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Women are told they have to choose between family, career, and personal growth.
I’m Bree Katulak, wife, CEO, mom of four, and I’m here to tell you that’s just not true.
Every two weeks, I’ll share my journey of balancing a high-powered career, a busy family, and my pursuit of growth, along with candid conversations with inspiring guests who have done the same. We’ll discuss the challenges we face as women in male-dominated fields, the importance of grace, and how we keep moving forward.
Whether you're striving for a career milestone, seeking balance, or just need to know you're not alone, Unstoppable You is here to remind you that success is about showing up, embracing your journey, and doing it your way.
So, if you're ready to stop choosing between your dreams and your life, pull up a seat, and let’s be unstoppable, together.
Andee Simpson (00:00):
To be an entrepreneur is so closely linked with being a creative that you could not separate the two whatsoever. Everybody's creative, which is beautiful. Nobody is not creative.
Bree Katulak (00:11):
Hey, I'm Bree and this is Unstoppable You, the podcast for women ready to stop choosing between their dreams family and personal growth. Hey there. Welcome back. Today I'm joined by Andy Simpson, someone who truly embodies what it means to evolve in real time. Her path is anything but traditional from costume studies to studying art therapy to earning her project management professional certification to stepping into a chief of staff role at a not- for-profit and actually co-founding a growing business that's a bottle shop in Indianapolis. She doesn't wait for the perfect moment. She moves and figures it out along the way. And honestly, that's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. For the better part of two years, I have had this idea wrestling around in my head. I wanted to start a podcast and my own consulting business. I really did feel the pull.
(01:18):
I saw the signs. I even started to believe I might have something to say and even more to give to clients, but I didn't move because every time I got close to pulling the trigger, the same negative thoughts kept coming up. What if this is going to take too much time that I don't have? What if it costs too much money right now? What if people judge me? And if I'm being really honest, that last one held me back the most. But eventually I did realize something. I might never fully feel ready and if I never tried, I would always wonder what if. So I decided to go for it and I'm still figuring it out as I go as you can see. And what I'm realizing and what Andy lives so well is this. Growth doesn't happen when everything makes sense. It happens when you're willing to move before you feel fully ready.
(02:20):
So today we're talking about what really means to evolve, to try something new, to build something from nothing and to trust yourself enough to take the leap even when it doesn't follow a clear path. Thank you so much for doing this, Andy. I am so excited for the conversation that we're going to have today, but before we get started and jump in, what can you tell me about what having it all means in both your professional and personal life?
Andee Simpson (02:55):
Having it all has meant different things in different seasons of my life. And right now for what's going on in my life, having it all means a combination of meaningful work and a happy home life. I know that people say you could have four burners, family, work, health, and friends, and right now I am solely focused on family and work and what I'm building and what I'm creating. And those are the two things that I care the most about in this season.
Bree Katulak (03:29):
So you say there's four burners, you're solely focused on these two, which I think is awesome. But do you feel like you're missing out on anything because you're putting the other two on the back burner or no, because that's what's fueling your energy and how you're defining having it all in this season?
Andee Simpson (03:46):
That's a great question because I think for health, you cannot ignore your health and
Bree Katulak (03:51):
There's
Andee Simpson (03:52):
Some sort of element where you're keeping that going. And that's just an article that I read in the IBJ recently from Mandy Haskett that brought up that old sort of work professional development reference. And I have friends who I love dearly and who are also busy and sometimes my work overlaps with their work and I get to see them during the day and that's very meaningful to me. But I think those will stand the test of time. And right now, what needs my immediate attention and love and care is what I'm building at work and what I'm building at home.
Bree Katulak (04:24):
That's awesome. And one of the key themes of this episode is going to be talking about non-linear career paths and navigating things as you go, et cetera. So tell me about how you got started and what you were interested in earlier in your career at the beginning.
