More Than Anxiety

Ep 91 - The Intersection of Leadership, Mental Health, and Authentic Conversations with Teisha Gillespie

• Megan Devito • Episode 91

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When you're an ambitious woman trying to balance your work life and personal life, it's a slippery slope into feeling burnt out. In this week's episode of the More Than Anxiety Podcast, I'm talking with Teisha Gillespie from the Not Your Average GOAT podcast. We're diving deep into strategies for achieving work-life balance without sacrificing your goals.

From taking time to care for your mental health through mindfulness
so you can lead by example and inspire your team,

To having authentic conversations that allow people to tell their stories, in a safe place that empowers others, Teisha is the GOAT.

Plus, we'll share our fun and powerful networking tips using Threads and share who our dream podcast interviews are. (Sophia Bush and Selena Gomez... if you're listening.....)

This episode will inspire you to take time for self-care and help you thrive as an ambitious woman, both personally and professionally.

You can find Teisha on her podcast NOT YOUR AVERAGE GOAT  

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You know you're overwhelmed, burned out, sick to death of work but also trying to do everyting for everyone at home. TAKE THIS QUIZ to find out why you're so overwhelmed and what to do about it.

Megan Devito:

Welcome to the More Than Anxiety Podcast. I'm Megan Devito and I help ambitious women break out of the anxiety cycle that keeps them frustrated and stuck. Get ready for a lighthearted approach that will change what you think, how you feel and what you believe about yourself. This podcast is full of simple steps, a lot of truth, talk and inspiration to take action so you walk away feeling confident, calm and ready to live. Let's get to it. Hey there, Welcome to episode 91 of the More Than Anxiety podcast. My name is Megan, I'm your host, I am the face behind Megan Devito Coaching and today I get the privilege of introducing you to Teisha Gillespie.

Megan Devito:

Teisha is the host of the Not Your Average Goat podcast, where she presents her personal journey alongside uncomfortable but critical conversations with "average but super, incredible and diverse people, hitting on everything from her guests' personal accomplishments and contributions to social impact, to some of the adversity they've had to face along the way, resiliency and tenacity all the qualities they have that got them to where they are today. Tisha believes it's possible to live in a world where difficult conversations can be had without fearing stigma, judgment or backlash. This is important stuff. This is what this world needs. She is a hope dealer and I'm so happy to be able to introduce you to her. Enjoy the episode.

Teisha Gillespie:

I'm very excited to have this conversation. Thank you so much for having me.

Megan Devito:

I am thrilled to have you. I'm thrilled to have you. So, yeah, how has your week been?

Teisha Gillespie:

It's been quite challenging mentally. I ended up taking a mental health day on Tuesday. I just I could not handle all the emotions kind of going on in my brain and you know I took. It was a really nice day, Just basically did nothing, Watched some TV, took a nap, did some stuff for the podcast. So it was just a really great day to actually unplug from my feelings a little bit. And then I came back on Wednesday. I had this entire just like big situation happen, um, where there were a few people feeling disenfranchised in their roles, unfortunately, and I was experiencing a lot of anxiety wanting to be able to help my team. Um, and also kind of walked this thin line of like senior leadership politicking happening and uh, so it's. It's been quite the challenge this week.

Megan Devito:

Well, good for you for taking a mental health day, cause you know, so often people are like I just have to keep going, I have to keep going,

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, yeah, I try to. I try to do that for myself. It's not always the easiest, but I also think it's super important. When you're leading a team, you need to be able they need to see you doing it for them sometimes to feel comfortable. Because you can tell them all the time, hey, you should take a day off, you should take some rest, but they never see you. You know what you do speaks more than what you actually say sometimes.

Megan Devito:

For sure, and I think that is such a big deal too, and I think we have this really necessary, but it feels like kind of slow shift happening, where you know people are realizing that, Hey, we need to slow down a little bit this constant go. You know bosses wanting people to go a hundred miles an hour all the time. I love it that, like just leading by example right, like being able to say 'hey, you know what, if I'm going to ask you to do this, I need to do it too'. Exactly, yeah. 'How do we pass that down to bigger businesses and corporations, I wonder? Like, how do you think we do that?

