Activating Your Potential with Bridget Querns

[00:00:00] Kathryn Thompson: After generating over a million dollars in sales and selling one of her businesses with a single email, your host Katherine Thompson, takes an unconventional approach to marketing and sales. So if you are ready to tap into a more powerful way to be seen her and a sought after entrepreneur in your industry without having to spend endless hours marketing your business and chasing clients, you are in the right place.

[00:00:26] Be The Sought After Entrepreneur podcast is here to help you ditch the cookie cutter, one size fits all approach to marketing, and use your unique energy to effortlessly attract the most aligned clients. When you do this, you can. Time marketing your business and more time doing your soul work and enjoying the richness of your life.

[00:00:46] Welcome to Be the Sought After Entrepreneur podcast, and here's your host, Katherine Thompson. 

[00:00:55] Welcome back Super Stok that you're tuning into this week's episode, and I cannot wait to dive into today's [00:01:00] topic because I have a very special guest on the show. As you know, I support soulful coaches in articulating the value of what you do, putting that ethereal, cosmic genius.

[00:01:13] Into words so that you can put your work in the hands of more people. You can create that impact. And part of that is me promoting my services like Spellbound or Done For You Copy. And this particular guest has come across. Into my world from and through one of my ads that I was putting out there. And one of the things that we talk about in this episode is how powerful getting visible really is.

[00:01:42] And that when we release the attachment to needing to have an outcome come from it and allowing. The universe, source, whatever, to deliver you these beautiful souls in your world. That could be potential clients, that could be [00:02:00] a client, that could be a beautiful collaboration or conversation or just a freaking connection, and this is exactly what this is and what transpired.

[00:02:13] Bridget reached out to me. in the DM said, Hey, I wanna have a conversation with you. I wanna get on a call. I wanna learn more about what you're doing. And it turned into this beautiful conversation in that moment to a point where I wanted to have her on the podcast because we share a lot of similarities in our background.

[00:02:32] She studied journalism communications. I have a master's in communications. She's so beautifully articulate. She says and what she does and the impact that she's creating, which is really helping people activate that highest potential within them to return back to knowing their fullest wholeness. And we dive so deep into that.

[00:02:53] She is the owner CEO of Bridget K's coaching and I'm just really, really excited to have her on [00:03:00] the show. So without further ado, please welcome Bridget to the show. Cheers.

[00:03:09] Hey, hey, I am super stoked to have Bridget on the show today. Without further ado, I'm just gonna turn it right over to you so you can share with our listeners who you are, where, where you're at, and, and what you do. 

[00:03:19] bridget Querns: Yeah. Awesome. Thank you. Hello, I'm Bridget Corns. I am the owner of a very green coaching business, corn's coaching L L C, for which I formed the L L C in July of last year.

[00:03:34] So it is a very new baby. And, um, my whole mission with my coaching business, with my podcast is to activate potential to restore wholeness. So basically that it's a fancy way of saying we come here with this soul that really knows deep down what it is we're supposed to do, and is very in touch with that.[00:04:00] 

[00:04:00] And then sort of through the years we. Get covered up with all of the scum that life throws at us. And somewhere along the way we get lost and frustrated and stuck, and we feel these levels of discontent. And my whole mission is to just help you get back in touch with that soul knowing of what you're supposed to be doing.

[00:04:21] And then from there, That activation leads to being able to live a life from a place of wholeness, of knowing who you are, what you love, and just feeling the joy and fulfillment of being able to do that every day. 

[00:04:35] Kathryn Thompson: So amazing and so beautiful. And I know we've chatted offline and in other places, and so I would love for you to share with our listeners, like, where did this all start?

[00:04:46] Because you have a lot of years of experience, uh, before this, you know, new business has been born. So, um, yeah. Where did this vision come from? 

[00:04:58] bridget Querns: Yeah, sure. So, [00:05:00] goodness, I guess. It really, I mean, honestly, it goes back to my childhood, even as a child. If someone were to ask me, you know, what do you wanna do when you grow up?

[00:05:11] I, I had answers for that. I had answers like, I wanna be an archeologist in Egypt. Um, but way deep down inside the answer that that came up sort of in my soul was, I wanna know what God wants me to. And that God is like a very broad sense of the term. I'll call God's spirit. I'll call God creator essence, you know, energy.

[00:05:35] I, I'm happy to use any of those terms, but it was just this longing of, I know there's something like I feel like I remember something, but I don't know what that something is, and. It sort of felt like through my childhood, through my high school experience, through even going to college, I would do things that I [00:06:00] felt like I was picking up on.