Andee Simpson (04:42):
I feel like I might be the poster child for a non-linear career because I studied fashion design and East Asian culture and Indiana University of Bloomington. And then I moved around the day that I graduated, I moved down to Austin, Texas. I lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco and Chicago thinking I would never come back to the Midwest and life happens. I had always wanted to be an artist. I'd always wanted to be in the creative world, but then as I tried a lot of different things, I also kind of picked up these sort of operations tools in my toolkit and project management and going full circle after trying a lot of things in the nonprofit world and the tech world and the corporate world and the government world, I'm now in a very fun place, which I would've never expected but feels the most like home in working in project management in supporting the creative economy.
Bree Katulak (05:37):
That's awesome. Can you go a little bit more into detail and what that means? So what specifically do you do with project management to help support that initiative?
Andee Simpson (05:47):
I work in a nonprofit where we hold a lot of events and we convene a lot of really smart people into panel conversations and impact reports and different councils where our executive director has a lot of really big visionary ideas. And so I was brought in to make sure that these are all executed and we stay on a timeline and that all of these wonderful things are happening and we're bringing in all the best people at the table, but sometimes it just needs a little organization and structure from the back end. So I also work with a lot of really wonderful interns and fellows that are young, emerging artists that I get to mentor and lead to. So it's kind of the best of both worlds of what I'm doing. It's all the things that I love.
Bree Katulak (06:37):
Yeah, that's awesome. And what early experiences did you have that really you feel shaped how you think about work and creativity being combined?
Andee Simpson (06:47):
Oh, that's such a good question. I have held onto this one idea for so long and I don't know where I heard it and I don't know where it came from, but I've always loved the concept of be the person you needed when you were younger.
Bree Katulak (07:00):
Yes.
Andee Simpson (07:01):
And I just like that so much. And I think very young Andy or high school Andy or college Andy, somebody that would've come up to me and supported me and said, "Hey, you can be an artist or you can be a creative and you can be a creative person in a non-creative industry, you can be an artistic person, you could be an entrepreneur, you can develop something on your own. And I feel like I've got a chance to do all of those things and I want to make sure that other young people know that they have so many options as well. And so I want to make sure my daughters see me doing this type of work." I would've loved that when I was younger too. I feel like that is almost kind of like the key to unlocking maybe your purpose or the work that you're supposed to be doing.
(07:45):
And who did I need when I was younger?
Bree Katulak (07:48):
There are so many nuggets of what you just said that I want to dive deeper into that you unlocked stories in my brain too because I remember as a kid thinking about who I was as a kid, I would always be creating games. I made this massive library in my parents' living room where I literally spent hours cutting out these library cards and taping them into the books we had and being creative and then later becoming an accountant and everyone told me, "You don't have the personality of an accountant. You are so different than every other accountant I've ever met." And I think somewhere along the path of Bree, I started shoving that creativity away and just started executing on a checklist that I thought I had to do, but you're so right going back to what did younger Bree want to do? And that's like ultimately what drove me to want to start this podcast and launch consulting and be creative.
(08:48):
So I just love what you had to say there. I think it's so critical and it's so great that you're helping younger individuals understand that you don't have to just look at the standard careers that are on a list at your high school, but you can totally think outside the box. I love that.
Andee Simpson (09:06):
That's so true, especially when I think about your path from accountant to CEO to bring back that creative piece and really flourishing because you brought that piece from Little Bree back in and then finding that little magic part.
Bree Katulak (09:23):
When did you feel like your path really did start to evolve from that true creativity, like taking in more of that operations mindset and getting into business too?
Andee Simpson (09:33):
Yeah. Well, right after I graduated college for about a decade, I lived a very Bohemian life where I was sewing clothes and working at coffee shops and just living this very sort of laid back artistic lifestyle, which worked for me at the time. And when I came back home, I had my first child. I had my daughter and something about that I think just flips a switch in your DNA or it just makes you realize that it's not about yourself anymore and all of these sort of triggers went off. And I honestly think it was maybe probably a biological reaction where I felt I am not responsible for myself anymore. I'm responsible for somebody who is in my care. And so I got very serious about my career and my trajectory and I looked around to my peers who were so far beyond me in their career and what they were doing and I felt ashamed, I felt embarrassed.
