You Can't Mask Success Over a Mess, with Erica Strong

SUMMARY

In this conversation, Kim Rapach interviews Erica Strong, a life coach and business coach, about her journey and the importance of authenticity and resilience. Erica shares her experience of losing her social media following and the valuable lesson she learned about not attaching her self-worth to external validation. They discuss the challenges faced by artists and entrepreneurs and the need for support and self-care. Erica emphasizes the importance of being seen, heard, and protected in conversations and the balance between business strategy and personal well-being. They also explore the concept of living an untethered life and finding freedom and peace in the face of life's challenges. In this conversation, Erica Strong shares a personal story of her own ground-shaking moment and how she overcame it. She talks about the importance of taking care of oneself and not letting one isolated event define your life. Erica emphasizes the need to confront and deal with the mess before achieving success. She also discusses the significance of normalizing conversations about the realities of being human and the challenges that come with it. Erica shares her daily non-negotiables for maintaining a peaceful and resilient energy, including meditation, prayer, and swimming. She also highlights the importance of addressing mental health and well-being in the entertainment industry.

KEYWORDS

life coach, business coach, authenticity, resilience, social media, self-worth, artists, entrepreneurs, support, self-care, untethered life, freedom, peace, self-care, personal growth, resilience, mental health, success, vulnerability, healing, human experience

TAKEAWAYS

• Do not attach your self-worth to external validation, such as social media followers or likes.
• Authenticity and connection are crucial in the artist community, and consumers of art should honor and respect artists as human beings.
• Life is unpredictable, and everyone faces challenges. It's how we respond to these challenges that makes a difference.
• Being a transformative coach involves addressing both business strategy and personal well-being.
• Living an untethered life means finding freedom and peace in any situation, accepting reality, and not arguing with it.
• Resilience is built through self-help practices, self-care, and a strong sense of self-worth.
• Support and genuine conversations that allow individuals to be seen, heard, and protected are essential for personal and professional growth. Take care of yourself and prioritize self-care, especially during challenging times.
• Confront and deal with the mess before achieving success; success cannot mask underlying issues.
• Normalize conversations about the realities of being human and the challenges that come with it.
• Daily non-negotiables for maintaining well-being may include meditation, prayer, and engaging in activities that bring joy.
• Addressing mental health and well-being is crucial in the entertainment industry.

TITLES

• Balancing Business Strategy and Personal Well-being
• Building Resilience Through Self-Help and Self-Care Daily Non-Negotiables for Well-Being
• Normalizing Conversations About Being Human

SOUND BITES

• "Do not let social media be the house of your business."
• "You are the gift, not your social media page."
• "Attach your self-worth to what you bring, not the number of followers or likes."
• "You have to take care of yourself."
• "Don't let one isolated thing in life make you make a permanent decision for something that was really temporary."
• "It happens just that quick."

CHAPTERS

00:00
Introduction and Connection

01:32
Conversation with Erica Strong

02:51
Loss of Social Media

05:16
Lesson from Losing Social Media

06:16
Authenticity and Social Media

07:58
Craving Authenticity and Connection

11:10
Artists and Authenticity

13:24
Transformative Coaching

16:39
Importance of Mental Health

18:34
The Importance of Self-Work

19:21
Navigating Life's Challenges

20:05
Living an Untethered Life

21:29
Accepting Reality and Finding Peace

21:57
Taking Care of Yourself in Difficult Times

22:53
Building Resilience

23:38
No One is Exempt from Life's Challenges

23:58
Discovering Your Life's Purpose

24:58
The Burden of Being the Strong One

26:36
The Importance of Self-Care

27:35
Overcoming Personal Tragedy

30:14
Choosing to Keep Going

33:27
Helping Others Through Personal Experience

34:13
The Importance of Vulnerability

35:45
Normalizing the Realities of Being Human

38:08
The Need for Self-Care in High-Achievers

40:41
Daily Non-Negotiables for Maintaining Peace and Resilience

41:48
Identifying Ideal Clients

43:18
The First Call with Erica

45:02
Addressing Personal Challenges Before Achieving Success

47:49
Supporting Artists and Creatives

50:49
WOW Outro.MOV

Creators and Guests

Host

Kim Rapach

Creator & Host - The Work of Warriors

Guest

Erica Strong

Composer

Mac Rapach

Designer, Composer - The Work of Warriors

Producer

Mike Rapach

Producer - The Work of Warriors

What is The Work of Warriors?