[00:06:01] Maybe a breadcrumb here or there. Um, but none of them really. Got to the heart of that, I felt, so what I was seeing in the process was I just feel like I'm lost. Like none of these things are connecting for me and I feel like I'm lost. Um, I have a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication, so I have a broadcast journalism background.

[00:06:25] I thought maybe I'll be on television, maybe I'll be on the radio. No surprise now seeing where I am. But then it, it didn't feel like it was quite the right. . And then in college I decided, okay, well maybe this isn't quite right. And at the end of my senior year, I literally graduated, walked off the stage.

[00:06:45] The next day I walked back into the classroom to get my master's in adolescence education for English. I love English, I love reading. I love the opportunity. It's that teaching English opens up when you're [00:07:00] working with students to teach them how to question their world, to teach them how to dig into things and, um, maybe be a little bit rogue and, um, question just what authority says or what the reality around them presents.

[00:07:16] So that was a direction I went after. I taught for a decade and then some life circumstances really shook me. And um, I know people will say that sometimes when they're not on their correct path, medical things pop up for which they don't have answers. And that was my case. I ended up getting, um, some odd like skin rashes to.

[00:07:44] I, I couldn't find a trigger or a cause. Um, my face actually around my lips. I have pictures. I actually posted them on Instagram cause I wanted people to see this process, but my lips broke out. They were huge. They looked terrible. I [00:08:00] felt terrible. I looked terrible. Could not find the cause of what was going on with that.

[00:08:05] And then I unexpectedly got pregnant with my fourth child, which of course was a huge blessing. But I ended up with, again, with severe preeclampsia like I'd had in my previous pregnancies, and essentially after I had him, was in the hospital with heart failure. Wow. So it was like this big wake up of, okay, my world is shaking, and I couldn't continue along the path that I was on because it wasn't healthy for me to do so.

[00:08:34] Yeah. So I left the world of teaching. I decided to stay home with my children, and as soon as I left almost, it felt like as soon as I left, it was 2019 Covid. Wow. So there we were . Um, I was really grateful not to be in the teaching realm at that point. Um, I'm very, very grateful to those who stuck it out and are teaching my kiddos now.

[00:08:58] Um, thank you to them. [00:09:00] But that was not for me. And ultimately that process pushed me into this world of. Figuring out, you know, who am I? What am I here for? What do I want all over again? And how do I finally connect the dots? I have all of these degrees. I have all of this life experience. What the heck am I here to do?

[00:09:21] And ultimately it was through allowing the people in my community to speak into my life that I found what I was supposed to do. Wow. So it was friends, it was trusted mentors. It was people who said to me, you. You really might wanna look into coaching. Coaching might be a good direction for you to go.

[00:09:42] You're doing all this work on yourself. Coaching is really walking people through doing that work as well. Yeah. And. A light bulb just went off. It was like, that's what I did as a teacher with my students that I loved so deeply. Those relationships were so special [00:10:00] and oh my goodness, this feels like the right fit.

[00:10:03] And um, I guess that's the story of how I got from, uh, from point A to, uh, Z. 

[00:10:09] Kathryn Thompson: Yeah. I love it. And it just showcases sort of like the zigs and Z that we take to get to this place. Right. And I always. You know, is there really an arrival? Are we really arriving at our purpose or is it just something, this process that we're living and the journey of like starting as a child of what you want it to be, to then like mm-hmm.

[00:10:32] you know, there is a theme there, right? It's like the teaching, right? The discovery, the like exploration into life, into history, into. 

[00:10:45] bridget Querns: Sorry, I That's okay. I'm sorry. Children, honey? Yes. My sister is Scott. It's in the wash. And Scott, they can't, we're we're live. You can't be down here. You gotta go back upstairs in your room please.

[00:10:59] [00:11:00] Thanks. Too cute. Calem. Go. We, we practiced for this. Oh yeah, of course. Don't bug Mommy. Please stay upstairs. It's one hour. Yeah. 

[00:11:13] Kathryn Thompson: No, no, no. Doesn't, doesn't work that way. . It doesn't work that way. Which is, which is also kind of beautiful, right? Because it just shows life. Totally, totally. Yeah. The, the process of.

[00:11:24] The process of getting to where you are, there is themes in that for sure. Right? Mm-hmm. with the discovery, the teaching, and what's super interesting about your story is, is that when I was in my final days in corporate last year and a half, I say final days, but the last year and a half, and I knew when I went to the Philippines and came home from the Philippines, that corporate was not my thing.

