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You are a business owner who wants to prioritize people and planet over profits (without sacrificing success). That can feel lonely—but you are not alone! Join host Becky Mollenkamp for in-depth conversations with experts and other founders about how to build a more equitable world through entrepreneurship. It’s time to change the business landscape for good!
Tracie Root (00:00.568)
look at that differently in doing it again and always doing it so that you are taking care of yourself so that you can be your best for your clients and your friends and your family and your community. I would say the area where I tend to do that least is kind of with physical health. Prioritizing myself and my physical health around
outside of all of the bright ideas that come into my head and all the things I want to do, do, do. Even though action is highly required and as a coach, that's what I, you know, I have to practice what I preach, preach taking action. But sometimes not taking action is the best course of action.
Faith Clarke (00:40.249)
Okay.
Faith Clarke (00:50.519)
So
Becky Mollenkamp (00:50.704)
I just, and I just want to say I hit record just in case any of this helps in the process. thought I'd better go ahead and hit record.
Tracie Root (00:54.254)
It's all fine.
Faith Clarke (00:57.963)
So I think we can focus in on an area of your business that may be creating more of this temptation to do, do that would be leading you off into the more of the exhaustion. So I, but Becky, know you, you there's a, we'll set it up. We'll set up the, yeah. Yeah.
Tracie Root (01:07.267)
Mm-hmm.
Becky Mollenkamp (01:17.298)
Well, sure, well, we can get started then if that's okay, just because I want to be mindful of time. hi Tracy, thanks for joining us today and for doing this. I know you're a business coach, but do you want to tell just like the elevator pitch, the quick who you are so our listeners know a little more?
Tracie Root (01:23.398)
Hi.
Tracie Root (01:32.184)
Sure, yeah, absolutely. I live in California. I'm in Santa Cruz, California. I've been coaching for 14 years and that journey has changed over time. My coaching now doesn't show up so much. I don't do one-on-one. I don't do a lot of kind of programs. But what I do is I have a membership community called the Gather Community where I support other women entrepreneurs to be visible and be promoted and get in front of
potential clients, collaboration partners, new friends, whatever. I also do a retreat once or twice a year. I also have a podcast. also, and this kind of goes to what we were talking about, also have all of these things. I'm a creative. I create customized gifts for retreat leaders, things like that. So there are a lot of things that I do with the gather community and really support.
that community of entrepreneurs being the through line of it all.
Becky Mollenkamp (02:34.45)
Well, that's perfect that you said kind of going to what we're talking about, because as I'm hearing you, I was like, oh, and and that is a lot of a lot of doing. And I'm to steal from faith here, which is about the medicine that we give others and that we often is what we need ourselves. And I'm curious as you're talking about all these things on your plate and the doing the doing the doing, because we before we started, we just talked briefly about that might be an area to focus on all of your doing. So I'm wondering, what's the medicine that you're giving your clients when it comes to finding some of that balance between doing
Tracie Root (02:39.24)
And, and, and, exactly.
Becky Mollenkamp (03:04.676)
And then also being what's the medicine you're giving that maybe you are not taking for yourself.
Tracie Root (03:09.804)
Yeah, I love the idea of what is the medicine, like what, that's such a great way to put it because it really is like the thing that can, it can treat the symptoms, it can cure you, like it's all of the things and it's space, like space and time. Many years ago, when the idea of like holding space for people or for ideas or for thoughts kind of started to be in our vocabulary, I was like, what does that even mean? I don't know what holding space means.
And of course everyone knows what it means now, thanks to Cynthia Arrevo and Ariana Grande. But I didn't know. And so I started to look it up and take a look at what does it even mean to hold space for another person. And I realized that that's kind of one of my kind of core go-tos, superpowers, whatever. Like that's what my retreats look like. That's what hosting an event in the gather community looks like, allowing there to be space for other people to
shine or rest or grow or whatever it might be. And so when you talk about the medicine I don't take for myself, where am I allowing myself to have space, to be spacious? It's a real challenge. I grew up in Silicon Valley, high achiever. And when we're a high achiever in a high achieving area, you have to keep going or you get left behind. And to reframe that from a
Hustle is not the goal. Hustle is what we thought was the requirement to get to the goal. But what if strategy and clarity, of course they are, not what if, but strategy and clarity and things like that are way more the way to the goal than just grind, grind, grind. So I'm fully out of hustle culture in that way. However, the ability to kind of stop
and rest, literally to stop and do nothing for any period of time is a real challenge that I really try to challenge myself with every day.