Success shouldn't cost you your peace.

Welcome to The Work of Warriors, the mental health podcast for artists, entertainers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and high performers who want to build extraordinary lives without sacrificing themselves in the process.

Hosted by former therapist and nervous system strategist Kim Rapach, this podcast explores the intersection of mental health, nervous system regulation, creativity, leadership, and sustainable success. Through honest conversations with actors, musicians, comedians, producers, executives, entrepreneurs, and other industry leaders, you'll discover what it really takes to thrive both personally and professionally.

Together, we're changing the conversation around mental wellness in the entertainment industry by:

• Normalizing honest conversations about mental health

• Teaching practical tools for nervous system regulation and emotional resilience

• Redefining success to include well-being, healthy boundaries, and authentic leadership

Whether you're navigating burnout, anxiety, creative pressure, trauma, or simply searching for a healthier way to succeed, you'll find practical insights, inspiring stories, and meaningful conversations designed to help you build a life you don't have to recover from.

Because when artists are well, everybody wins.

Thank you for being part of this movement. Together, we're creating a healthier entertainment industry, one brave conversation at a time.

Kim Rapach (00:17.578)
Hello everybody and welcome back. I still can't believe we're in season two. I am so excited to introduce to you today's guest. A few months ago, I was at a wellness retreat and met an amazing human being. She is a visionary for finishing strong. She's the author of the book, Love Strong, Stand Strong, Finish Strong.

Kim Rapach (00:50.338)
She is a life coach, a business coach. She has created the blueprint for Finishing Strong.

Kim Rapach (01:09.45)
She has been seen on ABC, Fox Entertainment, NBC, I Heart Radio, and more.

Kim Rapach (01:31.85)
Hello everyone and welcome back to the work of warriors. A few months ago, I was at a wellness retreat and met an amazing human being. She is a visionary of Finishing Strong. She created the blueprint for Finishing Strong. She is the author of the book, she's the author of the book, Stanton. No.

Kim Rapach (02:09.986)
Hello everyone and welcome back to the work of warriors. A few months ago, I was at a wellness retreat and met an amazing human being. I was there as a retreat participant and she was a keynote speaker. She and I had an immediate connection and I couldn't wait to get her on the podcast. She is a visionary for finishing strong. She's a life coach, a business coach, an author.

She's been featured on Fox Entertainment, ABC, I Heart Radio, NBC, just to name a few. I am so excited to introduce you to her because she has experience as an entrepreneur, a coach in the entertainment industry. I'm just excited to see what she's going to bring for us today. I am excited to introduce to you.

Kim Rapach (03:08.734)
I'm so happy to introduce to you Erica Strong.

Kim Rapach (03:34.742)
Hey everybody, welcome back to the work of warriors. I still can't believe we're in season two. A few months ago, I was at a wellness retreat. I was a participant, but fortunate enough to meet one of the keynote speakers, Erica Strong. Erica is a visionary of finishing strong. She is a life coach, a business coach. She works in the industry. She helps entrepreneurs make sales, be their auto...

Kim Rapach (04:16.306)
Hey everybody, welcome back. A few months ago, I was at a wellness retreat and I was there as a participant. I was in from Chicago, it was in Atlanta. I was there with a friend from Texas and it was a wonderful event. And I was fortunate enough to meet one of the keynote speakers. She is a visionary for finishing strong. She's a life coach, a business coach, an entrepreneur, and she has a heart of gold.

She's the author of Love Strong, Stand Strong, Finish Strong. She has been featured on iHeart Radio, ABC, Fox Entertainment, NBC, and many more. I think you're going to really enjoy today's conversation, and I'm excited to introduce to you Erica Strong.

Kim Rapach (11:43.894)
Hi!

Erica Strong (11:45.367)
Hello, is that low device? I didn't hear you sorry

Kim Rapach (11:47.139)
I love your hair!

I love your hair, you look gorgeous.

Erica Strong (11:53.271)
Thank you. This is still vacation hair.

Kim Rapach (11:55.698)
Is it? I love it. Did you get it done there?

Erica Strong (11:57.903)
I'm gonna go.

Erica Strong (12:01.771)
Say that again.