[00:11:48] I had known probably for a very long time. It wasn't. It took me another year and a half and I remember breaking out with this odd rash around my left eye [00:12:00] and it wasn't on, it was only on one eye. It was like flaky and pussy. And I remember like, Not wearing makeup for very long periods of time. Everyone telling me my makeup was bad.

[00:12:12] I don't wear makeup that often, so it's years old for sure, . But even if I was putting mascara on both of my eyes, I was only getting this rash on the one eye. And I went to this beautiful doctor walk-in clinic locally here, and it was this old dear Chinese man, and I got in to see him like again. Divine intervention, right?

[00:12:34] Mm-hmm. , because I walked into, he walked into the. Room there. And I said, I've got this stupid rash and I've had it for like six months. Like, what is it? And he just looked at me and he was like, you know, he's like, I can prescribe you with cortisone cream and all of that. Mm-hmm. . But he's like, usually when stuff like this happens medically where there's like one patch around [00:13:00] one eye and we can't really Yeah.

[00:13:02] Figure out what it is. He said, it's something within you. And I looked at him and he. Yeah, my medical doctor friends here will probably be rolling their eyes at me for telling you this. He's like, I can prescribe you with the cortisone cream, but he goes, there's something deeper here that I'm inviting you to look into.

[00:13:20] Wow. I was thinking, who are you and where have you come from? and, and how did I manage to, you know, by chance get you in this very busy clinic, and I walked outta there. I got the cortisone cream. I put it on my eye and I think about two months later, I quit my corporate job and never looked back. Mm-hmm.

[00:13:39] And it's that rash has never come back. Yep. It disappeared The minute I think I literally said I quit and I walked out. Well, I gave him two weeks notice or a month's notice or something. wasn't that dramatic, but uh, and I left. It was like that rash disappeared. And it's funny how our bodies [00:14:00] manifest these health.

[00:14:01] Mm-hmm. things. Mm-hmm. that. Are unexplainable. Um, it's kind of like you waited a bit too long to make the move, and so we're just gonna like, yeah. Put this really weird rash on your face and eventually make fuel. Yes. Maybe you'll, you'll go, so it's super cool to hear Yeah. Your journey of where, where you've come from and, and where you are now, and what is, what do you find the most exciting about?

[00:14:27] My gosh, having made the pivot Yeah. 

[00:14:31] bridget Querns: every day. Um, I find every day exciting now. Yeah, that's the difference. I, I just had a conversation earlier today about the same thing. It's, I used to wake up with dread and anxiety and a tightness and a constriction in my chest, feeling like, do I really have to go live another day of this life?

[00:14:51] And that's a terrible thing to say and like to say out loud now. But now every day I wake up is a gift, [00:15:00] truly, and I'm excited and I'm so thrilled for the conversations that I get to have and the connections that I get to make, and just the excitement that comes every day. I, I never know what's going to happen, but there are all of these synchronicities.

[00:15:14] I, I meet souls who are aligned with me. I get to have conversations and the same things get repeated. It's just so confirming for me, and it's just a beautiful experience. I don't think there has to be like this. Wow, this one huge, amazing thing happened. It's just a gift to get to feel this much gratitude for my daily life.

[00:15:40] And that's 

[00:15:41] Kathryn Thompson: so true, right? It's like I, again, when I, when you think about searching for your purpose or following this path and this seeking, which I know a lot of listeners who follow me are the high achiever, overachiever, likely have a ton of degrees education. They've maybe tried a [00:16:00] lot of the, I don't wanna say wrong things, but tried a lot of hats on and eventually came into entrepre.

[00:16:07] And maybe even in this moment are still thinking like, is this right? Am I on the right path? Maybe if things aren't quite working the way they want. And really it is, it's not about this one big moment of like, woo, like I, you know, I finally found the thing. It's like you described it, you know, this sort of like peace and gratitude and contentment that we didn't have.

[00:16:32] In our corporate or other jobs, right? Where there was this restriction, this dread, and I didn't ever believe that I could wake up and actually be excited to go to bed at night cuz I knew I was gonna get to start another day doing the thing I ultimately love. I never thought that that was possible until it happened.

[00:16:50] And then when we say it, it's like those that maybe have aren't ex quite experiencing it are like, yeah, right. Yeah. Right. . But it, but it's so true. There is this. [00:17:00] Peace and calm and contentment and just like, oh wow, I actually get to, to do this. Whether it's finding the thing, right, we say, you know, like, but it's, it's coming.