Teisha Gillespie:

I, you know, I think you need, you need empathetic, you know, I think kind of like business coaches. You know there are specific coaches that specialize, I think, executive leaders and really helping them find a nice balance. You know they they say work-life balance, but it really is more work-life integration. Work is part of your life.

Megan Devito:

I like that term. I don't know if I've ever heard that and I really like that.

Teisha Gillespie:

I do too. It's it resonated with me so much, um, because you know, I actually like what I do too, so I don't always see them as two separate things. There are some times where I take a call or talk to my boss, like after hours, and you know, it's never that I feel obligated to do so and she's never created this environment where it's like you better answer your phone after hours or whenever I call. But it's you know, I feel very comfortable throughout the day taking breaks to go for a walk, um, to tend to my own mental health, and so it's not this, this, this strict nine to five and then at 5 PM you're logged off. Um, you know, obviously I do set some boundaries. I turn off, we use this program called Slack for instant messaging during the day, and so I do silence that. I don't respond to emails typically after hours, but I do feel comfortable sometimes kind of bringing that piece of my life into more of my personal time, because I don't feel like it's an obligation I have to do it all the time.

Teisha Gillespie:

But, yeah, I think executive coaches, and I don't know that we have enough of them out there when I, when I first started leading teams, I had such a challenge because, you know, I I still, to this day I'm somewhat of a player coach. So, even though I lead a team and I do a lot of delegating, there are still many times where I step in and, you know, I'm getting my hands dirty and working alongside my team and collaborating with different department, which I personally enjoy. I don't know that I could ever see myself ever kind of never doing anything. I think I would eek 5%. Even if it's just 5%. I think I still need to be doing something.

Teisha Gillespie:

But with that it became very challenging, because I'm supposed to be this player coach but I'm also supposed to help support, you know, five, six people and helping them not only get their jobs done but also helping them grow, and figure out where do I want my career to grow. How, how do I focus on personal and professional development? So it's being there to lead them personally, being there to lead them through the work and the tactical things that they're doing. Then having to step into my strategist role and help actually set plans for my team, and then also having to attend so many hours of meetings and then still have time to get stuff done and I still don't necessarily have an answer for it, and I don't. I was like, 'hey, I'm new to this. Why don't I reach out to my former supervisors and ask them how they do it?' And they were like Teisha, I wish I could tell you that I had the answer, but I do not.

Teisha Gillespie:

We're all floundering together. We're all floundering. It just makes me kind of think about you know I, I still sometimes do not feel like an adult. I don't even know what the definition of an adult is.

Megan Devito:

I'm so glad to hear another adult say that, like what's happening in my life right now, like why am I an adult child at 48 years old? But yeah, it is a weird thing. Like I you can. I wonder if we ever get to a point where, like no, I'm a hundred percent adult.

Teisha Gillespie:

I actually kind of hope we don't Me too, and I think it's nice knowing that there are other people you know, I think when you're a kid you look up to these people and you're like everything, just have it all figured out. Um, or even just as a quote unquote young adult looking at other people who might be more established in their career Like, oh, you know, I can't wait until I'm there and I actually understand life and how to be a human and do all the things correctly. And then you get there and you're just like I'm still waiting to get there. We're just all kind of improv ing life and trying to figure it out and you don't realize it that all the adults that you look up to were doing the same exact thing until you're in their shoes and it's just like who's actually in charge here? Who let me buy this home? Who let me get married? Who let me do all these things?

Megan Devito:

Is this really a good idea?

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, exactly yeah, and so sometimes I feel like that too when I'm in my leadership role, I'm, I'm just like I. I think for the most part, we're all just trying to figure it out along the way, and it's, it's hard, and I wish there was a, a, a way to be able to manage all the things. And you know, maybe there's a super smart executive coach out there If you're listening if you're listening. Please share your insights, because I would love, I would love to know them.

Megan Devito:

Yeah, so tell so when you say, like, if I had an executive coach for like what I'm doing, I know a little bit about your podcast and so share a little bit about your podcast. And then, if you want to share a little bit about how you incorporate what, like all of the great things that you do on your podcast. How do you incorporate that with, like, your corporate job?