Kim Rapach (12:02.934)
Did you get it done there where you were on vacation?

Erica Strong (12:05.695)
No, I got it done before I left just so that I could just not have to worry about my hair. And then when I came home, I was like, you know what? It's not bad. I could keep it a little bit longer. Yep. So I want to make sure I'm in correctly because like I couldn't, I thought that I could use my laptop and like, no, I needed to download the app and then click the link from my phone once the app was downloaded.

Kim Rapach (12:10.283)
Just relax.

Kim Rapach (12:16.082)
I like it. I like it. Yeah, it's cool.

Kim Rapach (12:33.762)
So are you on your phone now?

Erica Strong (12:35.494)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (12:37.41)
Did you use the one I just sent via email?

Erica Strong (12:40.191)
Yeah, and it did the same thing. It told me that I needed to download Chrome. Hmm?

Kim Rapach (12:42.358)
From your laptop? From your laptop it did that?

Erica Strong (12:47.103)
Yeah, and I have an Apple. I don't know if that makes a difference. Because even when, because there was two prompts, one to download Chrome. And the second one was to join mobile. And so when I clicked join mobile, it took me to the app store. The app store was only iPad or iPhone.

Kim Rapach (12:50.9)
challenge.

Kim Rapach (13:06.594)
That's so strange. Let me just look at one thing real quick. What happens if you didn't click? Let me just click and see what I get from my end. So I shared a link right from the studio. So when I click on it, I get...

Erica Strong (13:11.32)
Okay.

Erica Strong (13:22.863)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (13:29.846)
You're about to join. So I'm going to join again. So it's probably, yeah, it just took me right to join.

Erica Strong (13:34.783)
Okay, you know what, it's still up. This is the screen that it took me to.

Kim Rapach (13:38.558)
Let me get back to you.

I wonder if you like your like what happens if you click download Chrome?

Erica Strong (13:47.839)
I did, and so it made me download it again, and of course it said, do you wanna keep it or replace it, because I already had it. And then the button next to it says join on mobile. So I clicked that thinking that maybe I could just go through the app store here, you didn't join, but it says it only works on your iPad or your phone.

Kim Rapach (13:54.603)
Yeah?

Kim Rapach (14:02.933)
Yeah!

Kim Rapach (14:07.89)
I've never had this happen. That's the strangest thing.

Erica Strong (14:12.043)
Yeah, I'm gonna go out and I'll just click in again just so you'll see. So this is your email.

Kim Rapach (14:20.75)
Shoot, now you're frozen on me. Okay, there we go. Nope, I see you.

Erica Strong (14:22.783)
Uh oh. And see, this is the page it takes me to.

Kim Rapach (14:29.863)
Okay.

Erica Strong (14:29.879)
Yeah. And I was trying to do it on my computer because I just assumed that the pictures lined up well.

Kim Rapach (14:36.286)
Yeah. And so the pictures line up well now, but what I'm noticing is there's a lot of lag. And sometimes that happens. So Riverside records in a more low res. And then when it uploads, it's magically clear. I don't know why it's like that, but my concern is that we're probably going to have to just take a second to make sure we're not talking over each other.

Erica Strong (14:45.091)
Ow.

Erica Strong (14:52.929)
Ah.

Erica Strong (14:56.406)
Oh, wow.

Kim Rapach (15:05.834)
and then I can always edit out. But if we get like frustrated, we can reschedule. But I'm just a wee bit frustrated because it just shouldn't be that hard. Usually you just click on the link and you're in the studio and that's it.

Erica Strong (15:15.934)
Yeah!

That's what I assumed, because I was all ready to go. And thankfully, I'm always a person I like to go in a little early, just to make sure that I'm in. And yeah, no. Because on my side, I just see a little square picture of me, and I didn't want that to show up on your side. So if we're squared in together, then we're good.

Kim Rapach (15:25.079)
Yeah!

Kim Rapach (15:39.402)
We are. I can show you what I'm seeing. I'll send this to you. Hopefully, you can still see it. I hate that you have to be on your phone. That's probably why, because you're on your phone. So it's only giving you the little picture. Can you see it? I'm looking at your like.

Erica Strong (15:57.004)
Ha ha!

Erica Strong (16:01.728)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (16:08.127)
Okay.