[00:17:10] Finally, getting to a place where we're. Yeah. Content in in what we're, what we're doing. So can you share a little bit more of like the practical ways in which you help people kind of come back to this wholeness? Like what is it that you actually help them with to help ground that in for people that might be like, this is a bit esoteric or a bit

[00:17:30] Woo woo. What are you guys talking about, ? Yes. 

[00:17:33] bridget Querns: Yeah, it is totally woowoo and I've tried to think of ways to make it sound more. Structured and practical. Yeah. Um, the, the process by which we do it is not this great magic unfolding, although it can feel that way, but really essentially, um, okay. Here's a great way that I like to describe it.

[00:17:55] It's, it's, I love to describe things in metaphors. Yes. So you [00:18:00] are in your car and you are driving on your life highway. And there can be moments of, oh my gosh, my wheel just fell off. Or, oh, good grief, it's so dark and my headlights aren't working. Or, oh my gosh, I think I missed my exit and now I have no clue where I am.

[00:18:17] What I get to do as a coach is you pop open that back seat. That back door, and you invite me into the. And I'm not taking the wheel. I'm not the one who's navigating you. I'm not fixing the mechanical problems of the car, but I get to be there as sort of an observer and a companion in the process. And when we have these moments of I'm really scared or I'm really frustrated, or I just feel kind of lost and um, I don't know where I'm going.

[00:18:54] It's so nice to have a companion who's able to come alongside us and walk through that with us. Mm-hmm. , [00:19:00] and maybe I can ask you just the right question. I kind of think of myself as a question artist. Yeah. Right. I have a degree in broadcast journalism, so I was trained for four years. Yeah. On how to ask the right questions at the right time.

[00:19:15] Really, that's what my, that's what I paid tens of thousands of dollars to learn . Yeah. Um, I was born knowing how to ask questions, but I got the degree anyway. Yeah. And then again, as an educator, I taught my students the value of asking questions. The most important thing you can do as a person is not have the answers.

[00:19:36] It's knowing who to ask, where to go for answers and what questions to ask to get them. That's. So I can hop in that backseat of the car and ask you questions. Hmm. Have you tried the high beams instead of the low beams? Or what would it look like if we just pulled a youi here and you know, went back to reexamine that part of the road, or, [00:20:00] Hmm.

[00:20:00] Have you thought about the fact that you might have a donut in the trunk that you could pop on that tire? And I get to be this really not annoying, but helpful backseat driver. So, you know, we, we hate backseat drivers because they wanna tell us all of the things. You should have turned there. Uh, here's the directions that I thought you should be following.

[00:20:20] My g p s said this. We resent that and in life. A coach is trained not to give you the answers because ultimately you're going to listen to yourself. You're going to listen to the answers that bubble up from deep within you because that's your soul speaking totally. So what I get to do is help you listen to your soul's urgings and help you figure out, again, where we're going, how to navigate this road, and ultimately how to get your car driving in a way that's most conducive to that process.

[00:20:53] Kathryn Thompson: Such a beautiful analogy and so true to not looking at it like I'm here to fix you, [00:21:00] right? When it's coming back to that wholeness, it's like you already have the answers within you. It's just for whatever reason, maybe there is mock on the windshield that needs to be cleared and we can't see through that because we need somebody there reflecting it back to us in some way, shape, or form.

[00:21:16] Who do you normally, what type of people do you normally work? 

[00:21:21] bridget Querns: I love that. Yeah. I think it's anyone who is excited and ready to do the work, you have to be ready to do, there's a certain level of, of preparedness for digging into this deep inner work. And not everybody is ready to see that reflected back to them, but if you are feeling frustrated or discontent or stuck and you are ready to take the step of, I know it might get a little bit ugly and scary, but if there's someone with me, I wanna do this.

[00:21:54] Yeah. And you're ready to, to live that life like, like we described, there's this [00:22:00] peace and contentment and even joy. Some days, not all days are joy filled, but every day there's a sense of peace because I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm just showing up for it. If you're ready for that and you're ready to experience that, Those are the people who I love to work with.

[00:22:18] Kathryn Thompson: Amazing. And there is this expectation sometimes when we do this work that it's gonna be all like butterflies and roses and life's just gonna be all grand when we, when we dig deep and when we go into the places that maybe we've been hiding for a very long time, or we don't want the world to see. And there's this, yeah.

[00:22:37] Sometimes there's this notion or idea or expectation that it's just gonna be all like roses and really, . That's not the human experience. It's not every day is going to be roses or butterflies or full joy once you do this. Yeah. Work or come back to wholeness, right? Is that the human emotions are, there's an array of them, you know?