(10:32):
I felt like I had so much catching up to do that I worked so hard for maybe that next 10 years where I just felt like I needed to catch up and I needed to prove myself and I needed to have a good title. I tried on a lot of hats and I pushed a lot of doors and I learned so many wonderful things. I mean, sometimes you just have to find the thing that doesn't work so you know what does, but there was a long time where I was pushing things that I felt like I needed and through that I realized how that I might be good at operations. For a long time I thought, "Oh, that's silly. Everybody's good at that. " And now I'm realizing people all have their own methods and people can always get to the finish line in their own way, but maybe I do bring a certain skillset, my creativity and my organization and the way that I can execute that even in the last five years, I feel like I'm really finding my own sweet spot.
Bree Katulak (11:29):
Yeah, that's amazing. And from what you just said, I mean the comparison aspect I hear so often, and I truly do believe this, comparison is a thief, right? I mean, it can send you into a mental spiral where you see your friends are becoming VPs or getting into the C-suite and you're not quite there yet. So what are you going to do about it? Or what have I done with my life or me? I compare myself to Taylor Swift and I'm like, why am I not a billionaire yet? In this instance, do you feel like comparison truly was a thief or do you feel like it pushed you to find who you really want to be in your sweet spot like you just said?
Andee Simpson (12:07):
I love how you framed that because I was talking to my team on Monday and we were talking about how comparison is the thief, but I also do think it pushed me so hard. I advocated for myself, wanted to be in certain rooms. I have never worked so hard in my life and I was very focused, I was very career-minded. I did see traction and I did get a lot of experience and a lot of things worked out for me. I think it could have been the right place at the right time or meeting the right person. I moved ahead and I got really good experience. I almost feel like I got a master's degree in nonprofit and business just because I tried so many things and I was not afraid to show up. I think that's a good way to frame it because on one hand I did feel a lack of confidence in imposter syndrome, but then I was on the outside, I was just pushing through and trying new things and if I wouldn't have done that, then I wouldn't have gained the skills that I have now.
Bree Katulak (13:09):
Yeah. Have you always had the confidence to try new things or is that something that you've developed over time?
Andee Simpson (13:16):
Oh, the confidence is a very recent piece, I would say I have always been very shy and very introverted, but I've always wanted to be at the table and I've always wanted to be where things are happening and where just strategy is made and conversations are happening. I've always been curious and I want to be a part of it. And so I have had to push myself beyond my comfort zone in so many ways and it's been so scary and so fun.
Bree Katulak (13:48):
Ever since the very first day that I met you walking into Orangely, which we'll need to talk on that as well, I mean, I just felt like you had an aura about you that was great. I mean, you were just going from person to person and making them feel so at home and comfortable and answering questions. And then I remember that following Saturday when I brought my friend in to Orangely again and ran into you and we just struck up a conversation and it was so natural and we barely knew each other. So I mean, I absolutely feel like you should give yourself more credit on the being a people person part, but I understand the introverted aspect 100%.
Andee Simpson (14:28):
Well, that is so kind and we'll talk about Orangely, the Bottle Shop in a minute, but what that space has become is a very safe space where people can share so many thoughts and ideas that you wouldn't even share to your coworkers or maybe to your loved ones. And for some reason people come in there and the conversations that occur are so organic and vulnerable and natural that this one little third space where I feel so at home and so happy to be talking to whoever comes through that door, because I know whoever comes through that door is a very special person. If there's something just in the way that store is set up that I feel like is unexpected and kind of magical.
Bree Katulak (15:10):
Yeah, that's awesome. So since we've teased it a lot, can you tell us about starting Orangely and what it's all about and how it came to be?
Andee Simpson (15:18):
Yes. And I can't even imagine we're going on our fourth year. So in 2022, my sister and I opened a store that is an alcohol-free bottle shop. We read an article in Vogue Magazine called The Rise of the Booze Free Bottle Shop and we thought, "Man, let's do this. " This sounds so cool. I had given up drinking for about a year. Kristen had recently given up drinking and we just thought it would be such a fun project. We've always had wanted to start a store together. We'd always had wanted to be entrepreneurial and this was kind of like the Venn diagram of something that we were both excited about. We named it Lauren's Alcohol Free because around the time we had this business idea and this concept, my dad was in the hospital and then we lost him. So we named the store after our dad because he was such a savvy businessman and we loved him.