Teisha Gillespie:

So my podcast is called Not your Average Goat, and the goat is derivative from the sports world greatest of all time, and I really started the show wanting to showcase incredible stories of quote unquote average people. There's so many great podcasts out there where you hear about celebrities stories and they're all very, very great and they're all very, very great. But I found, through listening through some of these, that even though I don't personally have these connections with you know actors and comedians and chefs and all of these things that I do have connections with these incredible average people who have stories that could inspire other people. And so that's really where the initial drive came from to start the show, and I've always enjoyed storytelling and interviewing. Early on my career I actually thought I was going to go down more of a journalistic route and my career just ended up kind of shifting and shaping into something different. But I never really lost that and over the last two years I'm about to launch season three shortly. I I've I've really been able to hone my mission and my vision. Really, what I'm trying to accomplish, and so Not your Average Goat seeks to celebrate all the shapes, sizes and colors of diversity, as well as adversity, and create a platform for relatable storytelling with the hope of dismantling stigma.

Teisha Gillespie:

I'm a firm believer in the power of just personal journey storytelling and being able to share authentically the diverse human experiences that make up our lives, because I think that it can help other people who might have had analogous or adjacent lived experience to you, to feel seen and feel heard. Sometimes for the first time in their life. We oftentimes go through these life experiences, you know, you know the adverse ones especially, thinking we're the only ones who are doing this, and when you feel like that, you don't want to talk about it. You have no roadmap for navigating it, and so I'm really trying to empower other people through these incredible stories, and I'm so thankful for everyone who's agreed to come and be a guest on my show, because we tackle so many hard conversations around mental health, addiction, trauma, disability, the LGBTQ+ experience, race, like just so many topics that oftentimes we're scared to talk about because there's so much shame and stigma oftentimes wrapped around these conversations, and so that's really what my show is about. And I bring on so many different people and we just have these vulnerable and authentic conversations, really trying to share insights and inspire other people, and so that's really personal to me.

Teisha Gillespie:

I am a person with many different layers and I also have a disability. So I have a vision disability and so there's so many aspects of my life where I have encountered discrimination, hardship. You know, I also manage anxiety, and that's something that people don't see and it's also something that I try very hard to mask, especially in public settings, because there's still there's a lot of shame and I think there's a lot of misunderstanding about the realness of anxiety. People sometimes think that, 'Oh, you know, just just just calm down, just breathe, it'll be OK'. And it's, it's. It's more than that. It's it's, it's, it's a condition, and it is very hard to deal with. I mean, your nervous system has a lot of power and there's, for me especially, this interconnection.

Teisha Gillespie:

From my childhood I dealt with a lot of trauma, both in my home, sometimes in my school, some bullying due to being a person of color and also having a disability, and so there's also this PTSD element that comes into play oftentimes because, you know, I've done a lot of work to try to grow personally, but there are still some things that I am trying to figure out and deal with from my past too, and so there's just so much that happens. And so with my podcast, my personal life, my work life, I'm very passionate about finding spaces where one I can be my authentic self, where I'm an environment that is psychologically safe, where I'm surrounded by empathetic, collaborative people. And so right now I work as a marketing director for an early education nonprofit, and I could not be more grateful for my team. I, I think you know I've I've really enjoyed working with so many people over the years, but the team that I currently work with is so, so special. We're made up of so many diverse backgrounds, so many unique perspectives, but everyone's just so, so accepting, so supportive, and I couldn't say more about my team. And so I really try to create these spaces where I can also give that back to other people, and so through my podcast, I'm trying to do that, and I also do some volunteer work. So I have served in a couple different capacities with the NFB of Virginia, which stands for the National Federation of the Blind.