Kim Rapach (16:09.171)
your participation and it's just showing.

Kim Rapach (16:14.494)
Yeah, it's just showing front camera, built-in microphone default, and that doesn't take me anywhere. And I just don't know. So when you chose keep it or replace it, what did you choose?

Erica Strong (16:30.209)
replace just in case mine wasn't up to date.

Kim Rapach (16:33.33)
Updated? Yep, that's what I would have done. Okay. All right, well, I don't know what to say to that.

Erica Strong (16:40.359)
Yeah, and this is a new computer, so I couldn't imagine why it wouldn't be compatible, you know?

Kim Rapach (16:49.298)
Yeah. Well, and at first I thought, well, maybe the link that I sent you was old. And so I like when it's like Zoom, when you're in it, you can just say, invite people and just give them this link. And that's what I did, making sure that was up to date. And I'm just looking to see if there's anything that I'm missing. General.

Erica Strong (16:58.351)
Uh huh. Yeah. I'm going to go ahead and turn it off.

Erica Strong (17:09.887)
Yeah, so it says we work with Chrome and Edge, have neither download Chrome, and then even with the JoyMobile, I'll show you. It just takes me to this whole page, as if I wanna sign up for.

Kim Rapach (17:25.646)
Right, which you don't need to do, unless you want to record your own.

Erica Strong (17:27.669)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (17:33.087)
And actually I do, so I'm interested to see how Riverside works, but I would like to know that it could be seamless, you know?

Kim Rapach (17:41.49)
Right? This has never happened, I will tell you that.

Erica Strong (17:44.683)
Well lucky me, huh?

Kim Rapach (17:48.376)
I'm trying, I'm looking to see if there's like an advanced option or, um, you know, just anything I'm missing.

Erica Strong (17:57.171)
because people typically log in from their computer.

Kim Rapach (18:00.426)
Yeah. And you just like just now, you know, I clicked on the link that I sent you. And it just took me like right to it's like you're about to join, you know, the work of warriors podcast, like it's recording jump in. So I don't know why you're getting that stop. I don't know why you're getting blocked there.

Erica Strong (18:01.711)
That's crazy, because I would have preferred it if I could be here.

Erica Strong (18:07.115)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (18:17.057)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (18:20.841)
Yeah.

Kim Rapach (18:23.786)
Um, you know, the only other thing I would say, um, so like I just clicked on the link again and it just says, let's check your camera and Mike, you're about to join the work of warriors, which is what you should have gotten. And it should just say, join studio, just like it did from your phone. Um, you know, the only other thing I could say is, you know, if you want, if you're more comfortable with it,

Erica Strong (18:40.943)
I wish. Yeah.

Kim Rapach (18:50.646)
We can reschedule and you could take Chrome off and then put it back on. But if you're replacing it, I think that would be the same thing.

Erica Strong (18:59.539)
I think so. I mean, if you're fine with this, I'm fine with it. I have my phone plugged in so I won't run out of power, but I guess we just have to do the song and dance around the leg.

Kim Rapach (19:11.87)
Yeah. Are you seeing a lag on your end? Oh, perfect.

Erica Strong (19:14.558)
No.

Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (19:18.67)
Okay, so I'll probably just take just an intentional, I'm just gonna work really hard to not be really excited while you're talking and not talk over you. So that we have as clear as possible. I'm guessing what will happen is when I upload it, it'll be fine. It just, you know, from right now, like I'm super clear and you're just a little blurry. But when I upload it, like it says, I don't know, you probably can't see it if you're on your phone, but in the corner it says actual recording is higher quality.

Erica Strong (19:26.979)
Hehe

Erica Strong (19:31.049)
Right.

Erica Strong (19:40.082)
Ahhhh

Erica Strong (19:44.568)
No.

Erica Strong (19:49.502)
Mm-mm.

Kim Rapach (19:49.674)
And then also it says 99% uploading. So when we're done, you just want to, like, I'll stop recording, but we'll stay on. And I just want to make sure that your video uploads because it uploads all separately from sound and video so that, you know, you get the highest quality of each, so we'll just make sure we hang out for a minute.

Erica Strong (19:55.12)
Hmm.

Erica Strong (19:58.264)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (20:03.983)
Okay.