[00:22:57] Yeah. The happy, the sad, the angry, the frustration, all of [00:23:00] that. Um, so speaking of that, How has business been? Like how, you know, in terms of this, the pivot into business like mm-hmm. , what are some of the biggest things maybe that you've learned or didn't expect or kind of went like, oh wow, I didn't realize that that was gonna be what it was gonna be.

[00:23:19] Yeah, 

[00:23:20] bridget Querns: yeah. Um, It's interesting because I, I really launched everything sort of all at once. I had known for a couple years that I wanted to get into this work, and I, I entered, Doing the work for myself with that mindset going in. I want to do this deep work on myself so I can bring this to others in a healthy way.

[00:23:43] And I also knew that I wanted to have a podcast that I was going to launch the same time. So I have viewed the genesis of my business and my podcast as a way of putting my work out there for people to see me, to get, to hear my voice, to sort of [00:24:00] learn the way I work because, I do the same thing on my podcast that I'm going to probably do with a lot of my clients, which is just ask questions, to draw things out, to hear from the depths of someone, and I thought, you know, what a great way to present what I do.

[00:24:17] That's, that's really. Digestible for people. That's really approachable. So I started those at the same time, and it's been, there's, there's two ways I like to look at it. Number one, I don't need success overnight. I am so. Excited to get to do this work that I don't need 500 clients. I don't need $10,000 in a month.

[00:24:41] I'm just excited that I get to show up and whoever shows up to work with me is going to be the right person and it's going to come at the right time. So I've put that out there and I trust that. And the other part of this really is, you know, just knowing that at any point, if I'm [00:25:00] open to. That it could come, it could come overnight.

[00:25:04] Yeah. I'm not saying it can't. I'm totally open for that. I'm ready. I am showing up and doing the work every day. I have, um, a book that I got to write a chapter for that's coming out next month. I am. Just putting out into the world this vision of getting to speak on different stages. And how interesting is it that I've gotten invitations to speak on podcasts to, you know, they're opening doors are opening up that I wouldn't necessarily have and visioned as a stage per se.

[00:25:33] Yeah. But I put that vision out there. I would love to speak, I'd love to share my story. And things just that, you know, the ripples just come back. It's just such a beautiful process. So I've put that out there. I would love for my perfectly aligned clients to hear my voice, to hear my story, and to go, Hmm, I know in the depths of my soul that this is who I need in my life.

[00:25:57] This is who I want to work with. And [00:26:00] whenever they come and however many there. I'm here. I'm here for it. . I love it. So that's sort of been, yeah, , I 

[00:26:07] Kathryn Thompson: love it. Because that perspective, I think that's a lesson, a hard lesson for entrepreneurs to learn is, is when we, and depending on where you're at and how you started it, you know, I started my business under a lot of my online business under a lot of pressure when I share that story, right?

[00:26:22] It was like I was selling a brick and mortar. It was coming into the online world, that was pressure to make it work. Or the looming corporate job was calling my name and I knew I didn't want to go back to that. Um, and so there you can come in with this mindset of like, it's gotta work and there's this force, right?

[00:26:42] And maybe the gratitude isn't necessarily there off the hop. And I 100% firmly believe that when you come in with gratitude, with this idea of, I just wanna share a message. And who is meant to be in my world, will be in my world. That in and of itself creates that soul connection right away [00:27:00] because they're gonna feel that your people feel that, right?

[00:27:03] Is what I will often say is like, if you're trying to force it and trying to sell and trying to push sales down people's throats, they're gonna feel that too, and it's not gonna feel very, very good. And so that whole gratitude piece is so huge in business. Um, and really just in. Yeah, 

[00:27:22] bridget Querns: yeah, yeah, for sure.

[00:27:24] Yeah, that's something I've worked with, with myself and my children on. We keep a gratitude journal. At the end of every day, we'll write 10 things that we're grateful for, and it can be everything from, I'm super grateful that I got to have this cup of coffee today. It was wonderful. It tasted great, and it made me happy.

[00:27:43] All the way to, oh my goodness, we got this huge blessing that we didn't expect and it just showed up and we're so grateful for that. But it's been such an exciting thing to see. Sometimes I'll go upstairs and my kiddos will already have written in the journal things that they're grateful for. Mm-hmm.

[00:27:59] and [00:28:00] they are 4, 6, 10, and 12. So, Their expressions of gratitude are so pure and so beautiful. Um, yes, so gratitude has become such a huge part of our lives, and I know, I just know it. I could just hear people saying the naysayers going, you know, gratitude doesn't feed a family and , you have to, you have to have, you know, you have to have income.