Teisha Gillespie:

You know, when I was growing up, I didn't really have a role model. There was really no representation. I I didn't see other people with vision disabilities, um, you know, working in the professional world, going to college, navigating challenges in the workplace. Personally, I just I didn't have that kind of role model or that support and so, even though I figured it out somehow, I don't know how I had the opportunity to actually mentor and kind of be that role model or kind of that big sister, if you will, to teenagers and young adults who also have vision, disabilities, and kind of be there to show them. Hey, you know, we can figure out how to be an advocate for ourselves, we can figure out how to navigate this whole employment um world. We can figure out how to be resilient and independent in our lives and and and be able to exist just like any other human being, um, so that's one.

Teisha Gillespie:

That's kind of how I got involved in the NFB and then now, um, my career has been in marketing and communications and so I have transitioned now to the communications chair for the state Virginia state affiliate, and so now I'm working more so to really help get the word out there and help to develop programs where we can actually engage more people throughout the states and make our offerings more well known.

Teisha Gillespie:

And so I do try to, you know, give back and really not just kind of talk the talk but also walk the walk. And you know, another thing that I'm really excited about is our organization actually just started employee resource groups last year, so a place for different communities or people with different identities to kind of come together and create this sense of belonging. And so the ERG, or the employee resource group that I am a co-chair for, is called IDEAS, so it's Inclusivelusive Disability Engagement, Awareness and Support, and it's a group of us who have both visible and invisible disabilities and also people who don't have a disability identity but want to be there to be an ally and an advocate. And so we come together and really try to create a sense of belonging and a safe space for us to talk about, maybe, challenges we're facing, but also to kind of problem solve and try to tackle some larger organizational issues that might not be super inclusive right now. So that's, you know it's it's a lot, but I really, I really love all the things that I am involved with.

Megan Devito:

I can tell you love them and you have so many hats going. But I think that it sounds like there's this almost this common thread of if we can get people to talk about these things, even though, you know, coming out and talking about 'this is what I'm experiencing', whether it's anxiety or it is, you know, I'm trying to figure out how to come out to my parents, or I'm really struggling because I don't have I mean, I don't have vision, or I struggle to hear whatever that is that we're struggling with. It can't - It's very vulnerable to be able to step up and say, hey, this is scary for me and I don't know how to get navigate my life right now. So what do you notice from the beginning of a conversation to the end? Like, do you notice a difference in a person's demeanor or in their I mean their, maybe their emotional presence, I guess from the beginning to the end, because there's something so powerful about saying I'm terrified to have this conversation and I'm going to do it anyway.

Teisha Gillespie:

I do. And one thing that I really I really try to do is make everyone who comes on my show feel comfortable, and so from the get-go, we don't just dive in Okay, Hard question, let's go. And so you know one thing, there's there's kind of two things. So one I want my audience to be able to relate and see this person or, or you know, think of the person who they're listening to as a human being with common lived experiences. And so I actually start all my episodes by going back in time and say, hey, um, you know, Megan, tell me about seven, eight year old self and you know what were you into and talk to me about your family and your home life.

Teisha Gillespie:

And so it's really this way to kind of slowly ease into the conversation and to get to know the person more on a human level and to also make that person feel comfortable, Because I think once we actually get to the harder questions, they're more relaxed. And I think sometimes, by starting off that way, some people forget that they're actually in a recorded conversation and so they feel more comfortable being their authentic, vulnerable, storytelling selves. And I've had some people reach out to me afterward and just say, or even mid-conversation. They'll just stop and say this has been so therapeutic for me.

Megan Devito:

Ooo! What a compliment!

Teisha Gillespie:

I know and I I feel you know I'm I'm a person who's really never done super well with compliments I've tried to get so much better at that but because, also, I don't want to be the face of my podcast, I want the people who I'm bringing on to be the face of my show. I never, you know, I don't want to be like your Joe Rogan. And so I hear this and I just like my heart just kind of melts and I feel so great that I can give that to people and create that space. You know, knowing that they're not just inspiring other people but in a way, they're kind of inspiring themselves by just opening up and having these conversations, and I, I am, I'm so happy that I can create a safe, comfortable space for people to do that.