Erica Strong (20:08.519)
And I mean if you want me to I can grab my other laptop and see if that if there's a difference in my laptop maybe one have a Plug-in that I don't know of or you know understand if you want I could just check

Kim Rapach (20:20.818)
Instead of the apple, you mean?

Erica Strong (20:23.112)
Both of them are Apple, but it's just a different laptop. I can just see.

Kim Rapach (20:27.198)
It's up to you. I mean, I would love for you to be able to see clearly and I know sometimes it's weird when like you're on your phone. It's a little it's up.

Erica Strong (20:33.879)
Yeah, it's like this little tiny picture. I mean, I'm fine with it if it works for you. And then if it doesn't, okay. And then if it doesn't come out clear enough, then we can just do it again. We can just set another day.

Kim Rapach (20:38.634)
It's working for me. Yeah, it's working for me.

Kim Rapach (20:44.254)
Yeah, there you go. Yeah, well, thank you for being flexible. I'm so sorry for the issue. When we're done, I will be sure to send a whatever tech thing and just ask what, you know, look in the help section or whatever and just ask what's happening.

Erica Strong (20:59.803)
Right, okay.

Hmm.

Kim Rapach (21:04.234)
Yeah. Okay. Well, hi. Welcome to the work of warriors.

Erica Strong (21:07.087)
Hi. Yes, thank you for having me. I'm excited.

Kim Rapach (21:14.014)
I'm excited that you're here. Um, you know, you and I met at a wellness retreat and I was there as a guest and you were there as a keynote speaker and Kim Fields, who was hosting, asked you a question. I honestly don't remember what the question was, but you were like, I do remember clearly your response was, wait a second, before we get started, I want to address a particular age group of women in the room.

Erica Strong (21:24.783)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (21:42.71)
And some, you know, those of us with a little more life experience and you were like, you need two things, a blanket and a fan. And the room went wild.

Erica Strong (21:56.495)
I'm going to go to bed.

Kim Rapach (21:57.119)
And I was like, oh my god, I love her.

Erica Strong (22:02.504)
Yes.

Kim Rapach (22:03.082)
And people stood up and they had their fans and I'm like, oh my gosh Totally. I'm in that age group. I'm in that season of life every night It's fan blanket fan blanket all night long. It was like, oh, I never thought about doing that every day during the day

Erica Strong (22:14.123)
telling you.

Erica Strong (22:22.295)
Absolutely. Thank you.

Kim Rapach (22:22.89)
So that was perfect. So of course I had to hunt you down afterwards and just thank you and tell you for giving us permission to be human in this season of life.

Erica Strong (22:29.143)
I'm sorry.

Erica Strong (22:32.803)
Yes. And that's exactly what it was though. Cause it's like, you know, when we start getting into that area, right? We start feeling embarrassed or a little, you know, out of sorts. And it's like, this is natural and I'm going to normalize it as much as I can. And I don't care what platform I'm sitting on. It's going to be normalized just in case I needed one of these.

Kim Rapach (22:57.206)
That's right, right? So that you can take care of yourself, right? Yeah, love that. And then you gave me the Amazon link for all the things that I needed.

Erica Strong (23:00.283)
Exactly. Self-care.

Kim Rapach (23:09.726)
I am so glad you're here, Erica. Thank you. You know, the work of warriors, you know, my passion is primarily the entertainment industry. This platform is dedicated to artists that we've lost to mental health issues, suicide, addiction. And in honor of those who are still shoot, there goes my camera. My camera just glitched. Hold on a second. I must say that again.

Erica Strong (23:09.824)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (23:19.225)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (23:34.631)
Oh wow. Okay.

Kim Rapach (23:37.322)
You know, the work of warriors is dedicated to artists that we've lost to mental health issues, suicide, addiction, and to offer hope and resources and support. And, you know, much like our conversation around, you know, perimenopause, mental health, just normalizing the conversation for people who are still suffering, who are, you know, even sitting home right now thinking there's something wrong with them, or that they've messed up, or they haven't made it, or.

Erica Strong (23:44.879)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (23:48.759)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (23:52.919)
Mm hmm. Yeah.

Kim Rapach (24:06.398)
you know, whatever the case may be when in fact it's very human to struggle with our emotions, especially when you're a high achiever and you're in the industry, when you're in the entrepreneur space, those are very normal ebbs and flows. And I think we need to normalize the conversation around being human and being driven and what success really means.

