Trusting Your Intuition with Anne Massey

This transcript was created using AI. Please forgive any discrepencies.

[Intro] Welcome to Easy Style with Sami. I’m your host Sami Bedell-Mulhern. Each episode, I invite a friend, family member or colleague or just someone I’ve met on this journey called life to come and share their personal style and approach to business, parenting, life and everything in between. You’ll hear motivational and inspirational stories that will help you refine and build your own personal style. Remember, style is easy when it comes from within.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Hey there, and welcome back to another episode of easy style with Sami. Today, my guest is Anne Massey. And thank you so much for being here.

[Anne Massey] Thank you for having me.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  So we met years ago, maybe what? I don’t know how many years ago, but I know, we kind of really connected about maybe two or three years ago, I’ve lost time. I don’t know about you. But COVID has like lost time for me. No concept. Yeah, there’s no concept. But we’re in the same mastermind program, the modern CEO. And so we got to meet there and a lot of those calls and kind of went through a similar transition in moving and spending some time traveling and had some fun times connecting over that. So we’ll get into all of that. But I’d love for you to start just by introducing yourself and letting people know a little bit about you.

[Anne Massey] Okay, yeah, I never really know how to answer that question, right? Because, you know, so many of us are, like, have so many different things. So, again, my name is Anne Massey, and I am a health and wellness coach. And while that seems like a very simple concept, it’s really, you know, pretty broad. I mean, I started my career in business management. So you know, everything that I’ve done through the years has built me into this place, and love to travel and love to help people and love to get connected with people. And that’s a lot about what this year is going to be for me. It’s just, you know, connecting with people and I actually hear my dog coming around so you might see it over there. I am a dog mom. Nice guys little sweater on. So he’s my baby. Proud dog mob. Yeah, yeah.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Well, and you what’s his name?

[Anne Massey] sammich. Samus hmm, ich so like what a little kid would call a sandwich.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  I love it. Well, and you guys have been on adventure. So like, let’s get into this. Because when we, you know, really started chatting, you were living in Hawaii, you were working for a company, but also doing your own coaching. And I think this is kind of this is really why I wanted to have you on the podcast because I feel like this is my perception. So you can totally tell me I’m wrong and change and whatnot. But I feel like you were on this like beautiful journey of like, you know what? This isn’t serving me Why is not serving me anymore. My full time job isn’t serving me. I don’t exactly know where I want to go. I know the industry that I’m in has some flaws. So I got to really figure out what I want. And you just kind of toured the country. So what kind of inspired that because it’s one thing to love travel, it’s another thing to Sell your belongings and go live in a car. I mean, not that live in your car with your dog and just travel the country for a period of time.

[Anne Massey] Yeah, I mean, I think for people that like had just met me like right around that time or right before that time. Probably don’t know that. That doesn’t seem like a huge stretch for me. I have multiple times gotten rid of most of my belongings and moved across the country. Right. So even before I moved to Hawaii, I was living in Manhattan. And this was like right after 911 decided I want something else. And you know, sold like 200 pairs of shoes on eBay and like used that to move to Hawaii. I don’t have that many shoes anymore. So, you know, that particular time, you know, where I was getting ready to leave who I had been there about? Just about 10 years, I think. So I had lived there originally left for grad school and then and then had come back for 10 more years. And about two years. But you know, before I moved I or before I left Hawaii again, I got divorced and like, you know, made a lot of changes. And my dog has we’ll call it special needs. He has a little bit of an attitude problem. So it’s hard for me to find people to watch him when I want to travel and I had a wonderful, absolutely wonderful dog trainers was a husband and wife and they did boarding but they moved to another island so if I wanted them to still board my dog I had to ship him, you know, on an airplane to another island, which I did, but it just it made it hard for me to travel. So the ultimate decision to leave. Two of my closest friends had just left off the island, we’re like mid pandemic, in my full time job 50% of my team gets laid off. And there’s like a scramble to, you know, get all their case loads taken care of, and it ended up falling on me and another coach to, you know, reassign, I want to say four or 500 sessions, like within the course of two days, also managing our own case loads. And then two days after that my landlord was like, Hey, we’re not going to renew your lease. And to find a pet friendly, a dog friendly apartment that is reasonably priced in Hawaii. Yeah, it’s like winning the lottery, right? Like, it’s a unicorn. And I was just like, I can’t emotionally handle any of this. I think I’m just gonna leave. And everyone was like, Well, where are you going to go? And like, I don’t know, I’m just gonna drive around in my car. I don’t know where I want to go. I don’t know where I want to move. But I just, it’s time for me to go.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  But has it always been a part of your personality where you, you know, because some people need to have a very structured like, I need to know exactly where I’m going, I need to, like, I need to have all the systems and steps in place, I’m not just going to pick up and go and have this adventure. Like, has that always been a part of your personality, where you’re like, well, we’ll just see what happens. Like, the world has given me all these signs that it’s time for a change. So let’s just go and let the world Give me what it’s gonna give me.

[Anne Massey] Absolutely. Much to the chagrin of my parents, and other family and friends. They’re like, you don’t have a plan. I’m like, I have to go, it’s time to go. You know, I just I know, in my gut, like, this doesn’t serve me anymore. I need to do it. And an outwardly it might look very abrupt. But, you know, I usually have thought about it, or it’s like been building, right. So like, while that particular situation seemed like so abrupt, and you know, I was out and gone within two months. I’d kind of been already in that place of like, Yeah, I’m getting a little itchy. Something needs to change. I don’t know what it is, you know, it’ll show up, but it just like, it was just like, kind of that, you know, within just a couple of days, those few things, it was like, Okay, you this something else, you need something else. Yeah. Well, and I think,

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  you know, it’s, it’s, it’s interesting, at least I know, from, from my perspective, when, when we let go, the anxiety and the this is a big thing for me this year is doing the work, I know, I am here to do in the best way that I can without any sort of expectation, like, I’m not going to expect certain results, I’m just going to do what I know is right. And even just in the first part of this year, the things that have circled back to me, like it’s amazing when we change that. So I love that that’s how you your approach was just like, let’s just go see what happens. Like, I know, this isn’t working. So many people just feel comfortable sitting in the IC because they know what to expect.