Faith Clarke (05:19.791)
So I think it's interesting, right, because we all know we need to rest. We all know self-care, yada yada. Like we could, if you said to me right now, Faith, do a workshop on, right? I would do it. So the question for me has always been, how do I design my business so that I don't have to stop business as usual to rest? Because...
Tracie Root (05:35.052)
Yeah.
Faith Clarke (05:49.772)
If we design according to hostile principles, consciously or subconsciously, then we have to pause and rest. So I'll turn it back to you because I know that in sharing with your clients, likely also, it's everybody's agreed mentally that we are not in hostile culture, but the very fact that there is this and, and, and the framing that you offer at Silicon Valley, et cetera.
Yeah. So you're not, and yet you are. Cause we are, my therapist said to me that by the time I can say, I won't be like my mother. already am. So, so we are, you are in hustle culture. Um, you know, step number one, I am, you know, I am. And then I guess the question for me, just from a business design point of view is where in your business right now is the do, do, do most compelling.
Tracie Root (06:26.58)
yeah.
Faith Clarke (06:46.063)
And that's a design element, not a moral failing of yours. So like, what's the, what's, what's prompting that?
Tracie Root (06:55.458)
Hmm, well, it's interesting because I look at these different kind of branches of what I'm doing and as soon as I start to think of what am I doing too much of, like trying to frame it in the sense of I should do less.
I start to get in my own way of changing it because I don't want to be victim to thinking should is required and have to do it any certain way. So maybe it's that rebellious part of me that doesn't want to be told what to do by myself, let alone anyone else. You know, the areas where I really see myself able to get
away from that regular kind of grind of hustle is the way to do that is by getting support. And that's, you know, historically one of the things in in lots of my stories to that it's hard to ask for help for a lot of women, especially those of us who are trying to create something new. It's even harder to accept it even when we ask for it. So
The accepting is going better these days, but the continuing to ask gets a little tiring. In the Gather community, do, because we're supporting women across the country, we have lots of different events. And by design, when we first started, I facilitate all of these events. And in the last year or so, we've been talking about what if...
some of our members who want that visibility of leading and who want to see what it's like to run some of the things that I have historically been running for the last five years. And I've had a couple of people who are high level in their leadership journey say yes and sign up for some things and it's great. And I know that I can trust them to
Tracie Root (09:11.648)
handle the whole situation in a way that is supportive of my business, but also supportive of their leadership and also supportive of everyone who participates. However, getting other people than these couple of key people to say yes to that has been a challenge. And so I have to keep asking, like, don't you want to like, that's not really how I frame it. But in my mind, it's
the continually needing to ask for support and not getting it is starting to kind of wear on the desire to ask for support. And I think that that's probably a place where the allowing myself some space is becoming a challenge. Does that make sense?
Becky Mollenkamp (09:57.29)
And.
Faith Clarke (09:58.467)
That definitely makes sense. And the picture that popped into my mind, just a little bit about my own background, I have an adult son with autism. And the persistent need to advocate is always an indication of my non belonging. Because when you belong in space, your needs, the meeting of your needs are part of the space. And so if I'm offering, tossing this back to you, I think about
Tracie Root (10:06.958)
Mm.
Tracie Root (10:12.576)
Mm-hmm.
Tracie Root (10:23.426)
Mm-hmm.
Faith Clarke (10:28.367)
If you were in a wheelchair and you were constantly asking for help to go up and down the stairs, then that's a system issue and what needs to be built is wheelchair ramp. So I hear you on the asking for help, but part of the question for me is always, where do I change? Know of the work so that the need for help
Tracie Root (10:38.582)
Mm hmm. Yeah.
Tracie Root (10:51.232)
Yeah, how can you put it in the system?
Faith Clarke (10:57.609)
is either integrated, like it's the response is integrated, or I don't have to be asking.
Tracie Root (11:04.418)
Yeah, I love that. And it's actually, it is something that we've been talking about baking into like onboarding and things like that. And so that's part of a process that is pending. But that's great. Thank you for that reminder. And that was a really good analogy as well. Yeah, I love that. Thank you.