(16:08):
Even one of the Orangeley stores still has the Lauren's name on top and I just like seeing his name and it makes me feel like I'm getting a little bit of that business good vibes from him. And so we kicked off this concept which we felt like it would have to do a lot of product knowledge. What is alcohol-free alcohol? What is the point of that? And in the last four years, the whole concept has grown leaps and. We've got amazing wines and spirits and drinks with adaptogens and kava and mushrooms and all of these things that can help with productivity or calming you down. And it really is just a store of fun drinks. We like to disrupt the idea that alcohol is necessary for networking or celebrating. Yes, we've got this very lofty goal of being inclusive and wellness focused, but also at the end of the day, we like to host and we like to have fun drink options and it's really not even that deep.
(17:11):
It's a store for everyone.
Bree Katulak (17:12):
Yes, it's awesome. And I mean, our culture I feel like has for the longest time circled around alcoholic beverages and celebrations and food in general, et cetera. But having these options available that not only are fun but tast phenomenal I feel like has been a game changer and the culture around it now is getting so strong, especially with the younger generations and even my millennial generation is getting on board, I feel like too, and getting on the health train. That's awesome.What was going through your mind when you were starting this? What were the fears that crept in?
Andee Simpson (17:52):
I remember talking to my mentor who when I was talking to him about opening the store and he said something like, "Oh man, if I could just go back to my very first business opening, I wish I could have that feeling one more time." And I thought, "That is a crazy thing to say because there are so many unknowns and this is a very scary time, but four years later, I understand exactly what he was saying. On one hand, you have so much confidence and excitement and you do not know what you don't know, but also we have such a confidence and excitement about opening the store and people came out and were so supportive and everybody understood what it was all about. We didn't have to explain it. The people that got it, got it and showed up, supported us and continued to support us.
(18:42):
And now I think back that I'll never have that feeling again where it was just butterflies and excitement and nervousness. And on one hand, I think there's a psychological safety that if you knew everything that you would be up against, nobody would open a business because so many things that you're going to learn along the way and so many roadblocks and so many challenges, but you get through them day by day, find a resource and you figure it out and that's what makes the whole journey incredible.
Bree Katulak (19:10):
Absolutely. What are some things that were harder than expected?
Andee Simpson (19:14):
Just off the top of my head, getting certified as women-owned business
(19:19):
Was about a six to seven month process as far as filling in. I took a class from our local chamber on how to fill out the application and what it really has to do with. It has to do with diverse supplying. I thought it was like, oh, we get a sticker for our door. I've been so naive about so many things, but then as you learn the reason why and you learn the incentive that the government and other business entities have in working with minority, women, veteran-owned businesses is a wonderful thing. And there's been so many pieces like that in my journey where it's like I was just looking at this very small piece of my world in the puzzle and how I fit in, but just through that process and that application, my whole world has expanded and I understand
Bree Katulak (20:09):
The
Andee Simpson (20:09):
Economic development so much better. It's just I love to learn. My sister loves to learn and so it's just been a lot of learning.
Bree Katulak (20:18):
A lot of learning. That's awesome. What has surprised you in a positive way the most or what was the biggest thing?
Andee Simpson (20:25):
Besides how sugar aware our customers are, looking at every single bottle, a lot of our products are very low sugar and very health conscious. So if you're not going to be drinking, it's a good safe bet because they're all good for you. But the thing that surprises me most is how even from day one at our shops, people come in and they share such vulnerable pieces of their life with you. And it just feels like an honor to be walking with somebody when they are looking for alcohol alternatives. And 10 people could walk in this store for 10 different reasons. Somebody who's really trying to start a family, somebody who is going on medication, somebody who's trying to take a little break, somebody who is a go- getter high achiever doing 75 hard. We see it all. And I hadn't thought too far ahead about what the in- store experience would be like.