Megan Devito:

Yeah, yeah, and you do, like I can testify to that that when we, when I I talked with Teisha on her podcast, and when I was talking with her, we did start with talking about like, hey, tell me about your childhood, tell me about your life, and you're, you're spot on when you say that it's not a traditional,

Megan Devito:

You know we're going to three, two, one, and I've been been known to do that. But it was such a nice experience not to have to say, all right, deep breath, we're gonna do this, but just to slide in with the conversation about hey, how are you, how are things going? Tell me about your childhood. And it does bring that comfort there, and I think that you know, along those same lines, being able to start with talking about something that is maybe, I mean, for me, it felt very safe. It felt very, um, controlled and something that I was comfortable with, whereas, you know, if we would have talked about some bigger question, it would have been scarier, and when we get scared, when we get into that place where, all of a sudden, we're really nervous, our brains don't want to work anymore. So the questions are actually harder to answer. So it you did, you made it very easy.

Teisha Gillespie:

And thank you so much. I appreciate that I over the last two years I've only had to quote, unquote, throw away one episode because I I had someone come on and you know I'm very upfront about my mission and you know I give people the questions ahead of time so that they're not thrown off guard Um, but someone just had a very hard time opening up and being authentic and I I told them afterward I was like, hey, I really appreciate your time, but I was like I can't publish this episode. It does not feel like you're being truthfully, truthful and wholesome and you know people are going to hear it and they're not going to trust what you're saying, because you can hear it in your voice that you're holding back. And I understand if you aren't ready to have these conversations yet, that's totally fine, but I'm unable to publish.

Megan Devito:

That was very brave. That's a hard conversation to have.

Teisha Gillespie:

It was, and it was also someone you know. I've I've had more and more people on my show who I don't have these these long-term relationship, very personal connections with, um, but this was actually a person who I've known for quite some time and so, yeah, and thankfully they took it very well. They were like yeah, I, I, I hear what you're saying, you know, maybe we'll try again sometime. But yeah, I'm um, so I, I do recognize sometimes how hard it can be just to have the conversations, even though I try my best to create this very conversational space. You know, I like to tell people hey, like let's just pretend that we're out having lunch or maybe out at happy hour enjoying a drink, just like you would talk to anyone else in person. That's the type of environment I do try to create.

Megan Devito:

Yeah, and you do a great job because with the people that you're talking with, they're not coming on to talk about their favorite cookie recipe. Or, you know, what they did, you know what TV show did you watch last night? How do you feel about Taylor Swift? It's not those kind of conversations. These are, big time, very personal experiences and stories, and that comfort level is so important. So what do you think makes you - Imean, yes, you're in the middle of it, but I think that you know what is it that makes you so good at this?

Teisha Gillespie:

That's a great question, so sharing bits and pieces of my own story throughout, because I, like I said, I have a lot of intersections from my diverse identifications, but also the adversities, and that's why I put a lot of emphasis on the different shapes, sizes and colors, because diversity and adversity can look very different person to person, and a lot of the time there are multiple different layers and intersections to these things.

Teisha Gillespie:

And so I I fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it oftentimes can relate to almost everyone who's been on my show in some way or another, and so there are many opportunities for me to chime in and actually say, hey, you know, you know what you just said reminded me of this, or you know, I, I can so relate and empathize with what you're going through. You know, I've had a similar situation, and I think that also makes people feel more comfortable too, because they're kind of getting that relatability themselves in real time. And so I, I try to be very authentic as an interviewer. Um, and I've also, you know, kind of coming on your podcast. I've been trying to do that more as well, because you know I'm I'm not often in these situations where the mic is flipped, and so this, for me, is kind of a way to like practice too. So thank you for giving me this opportunity, Megan.

Megan Devito:

I'm thrilled to have you on. No, I loved it and I really I loved spending time with you on your podcast and it was so great. And I do think there's you know we talk about you can, you can listen to motivational speakers on YouTube or there's motivational podcasts, but then there's very authentic podcasts. Where there may be, they're not, maybe the intention isn't to be motivating or to be you know something that's like yeah, oh my gosh. But there's something so inspirational about hearing these stories and hearing like oh my gosh, like the amount of courage and willpower and all of these things that people are going through, that you can't help but feel motivated and encouraged and inspired by these stories. These are the kind of stories that make people grow personally and I think, just even like in out in the world, and that's so necessary right now, like especially. We're just in such a time of growth and I think that you know, growth, growth is never comfortable. It's always very uncomfortable and very hard, but it's so necessary and we need more voices out there doing that.