Becky Mollenkamp (11:25.107)
as well. Yeah, I love the analogy because I was thinking a similar thing, which is my mind went to strategy, which is a similar like, there's a system failure here. Yeah, but I loved your analogy, Faith, because it really helps to put that into a way that makes it feel again, it's that I think we think of it as a strategy problem, like it still feels like this is a me problem. I haven't solved it. Whereas the way you're framing it, Faith, it is it's a systems problem that's outside of you.
Tracie Root (11:32.758)
Yeah, bake it in there somewhere.
Becky Mollenkamp (11:52.464)
Right. then because I think you were talking about your shoulds and those still feeling like there's this internal fight, like it's a me problem in a way. And that when that comes up, you feel resistance. And so I wonder how you can externalize some of these things so that they that you can help stop some of that resistance that's coming up. When you hear what Faith was saying and I know you said you already have some things in the works, but are there things that come to mind as far as how to
Tracie Root (12:07.627)
Mm-hmm.
Becky Mollenkamp (12:21.318)
change the systems and how to make this outside of you versus it feeling like it's a personal feeling.
Tracie Root (12:30.37)
I mean, there are systems that like my team and I have talked about implementing. Some of that is like, like I said, in an onboarding situation, but the folks who are existing are not going to be onboarded again. So that's part of a kind of a disconnect. The. I think the other piece maybe is.
to get support in the asking, guess. Instead of myself taking care of the outreach, tasking someone else with taking care of the outreach for the asking part. I don't know. I think I'm gonna have to figure out how that can work. Part of my...
Becky Mollenkamp (13:14.527)
you
Tracie Root (13:26.762)
hesitation is that we're talking about my clients. And so I really feel like I need to be the person having those conversations to because it's in support of their membership, their growth, their client heldness. And so I don't really want to have someone else have those conversations with my
And like, I want to take care of my clients. I want to be the person taking care of them. But maybe that's a growth thing that I just haven't gotten to yet, and the idea of having other people take care of client care, which of course is done all over the place. It's just not something I've done yet.
Faith Clarke (14:08.632)
I wanna, do you know your enneagram type?
Tracie Root (14:12.098)
I want to say three, but it's never really beneficial.
Faith Clarke (14:15.823)
Okay, so I'm gonna ask a question that may be uncomfortable and we'll just, I think questions are gifts and so if we don't have an answer, we don't. So what if you just have a cap on the amount of times per month you are showing up in sessions? And if there is no one else to do it, it doesn't get done.
Tracie Root (14:35.469)
Right.
Faith Clarke (14:44.621)
What does that feel like in your body?
Tracie Root (14:46.414)
Yeah, that does happen sometimes. Sometimes if I'm not available, like for a reason, like I'm traveling or whatever, like, so there have been kind of external reasons for that to happen in the past. And that's fine. I don't have a problem with that at all. If I'm available, right? so I think in theory, it's fine.
Faith Clarke (15:04.303)
What if you just what if you
Tracie Root (15:16.494)
I hesitate mostly because what we're talking about is events that are a promise to a client agreement. And if they don't happen, I feel like I am going back on an agreement that I made with those clients to have these events for them based on the promise that they signed up for. So that's, think, why I feel like it's a longer term.
game, like I have to figure out how long term to get this figured out as opposed to, I'm not, I don't have capacity for this. can't do this now because I've promised my clients who pay me money that I would do it. So.
Faith Clarke (16:00.185)
So this is just a thought experiment, right? So I know that we're gonna honor all our commitments. So this isn't at risk. So we're just in pretend world for when, if you were to decide right now for some reason that you only know that you don't have the capacity, what's the internal story that you tell yourself about yourself?
Tracie Root (16:02.4)
Yeah, I love this. This great.
Tracie Root (16:20.982)
Yeah.
Faith Clarke (16:29.423)
So in the case of me, it's much easier for me to say to a client, my son did not sleep last night. And that's a normal thing in our home. And I will say that. But what I don't acknowledge is that even when he's sleeping, I don't sleep at night because I'm listening for him. And so I could just not have capacity because I haven't slept. Plus I'm a woman of a certain age and the sleeping seems to get wonky. And so,
Tracie Root (16:36.941)
Mm-hmm.