Erica Strong (24:06.52)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (24:19.939)
Mm hmm.

Erica Strong (24:23.287)
Mm.

Erica Strong (24:28.836)
Right. Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (24:33.238)
And I would love if you would just maybe start with what was behind your yes. When I invited you, I just loved your energy. I loved what you had to say at the wellness retreat. But I'm wondering, you know, why, why did you say yes? What, why is this important to you?

Erica Strong (24:52.731)
Well, first, I loved you and your energy as well. We just had a good laugh and a good giggle, but after the energy was connected, we bonded on something that was really...

Kim Rapach (24:56.887)
Thanks.

Erica Strong (25:06.847)
at the seat of both of our souls and that's watching people, you know, live a full and healthy life and mental health is like at the forefront of that life. And so to be able to team up with you and have this conversation to normalize it because I do, just like you, work with other celebrities and one of the things that I find tough for them is me, regular person, Erica.

have the permission to not have a good day and have the permission to not be so perfect. But when you're in that spotlight, it's almost hard to be normal and to have the permission to not be perfect. And I know that that's a huge toll on that community. Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (25:53.502)
Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad you said that. I posted something earlier in the month. It's been a very challenging month, personally for me and my family. And I had posted something like January's really, you know, taking its toll, it's come with its challenges and I'm struggling, but here's what I'm doing to try to stay vertical. And someone reached out to me and texted me and was like, wait.

Erica Strong (25:59.96)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (26:06.511)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (26:13.068)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (26:18.89)
I read that and it was so helpful because I'm struggling too. And I thought, Whoa, this happens to Kim. Of course it happens to Kim and Erica and Joe and John and Mika everybody. It's like, we're human. And so, you know, I think I just appreciate so much that we can identify the spaces, you know, the, the entrepreneurial space.

Erica Strong (26:26.363)
Right. Yeah.

Erica Strong (26:39.215)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (26:47.064)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (26:47.074)
the entertainment space, when you are on the front, and you and I experience it as coaches, right? I, and I, when I used to be a therapist, you know, people somehow think you've somehow figured out this magic system. It's like, I know, I just know how to take care of myself. I just know how to love myself. And I didn't always know that. And so what do you find in the, you know, the spaces that you work, what do you find is maybe a,

Erica Strong (26:53.163)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (26:59.839)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (27:05.543)
Exactly.

Erica Strong (27:13.099)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (27:18.296)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (27:18.538)
You know, you talked about, you know, being normal and having permission to have a bad day to struggle with mental health or emotions. And I guess I just want to say, even as I say that sentence, I'm like, I'm hesitant to say struggle with mental health, because I think sometimes we are or oftentimes we are given a diagnosis, or we are told that there's something wrong. When in fact, it's

Erica Strong (27:23.927)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (27:33.089)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (27:42.408)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (27:45.022)
just we're not taking care of ourselves.

Erica Strong (27:47.543)
That's it. That's totally it. Yeah.

Kim Rapach (27:50.078)
And we just don't know how, or we're not supported in doing so. So maybe I'm going to go back to my question. What do you see as a common thread with your clients, with the people that you work with, where's the, where do we need to normalize the conversation?

Erica Strong (27:54.647)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (27:58.069)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (28:02.43)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (28:06.923)
Honestly, I think the common thread is that internal conversation first, right? It's like you have this whole conversation happening in your head that becomes your reality. Like, you know, your perception is your reality. So like when we start having those conversations, like, well, did I do well? You know, will it be received? Will people like me?

am I okay? And you know, you start having those conversations in your head and then it starts to take a toll on how you show up, how your present is up, how you act. So the common thread that I saw most of the time that I'm having these sessions is I'm listening to them finally have that conversation from here to here. And even in the midstream of the sentence, they'll go, wait, did I just say that? You know?

So it's that internal conversation. I feel like that is the common thread and the work that we do, honestly, because 90% of what shows up on the outside started here. So helping them to change that internal dialogue, right? I love the therapy, narrative therapy, like how do you change the narrative? Because when you change the narrative, you change the way that you feel almost instantly. You change the way that you respond, you change the way that you...

Kim Rapach (29:12.662)
Right, right.

Erica Strong (29:29.147)
act you change the way that you show up. So I feel like that to me is the biggest of all is that internal dialogue.