Teisha Gillespie:

It's so necessary and the power of storytelling, oh it's, it's incredible.

Teisha Gillespie:

And you know, speaking of being a podcast, the one that actually kind of inspired me to start mine is called Work in Progress, hosted by Sophia Bush.

Teisha Gillespie:

Okay, and you know I talked about how you know I don't have all these celebrity friends and, of course, she being in that world, you know she's an actress, philanthropist, she does have a lot of connections, but the way she asks questions, it really brings these people down from these pedestals that we put them on and humanizes them and she encourages them to talk about you know, how they got to where they are and a lot of times they've had to overcome so much adversity.

Teisha Gillespie:

Like thinking, you know, she interviewed Jewel and Jewel's story, oh my gosh. Yeah, Like she was like living out of a car, I believe at like 18. And you know she turned down so many record deals to stay true to who she is and and there's just, you know, something like Gloria Steinem and like the feminist movement, and just so many incredible stories that really actually inspired me, and so I get a lot of inspiration from listening to her, to others, which I also listened to, are a bit of optimism, a Simon Sinek and also Adam Grant's Rethinking yeah. They do such a great job.

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, they do such a great job of framing their, their questions and also their guests that they bring on are also very authentic. You know, one that really stands out to me that I really, really enjoyed on rethinking was with Reese Witherspoon. That one is amazing. Um she is amazing, isn't? She it is, and she just opened up a lot about imposter syndrome.

Megan Devito:

She talks about. Isn't it crazy to think that Reese Witherspoon lot about imposter syndrome. But I mean I know that that's a real thing and that everybody. It's so nice to hear that other people struggle with it, but I'm like, really Reese.

Teisha Gillespie:

Witherspoon. She talked about, you know, when she did Walk the Line. She had so many nerves going out on stage and singing she said that she broke down. She was probably crying more than she was rehearsing when she was doing that movie. Yeah, and that's a piece of the types of stories that like humanize people like Reese, who we put up on this pedestal which it's well-deserved pedestal, may I add, sure.

Megan Devito:

Sure. So who would be? Would Sophia Bush be your dream interview? Who would be your dream Like? You're like, oh my goodness, If I could get an interview with that person, who would it be?

Teisha Gillespie:

She's up there. You know, I think about this all the time, like if someone just came up to me and say, hey, you can invite three people to dinner tonight, who would it be be? Um, Sophia, would definitely be one of those. Mindy Kaling as well. Oh, that would be a really fun one yeah, yeah, did you read um?

Megan Devito:

Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? I did. her book.

Teisha Gillespie:

I loved it. It's so good and that, oh my god, she's just incredible. I mean, I think most people forget that she, of course, played Kelly Kapoor on the Office, but she was on the Office first and foremost as a writer. And then the Kelly Kapoor character got created and she stepped into that role and still continued to write, and then she wrote on oh, the next show I can't remember, but then she produced and wrote Never have I Ever on Netflix, and she's just incredible, so incredible yeah.

Megan Devito:

That would be a great one. I always I those fun questions like who are your top three people? Who do you want to have? You know if I can go to dinner or have wine with somebody who would be on my list, I mean, oh my gosh, it would be dreamy yeah.

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, I think Trevor Noah might be my third. Oh yeah, that would be. Ay, yeah. Yeah, I think Trevor Noah might be my third.

Megan Devito:

Oh yeah, that would be a good one too. That's such a fun perspective that he brings and so much humor too.

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, I got to see him live back in January, ah, so good, that'd be really fun.

Megan Devito:

My number one is always this is so funny. Like my number one is always Michelle Obama always. That's like I just want to go. I don't even care if I just go sit in her backyard and drink a glass of wine for a half an hour. That would be a dream. Like I just want to pick her brain and I think she's fun. Uh, that would be so fun. And then, um, Selena Gomez.

Teisha Gillespie:

I have a lot of respect for her.