Tracie Root (16:49.571)
right?
Faith Clarke (16:58.721)
There is something about when it's legitimate and then our own personal needs as the conduit of the medicine. I'm the conduit of the medicine and yet I'm not willing to make my vessel be the primary thing I'm tending to. I'm tending to the client, you so I'm just
Tracie Root (17:02.84)
Right.
Tracie Root (17:06.988)
Yeah, I love this.
Tracie Root (17:15.299)
Mm-hmm.
Tracie Root (17:19.598)
Yeah, absolutely. No, I already have like the perfect example that makes me so excited to share. My youngest kid is 17. Super, super quick story. My youngest kid is 17. He is graduating a year early from high school because of his ability to focus and make what he wants to happen happen. He's very excited. He's also in theater. And this is going to be the last semester.
and the new musical's coming up and he very specifically said, I need a role that I don't have to come to all the rehearsals, I don't wanna be in the ensemble, I don't, like, I can't do all these things. Like, if you want me in this show, which I would love to be in the show, but if you want me in the show, it needs to be something that has like a container that it's in so that I don't have to be there all the time. And in the, when you sign up, you have to like tell them what,
days you're not available, are you traveling, are you on vacation with your family? It's teenage, you know, community theater. And he's like, yeah, I don't, I want to say like, you know, every week or every other week, I'm just off one of the rehearsal days for no reason other than I know I'm going to have to study. I have projects at school, you know, I have this other things I have to do and I don't need to specifically have a conflict schedule. I just am not available for that. And so remembering that
And so I'm super proud of him for putting boundaries around what he wants to achieve this goal that he is so hyper focused on. He's also a little neuro spicy. So hyper focus is okay. It's the it goes. So to say I am not available for this and this being that rehearsal, this appointment, this day, this
Drama, know, whatever it might be to remember the phrase like I'm not available for that and that it's okay because that's how you Recharge or reset or give yourself the medicine that you need. Yeah, I that's I'm super excited that we went here. That's great
Becky Mollenkamp (19:25.618)
I'm curious too that saying that because you said it feels great when you were filling out the form that we had you fill out. The last question was if you could wave a magic wand, how would you like to feel in 2026? And you said expansive. And I'm curious if.
Tracie Root (19:31.351)
Mm.
Tracie Root (19:37.282)
Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's how it feels. Yeah, it feels like if when I say it feels great, I, can't, we're like this, but like my arms are going out. It's going like this, right? It feels spacious, expansive. Yeah, that feels great to me.
Becky Mollenkamp (19:55.634)
Mm.
Becky Mollenkamp (20:00.87)
What does it take, unless Faith wants to say in imaginary land, because I'm curious just to shift to reality for a minute, because that feels really great. go ahead, Faith. don't.
Tracie Root (20:09.969)
Yeah.
Faith Clarke (20:12.009)
No, I'm actually, this is editorial commentary, so we'll take this part out, because I'm going to skedaddle in about three minutes, and then you can pull it together. So I might just disappear, but I do, I would love to go back, go into reality land, this is kind of where I was going, what's the practical change that would make this expansive in reality?
Becky Mollenkamp (20:20.242)
We'll wrap up.
Becky Mollenkamp (20:32.658)
Exactly. Yeah. How do you take that? How do we take this from it? Sound like in in this imaginary space that feels expansive and great. And in this reality world, my clients have contracts. I've made obligate. I have obligations. feel a way about those obligations. What's the bridge between those two spaces? Are there practical steps that maybe don't move you fully to that?
fully expansive vision, but are there things that that helps you start to think could unlock some initial steps towards that?
Faith Clarke (21:06.681)
Can I add to that question? If you needed to feel more expansive on Monday, February 9th, February 9th, so in one week, what could you do in your business, not for recovery?
Tracie Root (21:16.246)
It is Monday. next week. Mm hmm. Yeah.
Faith Clarke (21:28.001)
outside of your business. But what could you do in your business in one week that gives you that opening up of your chest and more air in your lungs in your business, even though we know long term there are plans.
Tracie Root (21:41.218)
Right, yeah, taking the...