[00:28:23] But at the same time that I started really opening up myself and my soul to this business, Was something that my soul wanted me to do. This business is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Um, my husband got a, a job offer out of nowhere. That was essentially a huge promotion. Yeah. And. I didn't think, you know, in my, in my logical mind that that was connected.

[00:28:50] But now that I'm looking back at it, it was exactly what we needed to give me permission to wait and grow at just the right time. [00:29:00] So I can say this, I can say I am, I am waiting for my divinely aligned clients to come into my circle and into my realm because we have, we've been provided for so that I can do.

[00:29:14] Yeah. 

[00:29:15] Kathryn Thompson: Yeah. And it's so interesting, right, is that some, like you said, the logical mind might not make that connection, um, especially when, again, you can put this undue pressure on yourself too. Provide equally or whatnot in the Yeah, in the partnership. Right. I know when I left corporate, it was the same thing with the brick and mortar.

[00:29:35] It was like, oh man, I, you know, now I'm relying on my spouse. Yeah. To pull more of the weight, let's just say when it comes to like bills and groceries and all those sorts of things until this flies and takes off. Um, and probably was the first time in my life that I had really ever relied, let's just say yes on.

[00:29:54] So that was a tough place to be too, from an identity perspective of like, mm-hmm. , oh, now I [00:30:00] have to, like, ask for money, or I have to like, you know, that that was a really, really tough place, tough place to be. So, but it is interesting the, you know, the blessings that come into play to allow us to have the freedom to let the business grow the way it needs to grow and in divine timing and in the way that we need.

[00:30:20] And, um, It's just beautiful that you, you, you know your soul, you know in your soul. This is where you're meant to be and this is what you're meant to be doing. And however, quickly or fast or whatever the business grows, then that's all happening in. Time for you and Right. And the way that it's meant to be so beautiful.

[00:30:41] And I know you talked a bit about your podcast. I'd love to share, I would love for you to share about your podcast and, and the mission sort of behind 

[00:30:49] bridget Querns: that. Yeah. So my podcast is called Passionate Pursuits. And it launched officially at the end of September last year. And the mission with that is [00:31:00] exactly the same as the business it is to find people who have gotten in touch with that soul calling, who are living out their purpose and who are just in love with life.

[00:31:13] And want to share what that was like, what that journey was like. How did you find that? What was the path that you took to get there? And what does it feel like to be living on this side of your passion? And really just going full after that. And I get to talk to so many interesting people that I never would've thought would end up in my path.

[00:31:35] And it's just every single conversation is illuminating for me. And it's really neat to get to read, refuse, or have people message me and tell me how much they got out of it as well. 

[00:31:47] Kathryn Thompson: Yeah. It's such a fun ride. I know. I had thought for years to start a podcast and then just never really did. And then when I did, I was like, oh man, having guests on and being able to connect with people that I [00:32:00] would and have conversations with people over the world that I never.

[00:32:04] Had a conversation with otherwise, which kind of leads me into my, in my next point is like how we actually met. I know a lot of my listeners as entrepreneurs, if they're not marketers or salespeople by trade or we're never really trained in it, marketing and sales can feel really hard and putting yourself out there and being visible can also feel equally as hard.

[00:32:25] And asking for the sale can be equally as hard. And so I'd love for you to share how we came in contact because yeah. I just think it's beautiful how, how everything yeah. 

[00:32:36] Happened. 

[00:32:37] bridget Querns: Yes. So I do a large part of. Business visibility, work on Instagram, um, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn are my primary modes and primary social media modes.

[00:32:51] And I was on Instagram one day and your ad popped up. And the first thing I thought, the first thought that crossed my mind was, oh my goodness, she looks like [00:33:00] me. love it. Because I to, I like to show we both have this gray background. Yeah. I like to show up just naturally faced, you know, I, you'll pretty much always see me in a chambre.

[00:33:11] Yeah. I am a very like, predictable person in that way because I show up so, so full of life and full of, you know, doing this difficult work in other areas that I need some predictability and stability in my life. . Yeah. So I'm plain in other ways and I just saw you and it's exactly what we talk about.

[00:33:32] It's my soul. Recognized your soul. And I was like, She's sharing her soul, like she's actually speaking from a place of authenticity. Whereas, you know, you see so many things cross your feet on social media and people say, be vulnerable, be authentic. Show your real self, and you're like, But you're wearing five layers of makeup.

[00:33:56] You have like, I don't know, gold office furniture next [00:34:00] to you, nothing. Nothing wrong with that. You may connect with someone else whose soul is drawn to that. Yeah. But my soul was drawn to the, I'm showing up as me, I'm talking to you from, you know, a place where I'm comfortable. And it just grabbed my attention.