(21:22):
So honored to have been a part of so many conversations that have been truly meaningful.
Bree Katulak (21:28):
That's so amazing how many lives you're touching and honestly fulfilling throughout each and every sale. That's amazing. Thank
Andee Simpson (21:35):
You.
Bree Katulak (21:36):
Tell me about entrepreneurship and how it's impacted you. What have you learned about yourself from starting your own business? Because you do have a chief of staff role now too, I'm sure they're very different.
Andee Simpson (21:48):
I've learned that I'm scrappy. I've learned that I'm tenacious.
Bree Katulak (21:53):
Yeah.
Andee Simpson (21:54):
I always had this idea that I was. And I think when I knew that I felt like I needed to catch up in my career and I had to hustle so hard, I knew that's when I kind of started to see it and I always had wanted to try something on my own. So when I partnered up with my sister to try this entrepreneurial venture, it felt amazing and it still feels amazing because we come up with creative ideas. Let's have a speaker series, let's have an event, let's do something fun where still to be an entrepreneur is so closely linked with being a creative that you could not separate the two whatsoever. And if you are not a creative person, you've got no business going out on your own and everybody's creative, which is beautiful. Nobody is not creative. You can make a creative Excel spreadsheet and that is your talent.
(22:46):
There's no wrong way to do it. I think sometimes people think, oh, I can't paint or I can't make music when that's really ... I can think about things in a creative way and build something beautiful and meaningful and useful. I think once you are an entrepreneur, that's what you are forever. I will never go back and I will only continue to build things entrepreneurial. And the way that I think of things in my new role now as a chief of staff is entirely entrepreneurial because I feel like I am not risk averse. I am willing to try anything and talk to people because I'm coming at it from a place of true curiosity.
Bree Katulak (23:27):
Right. I think curiosity is so critical in any job, in any experience of life, right? Coming in and just genuinely caring about learning more and other people's perspectives is so critical and the fastest way to build trust for sure.
Andee Simpson (23:46):
The one piece that I was nervous about starting this new role was having ... I'm not great at confrontation all the time. So I read the book, How to Have Difficult Conversations and I loved that book so much because it's about how you wrap yourself up in your identity and how you think, "Well, I'm not the type of person that would have this conversation and they are having that same type of conversation. I'm not the type of person that would have this conversation or would give somebody a hard time." And it's really about identity approaching conversations with curiosity. Why is the barrier to break down difficult conversations? And I just felt like something was unlocked and I thought that makes so much sense because we just get wrapped up in the idea of who we are and who we are not, which is also very similar to Orangely.
(24:32):
I drink. If I don't drink, who am I? What am I doing?
Bree Katulak (24:36):
Yeah. So there was one thing you said in the previous answer about what did you learn about yourself and you said that you were scrappy. And then I think back to your comment of how you were living a Bohemian lifestyle and everything like that. Those seem dramatically different to me. Which one do you feel like is the true Andy? I
Andee Simpson (24:55):
Feel like they're a little bit similar in that I am also a zenial. I'm a half millennial, half gen X and I moved to Austin pre-internet. So I'd got in my car and I drove down there and then I would get in my car and drive to a new city and I felt like there was something a little scrappy about that where I just felt like I was trying a lot of new things and I knew I could always work at a coffee shop or find a job there. So it was just about exploring and learning and meeting people. And then now that I'm a little more laser focused on what I'm building and why I'm here and what my purpose is that I feel like I'm using those tools and sort of that strange fearlessness, which I think probably came from being naive to now being a little more strategic hopefully, I still feel that I've got a little bit of scrappiness in me.
Bree Katulak (25:50):
I love that. Yeah, absolutely. So how do you decide where you're going to spend your time and your energy because you have a lot of irons in the fire.
Andee Simpson (26:01):
Yes. And I've been thinking about that when we were talking earlier. I'm co-founder of a store with two retail locations. I work full-time in the nonprofit space. I've got two young daughters age two and 11 and it is a lot. And I think I look at a lot of working mothers on social media and sometimes remote works for them or I'm always curious of how other mothers are doing it. I think sometimes what you don't see is that sometimes it's not always as smooth as time management. I think what I'm trying to say is that to do it all is a lot right now and in that season I'm able to do it because I know in five years my life will look different and in 10 years my girls will be older and that life will look different and it will get quieter and quieter and quieter.