I had a thought of how to start that answer, but what I'm gonna say is this. It starts by, for me, it starts by looking at the calendar. Looking at the calendar, seeing what's on the books, seeing what's already planned, and seeing what could change. And it might not be, know, immediately, I'm no longer going to do this, that, or the other, but starting somewhere.
which means starting today, look at the calendar, what's up for this week? Are there things like, did I fit things in because I had room? Or is having room the goal? And if expansion and spaciousness is the feeling, then having room is probably the goal and being able to look at my calendar and see all of this openness will...
will definitely cause me to be like, wait, why is this empty? What am I not doing? So it's definitely gonna be a work in progress for a period of time because if we're talking about 57 years of conditioning, it's not gonna happen overnight. But it can start right away with looking at the calendar and seeing where things can change. with the idea of looking for support for specific events in the business,
starting with what's coming up immediately, like those immediate needs, and figuring out where I can start, and starting. And I think that's the kind of medicine that I would give to my clients is where can you start and start.
Becky Mollenkamp (23:18.181)
And.
Becky Mollenkamp (23:33.774)
Exactly. think it's hard when we are in that a met. think being in the imaginary land, as you know, with clients is really important, right? We, if we can't even imagine a better world, then there's no steps that are ever going to get us there because we don't even know what we are. That is right. That's an important step. However, sometimes we're in that space. feels
Tracie Root (23:47.598)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (23:51.334)
too big, too overwhelming, too impossible. And so I love that idea of like, what are those steps? And I just want to honor too, because in this forum, when we had you check certain boxes, one of them that you checked was, and this was the one that you said, I think felt most resonant, which is, I am rebuilding my capacity so that my leadership flows from restoration, not exhaustion. And I just want to point out that key word there, which is rebuilding. It is not that you have rebuilt your capacity or I have capacity that, right? It is a process.
Tracie Root (24:14.104)
Mmm,
Becky Mollenkamp (24:19.154)
And so I think that remembering and reclamation of a process and and it's hard, know, we help our clients all the time with this and it's so much harder to do for ourselves where you can see a client getting frustrated because they aren't there yet. And it's like, and I think if you even are remotely a type three, a neogram, those are the achievers we want to do. We want to accomplish. We want to gold star. We want to check it off. And so remembering that, this is a process. This takes time. Right. And then I think it's about how do you get that.
capacity for yourself as you take the time to get there.
Tracie Root (24:48.194)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, and it's so funny too, Becky, I will say that, you know, the most recent thing that I did add to my business is, is, and I, I rationalize it sometimes for myself in that it's very creative. So it gives me that creative outlet that I miss because I never make time to have a creative outlet. So of course I couldn't just be creative. I had to add it to the business instead of.
just allowing it to be time spent. I, like you were saying, I intellectually understand this and I'm still there. So.
Becky Mollenkamp (25:29.246)
Right? Yeah. I think it's that we have to part of this process is the permission slip to ourselves to say it can be a process. I don't have to get it all figured out today. I don't have to fix it all today. But can I start to think about what is one step like Faith was saying between now and next week that actually moves me a little closer to that imagination land of this great expansive feeling that your son is able to claim for himself. Right. And that
Tracie Root (25:36.064)
Mm-hmm.
Tracie Root (25:55.693)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (25:57.18)
our children can be our best teachers, can't they? We were just talking about that before we got on this call. My son teaches me all the time about generosity and giving and re-imagining what's possible. Whereas I can quickly shut down and say, well, we can't do that. Well, what about this way? And it's like, there's so much more creative, right? So letting your son be your example of that, of like, this is what it can look like in its purest form. I may not be there yet.
Tracie Root (25:58.816)
I know.
Tracie Root (26:11.138)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (26:15.288)
Yes.
Becky Mollenkamp (26:22.13)
Because guess what? have decades on him of unlearning all of that beautiful wisdom we have when we're younger. But how do I start that process of change? And so it sounds like there are some ideas there. And I think the last thing, because I know Faith had to hop off just so people know she's gone now, so it's just me. But you also selected, believe, in community over competition, which I love. And I think there are, and this is no slight on the members of your community. I'm sure they're all beautiful, wonderful people.
Tracie Root (26:41.106)
yeah, 100%.
Becky Mollenkamp (26:51.438)
And right now, because I think of the way the community was birthed, it's probably a bit more transactional in that, like, you're feeling this sense of, they pay me, so I must do this, right? I have these obligations to the community.