[00:34:15] And honestly, the first thing that I thought was, I want to connect with this person. Like I just feel a connection with you as a person. Like, I wanna know who you are. I wanna know your story. I love interpersonal relationships, but I'm introverted, so I like one-on-one. You know, I like to get to know people, like really deep down, know them.

[00:34:37] So I messaged you and I'm like, she's, I, you know, I've sent out messages before. I'm like, you know, if, if this is the right person again, Then we'll connect and we did. You messaged me back and I was like, oh my gosh, she actually exists. . Yeah. So, yep. So we set up a chat and it's been, yeah, it's been a little right from [00:35:00] there.

[00:35:00] Kathryn Thompson: Yeah. So beautiful. Because again, when we put ourselves out there in marketing, you know, and my whole mission and what I share with people is like, Getting visible doesn't necessarily mean you're constantly selling, like, and everybody that comes into your world has to buy from you. Um, that you can form beautiful collaborations or just have beautiful conversations.

[00:35:22] Um, you can come be on my podcast, like it doesn't have to always be about. The selling, which makes it, I think, really awkward for people because when they think that they're somebody, d D dms them, or they have to DM somebody, it's like this awkward conversation of like, oh man, are they gonna buy from me?

[00:35:39] And my whole thing is like, just go in openhearted to the conversation and you have no idea where it's gonna lead you. But when you go in with this outcome in mind of like, yeah, well they DM me and now I have to sell to them. You close yourself off from what could be something really beautiful, collaboration, speaking on podcasts.

[00:35:58] Um, you know, maybe at [00:36:00] some point writing a book together. Like you just never know where that's gonna go. And if you're only this one track mine of like, oh, I need, this is a prospect and I need to sell to them. Um, It can close off beautiful relationships, conversations, that sort of thing. And what's interesting is, as I often hear from people, they're like, I just didn't actually think you would be the one that would respond in the dms.

[00:36:20] I'm like, cuz I'll voice message some people if I'm like busy cruising around or whatever, . And they're like, oh wow. It's. Actually you, I'm like, yeah, I have no one else working in the dms for me, . It's, it's just me. Um, so yeah, it's, it's, uh, such a beautiful way, like, you know, to, it doesn't always have to be about the sale, let's just say.

[00:36:38] And that it, yeah. Beautiful things can come from getting visible. Uh, we just have to be openhearted to it. So. So, yeah, so beautiful. And the other, one other thing I wanted to touch on because you, you mentioned it, is that you doing the healing work yourself allows you to do this and deliver this in a very healthy way, which I think ties back to the [00:37:00] authenticity and the being able to show up in sort of a genuine way is that, um, when you actually do.

[00:37:08] Like healing work and this processing, um, you can show up authentically. I think sometimes when we're pushing a message out, inauthentically or not genuine, obviously people feel that, but there's healing and, and work to be done there. And, and you talk about that. And so I'd love for you to share like the importance cuz I, I think it's just so important to if you're selling something that you're also walking the talk, let's just say.

[00:37:35] Yeah. And so, you know, When did you feel ready or if that's even a thing? Cause I also hear from people. Yeah. You know, it's like, oh, I feel like a fraud because I'm still a work in progress. You know? We all are. So when did you actually feel maybe ready to do this? And then do you ever feel ready. 

[00:37:54] bridget Querns: Yeah. Um, it's, I think the healthy way of looking at it is [00:38:00] we envision this best version of ourselves, and it's a guiding star, not a distant shore.

[00:38:08] There's no expectation that I'm ever going to actually become that version of myself that I'm envisioning. , but because I have her in mind, I have something to aim for. Hmm. So I've done so much work on, you know, write your own eulogy. What do you want people to say at your funeral? It sounds really dark, but it's so clarifying.

[00:38:31] Yeah. This is what I, this is what I want people to think of me when I'm gone. Oh crap. I've got some work to do to get to that person. So people actually view me that way. Honestly, um, about a year and a half ago or two now, oh my gosh, two years now, I had like a spiritual awakening. Mm. And that was part of it.

[00:38:52] I have been going to spiritual direction for myself. Every other week I show up with my spiritual director. Those are some of the most [00:39:00] difficult conversations. Like I love to have conversations, but I'll show up and I'll go. I don't have a clue what we're gonna talk about today, but we sit for 10 minutes in silence and meditate, and ultimately whatever we're going to talk about comes up.