Megan Devito:

Yes, I have so much respect for her as, like a child actor and really coming out where she did. I feel like so many child actors don't come out in a position where they're not. I mean they're just some of them are just destroyed, and she's I know she's got a lot of mental health issues, so that's part of it as well. I would just love to hear her story, like how she handles it. I mean, I think that she's pretty open with it. She's got Wonder mind, which I think is such a cool publication. Um, but yeah, it's funny, they're very different people, I don't know. Oh, michael Phelps.

Teisha Gillespie:

Interesting. See, that's an interesting one for me because here you know, I grew up in Maryland, so Michael Phelps was like a big deal.

Megan Devito:

Yeah for sure. Or maybe his coach, maybe, well, I know. No, I would love to talk with Michael Phelps. Again, the mental health thing, but the just so many stories. Well, because I love, I was a swim coach for a long time and my kids were swimmers and I was a swimmer, but so I would love to pick his brain on so many levels, like, yeah, that would just be interesting, but, uh, okay. So that was so good. And then, if those are your dream interviews, like, are you open to more interviews? Are you looking for people to come on your podcast? Or are you kind of like, how do you, how do you find the people that you want to interview?

Teisha Gillespie:

I am open to people coming on my podcast. I still actually have a few slots available for season three. So, as of right now, because I also do a full-time job, I do 12 episodes per season and so I again, I vet people very, very quote unquote strictly not to scare anyone away, but I do. I want to make sure that everyone aligns to my, my mission and my vision and so most of the time, you know, when I first started, most of the people on season one were personal connections that I had. Season two kind of half and half personal connections. But I started branching out and making connections through LinkedIn and now that we have Threads, a lot of people who are going to be appearing on season three I've actually met for the first time on Threads, including yourself.

Teisha Gillespie:

And so I'm just so fascinated by how this platform has really empowered different content creators, including myself. But, but, I'm also you know, I would love to understand how you know people like you. You know you're now going over a hundred episodes Like how do you find your guests? Because I'm also just like I need to learn from these other people who have like one too.

Megan Devito:

I wonder Um, yeah, I, so I really didn't start doing a ton of interviews until recently. like I had done a few, like a sprinkle here and there, but it had mostly been me recording an episode a week based on, you know, stories of clients that I'd work with. If I had somebody where we had a really powerful coaching session. That just always I feel like I get a theme of the week where it's like, oh, everybody's coming to me with this issue this week about anxiet. Whether it's um, whether it's perfectionism or overthinking or overwhelm, whatever it is that they're coming for the week. It's like it just becomes a natural topic for the next podcast. But I same thing with you.

Megan Devito:

Like I put out a post on Threads, like I want to start doing interviews. I would love to you know, if you have a story about mental health, if you have something that you do to help people deal with stress and anxiety, any of those things. I put it out there and it was instant. Like I mean, people are looking for, I think, this out to be able to talk about what they do but also to share their stories and to just say, 'Hey, this is how I help people. This is what helped me.' And I think we're just in a really great again that that place that we're at with change and growth and people wanting to say, 'Hey you, you guys can do this' and encourage each other.

Megan Devito:

So that's really the way I did it and I love it that you can also go out there and say, hey, I want to be on your podcast. And again, people swarm to it. So it really is a great place to be able to find those interviews. But for me, I right now I'm in a place where I'm doing an interview and then a single episode, because I do. I really enjoy the interviews and I really enjoyed being able to sit down and share maybe a little more how to in between. So I have a back and forth platform. So that's that's how I do it.

Teisha Gillespie:

A nice mix and I I give you a lot of kudos and other people who do those solo episodes because I don't think I could do it. I've tried recording myself for different things and I was like I do not feel like I'm talking, you know, very authentic. It's very, very hard and even if I like pretend that there's someone sitting there, I think I'm physically have to actually torture someone and say you need to sit here while I record this solo episode because I need to have a person here for me. So I definitely give you and others who do solo episodes so much kudos because I think it's hard. It's harder than I think most people think it is.