Tracie Root (27:06.252)
You know, it's interesting that when we first started, I totally didn't have that. I was like, this is just my friends and we're hanging out and we're doing all these things together and I'm, get to help them, you know, cause we all get to help each other. Cause we're all friends in this coaching community. Most of us are coaches, not everyone, but in some way or another. and at some point it did switch to like, wait a second, these people are my clients. They're not just, they, many of them are friends, like true friends.
Becky Mollenkamp (27:10.77)
one that I'm in.
Tracie Root (27:35.426)
But they're also clients, and so making sure that not only do I support them in a personal, I would support you no matter what way, but also the details of that, this is the promise that was made for the exchange of the actual client, teacher relationship.
Becky Mollenkamp (27:51.484)
Yeah.
I wonder if there is also some space in there for you to also continue the exploration of, doesn't happen, happen today, it has to happen today, but of what does that community look like if it returns a bit more to its relational roots versus a bit more of this, and again, it's not transactional in that you are using each, I don't mean it in that icky way we often think, but there is a bit more of.
And it sounds like I wonder how much of it's on your end versus theirs, right? So that's what I'd love for you to explore. How much of that is you feeling like, they must, they expect a transaction. Like we have created this transactional relationship. They expect X for me because they're giving me Y versus.
Tracie Root (28:23.694)
That's interesting.
Tracie Root (28:31.893)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (28:36.206)
Well, they're definitely very generous. Like there's, I don't feel from any of those members of our community that there's an expectation that I have to be on a hundred percent or be perfect or, or, you know, never make a mistake or any of that. So there's definitely, that definitely doesn't exist. so, you know, you're right about that. I have put myself in a position of feeling responsible.
Becky Mollenkamp (28:39.25)
What are you?
Becky Mollenkamp (28:51.111)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (28:55.735)
Becky Mollenkamp (29:03.493)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (29:04.138)
And I am responsible, it's my thing. But I also am very conscious of the lack of need for perfection. That if something happens and things have to change and I'm not available or whatever, like I said before, if something happens and there's a justifiable reason, that's super easy and there's never a concern. It's more about looking at the bigger picture. Right, right.
Becky Mollenkamp (29:14.48)
Mm-hmm.
Becky Mollenkamp (29:24.656)
Right. A legitimate quote unquote legitimate reason. Right. And I think the exploration then is, is there some spaciousness in there for you to allow yourself? Because I think that there's a story here, a little bit of a story you have, right? Because you believe that they're generous. You believe they're giving. You believe that they probably don't have these expectations on you. And yet there's something that happened, a shift.
Tracie Root (29:42.061)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (29:51.836)
that happened when maybe more money got involved or something, right? Where now it's like, and I have these obligations, this responsibility. I have to show up a certain way where I wonder how much of that is your story versus their story about that. And is there some spaciousness in there for you to maybe allow some softening of that? A little softening around these expectations.
Tracie Root (30:06.326)
Yep. Yeah. Yeah.
Tracie Root (30:13.912)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (30:17.356)
Yeah, I don't know exactly what that looks like yet, but that's definitely the next adventure. I love it.
Becky Mollenkamp (30:20.497)
Yeah.
We don't need the answers, right? Because again, you're rebuilding capacity, you are learning, you're growing. So it's more of, can you take that? always, somebody once invited me into like the scientist's mind. Can I just use a scientist's mind here to like, what are possibilities? What could, like scientists are really good about testing theories and they don't know the answer, right? They're just like, I just want to test and tinker and see what happens. They're excited about the possibility. And can you bring that sort of scientist's mind to this to say,
Tracie Root (30:42.487)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (30:51.962)
What might happen if one time I said, I can't do this call and I didn't even provide a reason and then said, who can step up and just see what happened? What, what does the pushback? What is there any, what are the responses? Did people step up? Did they do so willingly? Like allowing yourself some of that exploration, just to see if some of the theories that you maybe have a little, the stories and theories you have are true or not true. We don't know. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So room for exploration.
Tracie Root (30:58.094)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (31:13.613)
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, awesome.