(26:59):
And right now everything is very busy and I'm very tired and I'm also filled with absolute joy because I love what I'm doing. I love what I'm creating and building and at the end of the day, I do it all for my family because I want to be with them and I'm doing it for them to show them me standing in my light helping people and I want them to see that. So I feel very tired all the time and a lot of times I don't think I am doing it right, but I think what is getting me through this season right now is knowing that it is not going to be like this forever. And these are the golden years, enjoy it as much as I can.
Bree Katulak (27:41):
With that, I mean, you have an 11-year-old daughter and 11-year-olds have opinions. Does she come to the stores with you? I don't know, I used to get Post-it notes on my computer from my daughter and said, "Why do you always work so much?" And it's like you have those conversations. How do you approach that and what values do you try to instill in your daughters?
Andee Simpson (28:02):
Oh my goodness. My two daughters are so different. My older daughter is very similar to me in that she's very reserved and very quiet. She comes to the store with me, she comes to my other job with me sometimes and it's so fun to see her taking it all in and I can kind of read her what she's experiencing, but then she comes home and then she works on crafts and she wants to start a small business and she wants to have a website and I feel like, "Okay, this is exactly what I want you to get from that. If you want to make something, let's make something. Let's have a little website. Let's do it together." And I think she sees sort of that grittiness of that you can have an idea and go for it. So I think she does see a busy person and she does see sometimes a tired person, but I have been more protective of my time than I ever have.
(28:56):
And so I'm not even meeting for morning coffees, I'm not meeting for afternoon mocktails. Once my day is over, I'm headed home because I feel like anytime that I'm not at home, it's at the cost of my girls and that's just how it is right now and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Bree Katulak (29:13):
That's awesome. So when you put on events for Orangely or other aspects of the not- for-profit, are you able to stay within those boundaries or do you have to make exceptions from time to time and how do you handle that?
Andee Simpson (29:26):
This is a reason to have a co-founder and a partner that you love and trust. And so Orangely is a production that I have built with my sister and my sister has the capacity in this season of her life to do a lot of events. We had a really big event last night that was beautiful and we had to move all of the furniture and I say we, I was not there. She moved all of the furniture in the store for this gorgeous dinner party and I wasn't able to make it. I did go to the store this morning and just do the final P Pieces of resetting up the store and cleaning it up. And she's hosting a lot of events and she's really taking on most of that. And we've got some staff that are hosting book clubs and different events and they are the most wonderful, inspiring people.
(30:16):
So if I can't show up for that, I can. I'm planning a speaker series for that soon, which is something that I love to do very much and I will be part of. But if it's for work, it's usually during work hours and it's juggling feelings of excitement and guilt and understanding what I have capacity for and what I don't.
Bree Katulak (30:36):
And how do you give yourself grace in those moments? Because I think as women, honestly, we all have that guilt issue. When we're at work, we're guilty that we're not with our kids. When we're with our kids, we're feeling guilty that we're not giving all the work, but we have to give ourselves grace. What's your go- to method?
Andee Simpson (30:53):
Bree, I have to be honest, it's still a work in progress. I feel constant not enoughness. I'm always trying to find little pieces of myself to rest and relax and recharge. I can show up better for other people because I know that that's important, but I probably on a weekly basis, I'm trying to just figure out how to feel like I'm doing enough for everyone while staying afloat.
Bree Katulak (31:22):
I totally understand because I feel the same feelings. I think what's really, really helped me lately is writing down my priorities, like you said, family and work and getting a little bit more granular and just making sure is what I'm doing fueling those priorities? And if so, the rest is a rubber ball, right? Yeah. Those are glass, these are rubber. I'll let the rubber fall.