[00:39:13] But I do spiritual direction regularly. I have. Bookshelves upon bookshelves upon bookshelves. People have stopped suggesting books to me because I will go buy it and read it. I'm reading about 15 different books at any given time because it's so important to me. You know, as a teacher, I am a lifelong learner, so I will never stop learning and I never want to stop learning.

[00:39:38] And I have learned along the years that the only source of information we really have is people. That's it. People are our only source of information. They write all the books. They come up with all of the discoveries. , you know, that's the only place to get them. So I've sought [00:40:00] more and more to have real conversations with people for myself, and I want conversations with people of every background, of every different belief system of, you know, who are doing all different kinds of work, because I just value and treasure the wisdom that they have.

[00:40:19] Yeah. So, oh my gosh, I don't even know if I answered your question, but it's, it is a process. It. Moment to moment to moment decision to show up as the best version of myself that I can embody in any given moment. Hmm. And it never stops. And especially with four children, it never stops. . There is so much that is required if a person when you are Hmm.

[00:40:44] When you get to be the, um, steward of Little Souls. Yeah. Who ultimately teach you more than you teach them. Yes. So it is, it's constant work, but I love it and I love to talk about the work that I'm doing and [00:41:00] every book I buy, I just think of as a, um, business write off that I get to share with my clients.

[00:41:05] Yeah, I love it. But yes, I've paid for coaches, I've paid for programs. I've all of those because I just. I just want to continually be evolving. That's what we're here to do. Yeah. Our souls are here to learn. They're here to evolve. They're here to become the next great. Evolution of ourselves. So I don't think it is a process that ever stops, but it's a process.

[00:41:31] A process that is best done in community with others. 

[00:41:35] Kathryn Thompson: Mm-hmm. Yeah. In relation, which is so beautiful. Yes, there's moments of isolation that we can learn a lot, but it's, it's in relation with. Humans, other souls, whether they be little souls or adult souls right. Is like we, yeah. There's so much to learn. Um, and just e explore an experience, which is, which is so beautiful.

[00:41:56] Mm-hmm. . Well, I've, I've loved having this [00:42:00] conversation with you. I could chat with you for hours, , um, but I know I, yes, I know. Um, We should wrap up now, but, uh, but yeah. What, where can people find you if they want to, um, follow you, learn about your work? 

[00:42:15] bridget Querns: Yeah, so you can search. My podcast is Passionate Pursuits.

[00:42:19] You can search that wherever you get podcasts. You can find me on Facebook. Just look up Bridget Qurans. My business page is Bridget Qurans. I am on Instagram as Bridget Qurans. I am on LinkedIn. It's, I mean, Bridget Kos, but you can also search KO's Coaching L l c, and my website is kos coaching.com. So those are the best ways to get in touch with me.

[00:42:42] But please send me a message. I love to chat with people. I'm always down to have a Zoom chat or a phone chat. I think that's the best way to get to know someone. It's just totally, zoom is great, cuz it's face to face kind of. Yeah. . Yeah. Yeah, . So yes, I'm always, always welcomed, you know? I always welcome.[00:43:00] 

[00:43:00] Kathryn Thompson: Amazing, amazing. And we'll link all of that up in the show notes so that it's just really easy for people to access that so that they can connect with you. And I love that you've invited them to connect with you and book a call or Yeah, please. Or DM or, or whatever, because like you said, it's is, it's the best way to get to know people is in conversation and, and whatnot, whether it be virtually or in person.

[00:43:20] So it's been lovely chatting with you. I cannot wait for this episode to drop. There's so many nuggets of golden here. I know our audience is gonna love it. Thank you. Yes, thank you for having me. You're welcome. I could have talked to Bridget for hours, which leads me into my next episode and what I wanna share with you there, and it has to do with incongruencies.

[00:43:41] If you've been in my world for a while, you've likely heard me talk about static in your frequency. Incongruencies. What feels like maybe you're pushing a boulder up a mountain or things feel really hard and you can't figure out why things are so freaking hard and you're constantly asking yourself, there's gotta be an [00:44:00] easier way.

[00:44:00] And one of the places I talk about this the most is in my free training, selling The Invisible. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend you do. It's on Demand Link is around the show notes here that you can click on, or you can go to my Instagram bio. In there as well. But basically I'm gonna be breaking some of this down in the next episode, so be sure to tune in and subscribe to the show so you don't miss it when it drops.

[00:44:26] Cheers. 

[00:44:29] Thanks for listening. We'll see you right back here next time. You can also find us on social media at creatively owned and online@creativelyowned.com. Until next time, keep showing up as your authentic self.