Becky Mollenkamp (31:22.002)
Thank you, Faith. Sorry you had to run a little early. And thank you, Tracy. I'm curious as you're leaving, I know your goal for this year is to feel more expansive. As you started this too, it was about space, about just feeling like I need some more space for me, right? For Tracy to just breathe and exist. As you're exiting the call, not that we have any answers, because our goal wasn't necessarily to just get to the practical solutions yet. But I'm curious if you're leaving with any questions in mind, anything.
thing you're wanting to explore? Like what are you leaving with today?
Tracie Root (31:53.314)
Well, I think that in true form, what I'm going to do.
Becky Mollenkamp (31:58.098)
She's like, I'm not thinking, I'm doing.
Tracie Root (32:01.954)
you know, my, my, my initial thought is, know, when I get off the call and take a big deep breath, and I'm going to look at my calendar because I think that when I think of how to make things more spacious, it starts there. looking at what am I already planning to do and is there a space for change in the short term in that?
And or I should say not only not is there space but where is there space maybe is a better question Because there's got to be something I mean, you know, it's not a rock it's not in permeable impenetrable, whatever the word is There's there's got to be something but I off the top of my head don't that's why I have a calendar I don't keep it in my brain. So I'd have to look
Becky Mollenkamp (32:39.632)
I love that. That is a great question.
Tracie Root (33:00.11)
And to think about in that breath, which I feel like I need to take right now, to imagine, like, it's always the thought of what would be, what is that answer? And it doesn't have to be a single answer, but what answers come from the question. So looking at what's coming up,
where is there opportunity and where is there opportunity not only for me to lean into that space of ease but also to but not not only in the place of well it still has to get done who else is going to do it except for me
Becky Mollenkamp (33:57.452)
Mmm. Yeah.
Tracie Root (33:58.06)
Right? Like that, I think that's what's that underlying current of if it works out, it works out, but if not, it still has to be done. So I guess I'll do it, you know. So I don't know. It'll be interesting to see where it lands. But I think the first step is a few deep breaths and a look at the calendar to see what's possible.
Becky Mollenkamp (34:11.698)
Absolutely.
Becky Mollenkamp (34:20.804)
Yeah, and as Faith said, the challenge maybe then if you're open to just a slight challenges between now and Monday this week, can you find even one place where you can add a little spaciousness? Right. So like, how do we take this down to the smallest thing? And that and that probably is it is like in this next week, can I find one place to just insert a little spaciousness back into my calendar, even if that looks like 15 minutes? Right. Is that possible? And then to sit in
Tracie Root (34:28.695)
Right.
Tracie Root (34:32.984)
Nope.
Tracie Root (34:44.384)
Right, right.
Becky Mollenkamp (34:47.974)
that spaciousness, which I think is the other challenge probably for you, is then when that spaciousness, right, when it shows up, can I be in it in the discomfort of just being and not doing.
Tracie Root (34:51.542)
Right, not fill it up with something else.
Tracie Root (34:58.774)
And you know, it's really interesting, Becky, because I will be the first to tell you, like, I have self-care practices. I have things on my calendar. I have nice nails. have, you know, have appointments for myself, but they're all appointments. It's not just space. No, no, they're not passive. They're windows of time that are taking care of these things for myself. And I think that's...
Becky Mollenkamp (35:13.33)
Yeah, they're not just passive, are they? It's not just... Yeah, interesting.
Tracie Root (35:28.568)
kind of how I am more naturally inclined. And the question is, how can I be less regimented and more just open? And what comes to my mind is every now and then when I'm really overwhelmed, I'm just like, I gotta go. And I get in my car and I drive. And I drive up the coast, I live on the coast. And so I can get to a place where there's a parking lot that overlooks the ocean. So I don't have to get out because it's cold.
Becky Mollenkamp (35:37.287)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (35:51.919)
Yeah. Our versions of cold are different, but yes. I know what you mean. Yeah.
Tracie Root (35:57.664)
usually on the beach in California, Northern California. I know, but you know, but it's not like it's sunny and you know, it's not like I want to go sit out on the beach. I just want to look at the ocean. And there's bad Wi Fi signal there. So I literally can't do other things other than maybe I'm listening to a book, but I haven't gotten out anyway, blah, blah. And
So like just the act of driving for 20 minutes and then stopping and looking at the ocean has a restorative effect on me. And it's been a long time since I've done that. So that's the kind of thing that's like not on the calendar, time to go.