Andee Simpson (31:48):
And every couple years I return to morning journaling just from the hardest way. And I just started three or four days ago and I'm already understanding a lot more about what's going on and where my energy is going and why I feel like I need to do certain things and maybe I don't. So I feel like the morning pages returning to that has been a wonderful way for me to just have a litle coffee and a little quiet time in the morning and kind of figure some things out.
Bree Katulak (32:21):
That's perfect. I absolutely love that. So now let's talk about being unstoppable because you truly are, especially with that story over the last 10 years and how you were feeling like you had to catch up, so to speak, based on your comparison. So what does being unstoppable mean to you?
Andee Simpson (32:43):
Being unstoppable to me feels like a choice. I feel like I am not going to stop and I am going to keep on swimming and I am going to get through the messy middle. I think you can look at all of these barriers of your time and your situation and it can be overwhelming and I do get overwhelmed a lot, but I think at the end of the day, I am choosing to not stop because there are things that I'm doing that are very worthwhile and meaningful to me. So I think being unstoppable is making the choice to not stop.
Bree Katulak (33:24):
Yep. I love that so much. I mean, do you feel like you've always been that way or do you feel like that's evolved over your life?
Andee Simpson (33:33):
Oh, I think that's definitely evolved. I think when you have people at home and you've got a family, I don't know, I want to show up as my best self all the time and I feel like I'm pushing myself harder than I ever have because I'm getting more clarity and more laser focused on what I'm building and who I am. And I think that that has created the momentum that I just keep going. It is messy. I just finished a book called The Messy Middle about the joys of starting a business and how beautiful it is and how your friends are excited. And then you just come across challenges and it gets hard and to keep the energy and the momentum going, it just takes stamina and it takes mindset and it builds a muscle.
Bree Katulak (34:19):
Do you feel like you have that network that can help you get through the mindset pushes that you need to on a day-to-day basis or day-to-day, week to week, whatever it may be?
Andee Simpson (34:30):
Oh, that's a great question. I think I have such a strong network in my sister and my mom who works at the shop and helps with my kids and she does so much. I've got wonderful in- laws. I've got a really great support network that I have not always been good at asking for help and I'm getting a lot better because you need to.
Bree Katulak (34:51):
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So I love that in your career path you either weren't afraid or overcame the fear and developed the confidence to pivot. What would you say to someone who feels stuck or afraid to pivot?
Andee Simpson (35:09):
I think you need to talk to somebody who is doing that type of work and invite them to coffee. When you got coffee with me and I was so excited, I left so inspired after that coffee that I was like, "I'm going to go get my PMP certification and I'm going to work harder." I was kind of lingering on that and that was the best decision to get really serious and focused about that. And I think there's so many women doing interesting things in Indie that sometimes you just got to meet somebody and sit down and have coffee and be like, "Oh, that's really inspiring." Even if they're not doing exactly what you want to do. And also I think baby steps are always the best way, whether if it's a new career and you feel like you're not qualified, you might be surprised how qualified you are.
(35:54):
And I think sometimes women for entrepreneurial reasons or whatever don't always want to have the answers or feel fully prepared before they try something, but sometimes you just got to go for it and figure it out later and see where you can get your foot in the door. Whenever I'm trying to do a transition, I definitely am trying to get coffees and meet people and talk to people because there's just magical doors and conversations and things that happen and using a network.
Bree Katulak (36:19):
It is so true. And I feel like the spiderweb of once the networking starts and how small the world really is, not just Indianapolis but the world, it's fantastic the different doors that you can open, the different people that you meet, the different companies and how genuinely I feel like helpful people want to be to see you succeed. I think that's so fun to watch. As I get older, it's so fun to have younger people come to me and I'm always like, "I don't know that I really have all that much to tell you, " but then they start asking questions and I'm like, "Oh, I can't help. This is fun. Let's work on this together and we can solve problems."
Andee Simpson (37:02):
I love that. I love when you are meeting people and then some point in your life you change where people are meeting you and you're helping them out and then you're like, "Oh my gosh, this person thinks that I'm a person that can help." And then I feel like it's my duty and I get such joy from it. It is a very neat sort of life transition.
Bree Katulak (37:26):
What are you building towards next?