Megan Devito:

I think that I probably talk to myself all day long in my house. I know that my kids have been like mom, who are you talking to? I'm like, leave me alone. I'm talking to myself. So maybe I just naturally do that. That probably means something. I don't know what I mean, but yeah, I just, and it does for me. I think it helps for me to picture the person who I'm talking to, maybe like if it is you know, if there's somebody that I'm like, oh my gosh, I know this conversation. If I can picture it as maybe it's like a coaching call, if I picture as, okay, this is what I would say. Or if I were talking to my kid, like I could kind of picture it that way. But it is awkward. If I overthink it, it's terrible. If I have a week where I think about it too much, I might have to record it two or three times just because I feel so weird about the way it came out.

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, and I too. One thing that was so hard for me when I first got it started was listening to myself, because I do all my editing. I unfortunately do not have the budget to hire someone to do that. I wish I did.

Megan Devito:

I do too. I do all my own editing too, and it's so weird listening to yourself.

Teisha Gillespie:

You sound so different and it's actually scientific with the reason why you sound different versus, you know in your head you sound different versus when you listen to your recorded self, and it was something that took me a little bit of time to get past. But I fortunately only had to listen to myself for like 30 to 60 seconds at a time, cause most of the time it was the other person talking. So having to then edit a solo episode where I'm talking for the entire time, that would be a challenge it is weird and you start noticing that for me.

Megan Devito:

I never realized how many times I say the word like until I listened to myself and I thought you sound ridiculous. I mean, I sound like a teenage girl, so it's funny. Yeah, I get. You can get a little judgy on yourself with the things too, where I'll think how can I delete all of these likes out of this episode?

Megan Devito:

I'm trying to be very intentional about not saying it as much, but it's hard. It's really. It's a difficult thing to change because I don't think about it. If I'm not recording a podcast, I'm sure I'm just talking like I would any other time, which is also kind of embarrassing now to think about it. But oh goodness. Well, I have enjoyed talking with you so much today and last, you know, just a couple of weeks ago, when we talked for your podcast. And is there anything else that you would like to share with people to let them know how they can you know? Where did they find your podcast and what do they need to know about you so that they can connect and get the support, maybe, and the inspiration that they need, because you have so much of it to give.

Teisha Gillespie:

Well, thank you. So my podcast you can find it on most major podcast platforms Not Your Average Goat. We're also on Instagram and threads at Not Average Goats. Um, we do have a website too, called not your average goat. org, and you can actually there's a contact and get get in touch link where you can actually send me a message directly through the website or you can even email me at nyagpodcas@ gmail. com. So Not Your Average Goat podcast, but just the abbreviation nyagpodcast@ gmail. com, and that's if you want to be a guest.

Teisha Gillespie:

Again always looking for guests, either to round out season three or even to start on season four.

Teisha Gillespie:

I would love to actually get more into like this constant flow of episodes, versus kind of saying, okay, we're going to do 12 episodes this year and then 12 next year, but it is a lot of work. And I'm also on LinkedIn Tisha Gillespie, which is a mouthful, and I'll spell it out because it's not quite the normal name, and I'll spell it out because it's not quite the normal name, so it's Teisha T-E-I-S-H-A and then Gillespie G-I-L-L-E-S-P, as in Paul I-E, and you can actually find me on LinkedIn as well. I also do kind of you know, career coaching, sometimes disability coaching, really helping to build that confidence and reviewing resumes, and you know it's not like a service or like a paid consulting at all. So most of the time I really just looking to help empower and elevate others, especially people who belong to marginalized groups, you know, might have disabilities themselves, might be dealing with mental health disorders, and so if any of that resonates with you, please definitely feel free to reach out. Amazing.

Megan Devito:

Yes, definitely reach out. There's just kindness pouring out of her. Thank you, yes, thank you so much for being on and I've loved talking with you this morning.

Teisha Gillespie:

Yeah, thank you so much, Megan, for having me.

Megan Devito:

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the More Than Anxiety podcast. Before you go, be sure to subscribe and leave a review so others can easily find this resource as well. And, of course, if you're ready to feel calm, to stop overthinking and have a lot more fun, you can go to the show notes, click the link and talk to me about coaching. I'll talk to you soon.