Becky Mollenkamp (36:35.684)
Yeah. Well, and I also, maybe this week. Maybe, yeah, maybe that can happen this week. Well, and I would also just say that idea that you're naturally wired this way very well could be, right? That's a possibility. And I would offer that we are all very conditioned into, in American culture in particular, we are very conditioned into doing and going and that is still like, we can like,
Tracie Root (36:53.822)
conditioning, absolutely.
Becky Mollenkamp (37:03.996)
Faith said earlier, we can sort of intellectually check out of hustle culture and it still exists in our bones. Like we are so wired into it. I got a shirt made once that said, I'm a human being, not a human doing. And I feel like that's that reminder for you too. Like you are the part that you, that to be with and to explore is where's the being part of my existence. Cause like you said, it sounds like even your times are still sort of doing times.
Tracie Root (37:08.802)
Yep.
Tracie Root (37:30.285)
Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (37:30.586)
And so can you challenge yourself to just have a little being time and it will be uncomfortable. It's going to be uncomfortable because it's sort of foreign for how you're used to showing up, whether you're hardwired that way or we're kind of programmed that way. It's going to go against your wiring. And so can you challenge yourself to sort of be in the being and maybe it's like exposure therapy, five, 10 minutes at a time, right. Until you can get to a place where it starts to actually feel restorative in its own way. So.
Tracie Root (37:56.492)
Yeah. Well, and the good news is that in two weeks I'm going on a cruise. And so that's one of the things, know, well, no, it's definitely, there's definitely both because it's a retreat with my coach. And I always tell, I've been telling everyone like on the calls, I'm like, the first thing that I do is I walk in my room and I lay on the bed and I'm just doing nothing because that is my like turn off the turn off the
Becky Mollenkamp (38:02.202)
Nice. But bruises can also be doing or being.
Becky Mollenkamp (38:10.438)
There is going to be doing.
Becky Mollenkamp (38:17.956)
Mmm... Yeah.
Becky Mollenkamp (38:24.988)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (38:25.294)
the speed, turn down the speed time. And I always get my own room so that I am able to turn off while I'm there in between the sessions. I'm looking forward to that.
Becky Mollenkamp (38:32.527)
Nice.
Becky Mollenkamp (38:38.982)
Well, in those moments, try to remind yourself, I am being. And maybe you can put a little, just put being time in your calendar and let's see what happens. But I'm excited for you, Tracy, like even just to start to explore it and see what is asking yourself that question of what's possible. Like what's possible here, whether it's looking at the calendar and what's possible or just sort of in general of what's possible. And then maybe in the next week, finding a way.
Tracie Root (38:43.34)
Yeah. Yeah.
Tracie Root (38:47.702)
Yeah, that's great.
Becky Mollenkamp (39:03.718)
The smallest of way to say, what does it look like putting that into action? Because I know action feels good for you. So like, what does that look like? And thank you for being willing to vulnerably share here and be a part of this. means so much. Thank you so much for your time. And where can people find you if they want to learn more about you and your gather community, which we all love communities.
Tracie Root (39:15.979)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (39:20.554)
Yeah, absolutely. Well, it's been my absolute pleasure. It was wonderful to get to meet you voice to voice, face to face today and in faith, of course, as well. She was amazing. For me, the Gather community is really the best place to find not only me, but all of the people that we've been talking about that are all in this world with us together. Social media is a great place to start because it's easy to find a face.
Becky Mollenkamp (39:42.249)
Yeah.
Tracie Root (39:48.246)
with the hair and the name at the same time. So I'm on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. You can find me all those places. And as a result, you can find the Gather community through me. Of course, I've got, you know, website with tracyroot.com. I've got the gather.community, which is a little harder to remember. But if you go to tracyroot.com slash links, everything's linked there for both what I do as a coach, my retreats, as well as Gather Community, the podcast.
Becky Mollenkamp (40:11.798)
Perfect. Awesome. And Tracy, IE. But I'll put it all, it'll all be in the show notes or wherever you're seeing or listening to this, you'll be able to find the information on where to connect with Tracy and also with Feminist Founders. And thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
Tracie Root (40:17.974)
All of
Tracie Root (40:24.162)
Beautiful.
Tracie Root (40:28.492)
Yeah, it's my absolute pleasure. Thank you so much, Becky.