Kim Rapach (29:39.006)
Yeah, I always say you can't condemn yourself into positive change. Right? I have so many clients who come to me, they want a better life. They want to be happier. I have this success and I feel empty, but they're talking themselves down. They're condemning themselves. They're shaming themselves. That internal dialogue is so critical and, you know, shaming and mean in ways that we would never speak to anyone else. And if we can't condemn ourselves.

Erica Strong (29:49.46)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Erica Strong (29:57.904)
Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (30:09.106)
into positive change, we have to change that inner dialogue. Right? Yeah.

Erica Strong (30:12.619)
Yep. I love that you can condemn yourself into positive change. I'm gonna have to use that and I'll give you all the credit, but I love that.

Kim Rapach (30:18.89)
It's not possible.

Kim Rapach (30:23.262)
Yeah. I was, and then I'll say, like, I tried it for years. Trust me, it didn't work. Yeah. And so can we talk about, though, how, OK, so many of us have that, right? We're, for whatever reason, it happened on the playground when we were seven, or it happened when we were 25. And a talent agent said, you're to this, to that, not enough of that. We all have that. But also, can we talk about how?

Erica Strong (30:28.453)
It does not work. Yeah.

Erica Strong (30:35.443)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Oh, wow.

Erica Strong (30:45.647)
Mm-hmm. That's it? Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Kim Rapach (30:53.714)
even as an entrepreneur, but especially in the entertainment space. Like there's this false narrative that if we're successful, if we have a bunch of followers, if we win an award, if we get the gig, that'll be it, then we'll finally feel fulfilled, then we'll finally be happy. And I know what I'm seeing. What are you seeing?

Erica Strong (30:57.378)
Mm-hmm.

Oh yeah. Yeah.

Erica Strong (31:07.097)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (31:12.17)
Mm-hmm.

Erica Strong (31:15.659)
Oh no, totally the same, totally the same. And so the work then begins with you have to understand and really believe that you are a whole and complete without any of it. Those things are just trinkets and additions to who you already are as a whole person. So the work starts to happen with how do I help you really see your wholeness? Right? Like

down to your bare like I am enough-ness, right? I was listening to a meditation yesterday and in the meditation she said, steep in your power. And I thought, ooh, like that just really just rung for me, right, cause I'm a tea drinker, right? And I just started thinking about that, like steep in your power. So we understand how what the steeping is. You know, you have that.

hot boiling water, you put your tea bag in, and it's that hot boiling water that's going to pull out all of... Is that me or you? I'm sorry. I just got a notice up on my phone. I'll start over. So with the steeping process, we do understand that hot boiling water, it just keeps coming up. Device storage is running low. You should stop the recording and free up data.

Kim Rapach (32:41.426)
Oh shoot.

Erica Strong (32:42.611)
I'm not recording, right?

Kim Rapach (32:45.798)
You're not recording, but it does. Well, it does upload a recording to your phone or to your device. So it might.

It might.

Erica Strong (32:57.311)
and I have no storage like this is my everyday phone. So.

Kim Rapach (33:01.522)
Yeah. Do you, okay. Okay. We can do one of two things. We can see what happens and then start over, or we could try to switch to that other laptop and I can see if we, and we can either start over or I can try to see if we can just have two parts.

Erica Strong (33:13.423)
Okay.

Erica Strong (33:21.515)
Yeah, it keeps coming up. So let me grab that other laptop just to see. Because I'm not sure if it stops recording on your end, but it's like this big screen. I don't see anything when it comes up. Okay.

Kim Rapach (33:25.222)
Okay. Gotcha.

Kim Rapach (33:31.45)
Okay. Yeah, I'm not seeing any of it, but I believe you. Okay.

Erica Strong (33:36.742)
Give me a sec.

Erica Strong (34:59.915)
Yep, it's getting the same message.

Kim Rapach (35:03.53)
What?

Erica Strong (35:08.063)
the charger.

Kim Rapach (35:12.034)
What in the world?

Erica Strong (35:14.187)
same message. And these are my only two laptops.

Kim Rapach (35:22.386)
I don't understand why that's happening. Let me see if I can't find like a help button or something.

Erica Strong (35:22.603)
Yeah, so...

