And thank you to everyone for listening in and look forward to you joining me on the next episode
thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of On Air with Molly dare Your support means everything to me and my guests. The best way to support this podcast is with a five star review on iTunes. The best way for this podcast to keep growing is by word of mouth. So if you love this episode and got a meaningful takeaway, we'd love for you to share on social media, tag me and the guests and we will be sure to share as well. You can also head over to our new website at Mollydare.com. Check out our fun shop with fun merch along with our Spotlight Series filmed features and all of our podcasts episodes. If you do get your hands on some on air with Molly dare swag, and of course our line of daring fear less and aggressive like her sweatshirts and hats and coffee mugs. It just gives me all the biggest smile and feels as always, please tag me when you receive your items. And I'll share on my social media as well. Nothing makes me happier than seeing all of you daring and fearless aggressive bikers out there wearing it loud and proud. Thanks again for listening and look forward to next week's episode.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