Andee Simpson (37:29):
Besides staying afloat, I love the shop. I love Orange Elite and that continues to be new and exciting. I love my day job where I'm working to support the creative economy in Indiana. On the side, I am teaching a class soon on making toddler clothes out of reworked clothes that you have that are either kids' clothes or adults clothes. I'll be teaching that in July. I also have started a zin called Kitchen Table Creative Economy. Issue Zero is coming out in two weeks about motherhood and working. So that's also why I'm really glad that you invited me today because it's been very much on my mind. It is my entire world.
Bree Katulak (38:13):
That's fantastic. Where will everyone be able to find your zine when it does come out?
Andee Simpson (38:19):
Probably on LinkedIn. And on LinkedIn, I'm Andrea Marley. You can put that in the show notes.
Bree Katulak (38:23):
Yes, absolutely. Okay. That's perfect. I love that so much. Of all these things going on, I think I know the answer, but I want to hear it. What are you most proud of?
Andee Simpson (38:34):
I'm most proud of who I am with my daughters. I think I worked so hard and I have fought through so much insecurity that now I'm at a place that I am so proud of professionally. And I think that that's also, not to be confused with always trying to find meaningful work. Sometimes a job can just be a job, but to be in a place of employment where you are okay and that it is good enough and I feel very much like that now and I feel very proud of what I'm doing, but also for my daughters to see me happy, satisfied, content with enough energy, that is my indicator of success.
Bree Katulak (39:24):
That's fantastic. And it's so inspiring, especially going back to the story about your daughter creating crafts and wanting to create a website and seeing that entrepreneurial spirit come out in her. I mean, that's amazing. And she's going to have the absolute best mentor to take her across the finish line. So that is awesome. All right. So thinking of a couple lasting impacts, what do you think or what advice would you give to people that you think they get wrong when they think about growth?
Andee Simpson (39:55):
The need to feel like you have the answers or that you're qualified. That sound a little wild, but I think we have such a wide skillset that certainly you are valuable if you are interested in what you're trying to be a part of or build. If you're drawn to it, there is certainly something that you can contribute and they say that 90% is showing up and I honestly think that that is so true. If you're excited about something and you want to build it, then you don't have to wait until you get a certain credential or you don't have to wait until you feel like you're ready. You got to jump in and you got to learn and see where you can help out, even if it's just taking out the trash, because if you're engaged, then that is going to grow and don't wait until you feel ready.
(40:43):
Jump in, meet some people.
Bree Katulak (40:45):
I love that so much. That's great advice. Well, thank you so much for coming today, Andy. Honestly, I knew I would love this conversation. I've learned a ton. Every time I speak to you, I'm always so inspired. So thank you for taking the time to be on Unstoppable You.
Andee Simpson (41:02):
It is an honor, especially just in these last couple years when I think I entered my 1989 era and have gotten to where I feel so happy and so pleased and I'm just honored that you would think to invite me. Great.
Bree Katulak (41:18):
Awesome. That was so fun. So when I think back to those moments, sitting on this idea for two years on a podcast and consulting, knowing I wanted to do something different, something creative, something that was mine, but not moving because I didn't feel ready. I realize now it wasn't about capability. It's about courage because nothing about this feels certain, not the time, not the money, not what people will think, but the only thing that feels worse is the idea of never giving it a shot. And what I'm learning and what Andy lives so well day to day is this, you don't become ready and then start. You start and that's how you become ready. So here is my challenge for you this week. I want you to think about the thing that's been sitting in the back of your mind, the idea, the shift, the step you keep telling yourself that you'll take when you're ready.
(42:27):
And instead of asking, "Am I ready for this? " You need to ask yourself what's one, just one small step you can take towards it right now because growth doesn't happen when everything makes sense. It happens when you're willing to move anyway. This is your life. Define it, live it, become unstoppable.
(42:53):
Thank you for listening to Unstoppable You. If this episode was helpful, I'd love to know. Connect with me on LinkedIn at Bree Katulak. That's K-A-T-U-L-A-K on LinkedIn and shoot me a message. This show is for you. Be unstoppable. I'll see you next time.