Erica Strong (35:32.075)
And there isn't even a help button on this, it's just one or the other. So I'm going to do the download on this one and see what it does.

Kim Rapach (35:36.438)
That is...

Okay.

Erica Strong (35:41.927)
I didn't think it was recording on my phone. If I knew that my device needed to have more storage, I would have just dumped some stuff before the call. But again, I didn't think I was gonna be doing it on my phone.

Kim Rapach (35:55.594)
Yeah, and I just, I hate for it to drop us.

Kim Rapach (36:03.438)
Let me see. Now it's just wanting to keep me logged in because I'm already logged in.

Kim Rapach (36:20.802)
These are all tutorials. I'm not going to sit and watch a tutorial.

Kim Rapach (36:51.946)
Yeah, I mean, it says like, do my guests need to have an account with Riverside? No, you will send them a link that gives them access to the session. Like it's just that simple. I don't know why it isn't working for you.

Erica Strong (37:03.535)
That is weird.

Kim Rapach (37:07.998)
And the nice thing is it's like a reusable link. So it's always the same link. It's not like Zoom where you have to do an, you know, a different one over and over, but I have no idea why.

Erica Strong (37:14.415)
to another one.

Erica Strong (37:19.715)
Yeah, so it's even strange that it's recording on my device though, that my storage would even matter.

Kim Rapach (37:26.762)
Well, I do know that happens because it'll say, make sure you're in Chrome. It'll upload. And then let's say, the first one I ever did, I didn't have the guy's recording. And I had to go back. And it's like, oh, yeah, it was in my downloads. Here it is. And he was able to send it to me.

Erica Strong (37:48.947)
Oh wow. Okay.

Kim Rapach (37:55.778)
Just seeing if I can... I know! That was very natural. Um... Thanks.

Erica Strong (37:56.279)
Man, it was going so great.

Erica Strong (38:02.795)
Yep. Okay.

Kim Rapach (38:09.026)
I'm just trying to see if I can Google the issue.

Kim Rapach (38:20.042)
Only works with chrome and edge.

Erica Strong (38:25.611)
I'm sure Apple products is compatible to this, because I mean, it's Apple.

Kim Rapach (38:25.698)
to gasoline.

Kim Rapach (38:31.346)
In order to join a session, you will first need to make sure the app is downloaded. Is that because it's an Apple? The Riverside iOS app can be found on the Apple app store, but you weren't able to do that on your computer.

Erica Strong (38:48.059)
No, because it's saying that, let me go back into my apps. It says join mobile and so then when I did join mobile, it said it has to be on a phone or iPad, but let me go to the app store in my computer and see if I can find the other side.

Kim Rapach (39:02.104)
So riverside apple lap.

Erica Strong (39:07.875)
So with your interviews, you, like I should have had Riverside just already downloaded. Is that what I'm understanding?

Kim Rapach (39:18.846)
If never, it says no, it says here, right? I mean, it says no. It says all I have to do is send you a link and it says Chrome or Edge. It doesn't say anything about, you know, make sure they're on an app or not on an Apple. Do you know what I mean? Oh.

Erica Strong (39:33.295)
Right. And it's not in this, it's not in the app store on my computer.

Kim Rapach (39:44.662)
That's so strange. Okay, we'll probably just have to reschedule and figure this out.

Erica Strong (39:46.199)
That is strange. The only thing that's coming up for when I'm taping Riverside is cap cut.

Kim Rapach (39:57.654)
Riverside Apple Laptop Compatible MacBook Air.

Erica Strong (39:57.807)
Bye.

Kim Rapach (40:05.826)
That's not what I'm looking for. It's like trying to sell me something.

Erica Strong (40:07.263)
And I have a MacBook Air and a MacBook. The first one was a MacBook, this one's a MacBook Air, the second one.

Kim Rapach (40:16.738)
Apple.

Erica Strong (40:17.843)
and those are the only two options that it gives me.

Kim Rapach (40:28.282)
No, I don't need a webinar.

Erica Strong (40:32.991)
and I thought when it brought me to...

Kim Rapach (40:33.826)
Here you know what I'm gonna do for now because I think it's I mean for what however we do it We're gonna have to stop recording, so I'm just gonna stop recording, but I'll still be here

Erica Strong (40:40.596)
Yeah.

Erica Strong (40:43.959)
Okay.