[Anne Massey] Sure. And I mean, I still have those tendencies. But, you know, I also have to, you know, place a caveat in that. I have always had the privilege of having a safety net, you know, I have good friends and family that if something happened, you know, if I, if I was out in these travels, and I got laid off from my job, you know, I could have gone somewhere, you know, and had the safety to figure out the next step. So, you know, so I’ve always had that, you know, knowing I could fall back on that like, Okay, well, if I totally, you know, mess this up. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I prefer someone to help them. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, I think, you know, the ability to take risks. Definitely comes with that privilege of having something to fall back on, you know, whether it even if it is your savings and things or if it’s other people. There’s probably few people that are just like, I’m just gonna do it. You know, consequences be damned and not know that, like, they won’t end up homeless or in jail or something like

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  that. Yep. Well, okay. So what would you say kind of, because I know as you were on this journey, you were also working on your coaching business and kind of determining exactly what you were going to do, who you were going to serve, how you were going to serve them, like how did this trip affect kind of that piece? Or did that piece kind of affect where you traveled to like how to have all have all of these things kind of played together? Could you just, I believe got a new certification in cannabis coaching.

[Anne Massey] Yes, I did. Just I finally finished it. After graduation, I finished my thank you like cannabis coaching certification. So one of the things like working on that, as I was driving through the states was, you know, popping into different recreational legal states going into dispensaries seeing what was available, like, what was the community. And again, a lot of you know, these travels started for me in February of 2021. So, there still was a lot of things shut down, due to the pandemic. So, you know, networking events, were not a thing. You could go into certain stores, you know, I couldn’t like go into, you know, a bar next to a dispensary and have a conversation, like a lot of those things were, were closed. So sometimes it was, it really ended up being just like popping into the store and asking a question or, you know, reaching out in an online community in those areas. So, you know, the trip kind of informed that part in that sense, but I also think, uh, I’ve also had the opportunity to travel a lot in my life, even before this trip. My father was born in Ireland and came to the States in 62. So international travel was something that, you know, we could do, we understood that, you know, so I was able to go abroad a couple times when I was younger, did a lot of traveling throughout the states, you know, move to Hawaii, lived in Seattle. So I’ve had an opportunity to go to a lot of different places. So some of what this trip also was like, Let’s go places that we haven’t been, who are the people? What do they do? What is it like, What is the weather? Do I feel safe? And I’ve always lived in big cities on the coasts. So it’s like, you know, what, what is what is the middle? Like, I don’t know, what is the middle, like, you know, I also love to eat. So I’m like, Okay, there’s gonna be like, different food and all of these places. So I’m going to eat the food, and I’m gonna take my dog on hikes. And I just, I think that the world is so big, and there’s so many different places to see and go and learn from those people. Or even just learn from the environment. And I’m never going to be able to do that enough. Like, I’m always going to want more of that.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Well, and I think, do you think that plays into your coaching style, like the way that you approach your clients also like that, like, it’s like, there’s a holistic way of dealing with our body and health, but then it’s also like, a much more holistic way of looking at kind of the emotional and the mental side of what we’re all experiencing, like, do you think that allows you to be a little bit more in tune with, with the clients you’re working with?

[Anne Massey] Absolutely, yeah, that I’m so glad you brought that up. Because I think that me having had those experiences, recognize them or recognize that want in my clients, but also, I think has has given me maybe the chance to be more empathetic to their personal experiences, like, you know, me having had so many different kinds. I understand that most of my clients will not have life experience at all, like mine. And most of them aren’t even similar to each other. So, you know, that definitely having had that variety of experience also allowed me to see, you know, any potential current and potential client in a broader light. And as more complex human beings.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Yeah. So what’s, where are you? So you’re now on the East Coast, right?

[Anne Massey] I am. I’m in New Jersey, in the middle. And I’m about a block and a half in from the ocean. Ah, very important. So every morning the dog and I rain or shine, or snow, which we’re supposed to have later today. We we do a morning, boardwalk walk. And maybe one other time during the day, but like every morning, usually between 630 and 730. I’m out there on the boardwalk. Seeing the ocean watching the sunrise in the water. Oh,

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  that sounds amazing. Do you think that you’ll be there for a while? Or are you getting the itch again? Like are you going to travel or

[Anne Massey] YouTube? Yeah, and I’m always itchy for travel. And it is you know, because of the dog it is easiest for me to just like get in the car and drive around right now. But that being said, my brother in LA just had a baby. I am going to go out there and see the baby in next month. So I’ll have a little bit of travel. But no, I couldn’t answer that question. Am I going to stay put? I don’t think I know how. Yeah, so this is where I am until I’m not

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  until you’re not I love that. Well, and what I have always loved about your approach is like in conversations we’ve had where you’ve said things like, you know, there’s issues within our industry as far as how, you know, trainers, coaches, consultants in the health and wellness space are a compensated, treated, you know, our company, large companies are, you know, requiring things that are just not reasonable and kind of lower your ability to get the quality of care that you want. So what I have loved is your approach to all of that. And that, like, I don’t really know how to fix this, but I’m gonna just figure it out step by step and just kind of figure out what my truth and my passion is around that. So does it feel good now that you’ve completed this certification? And you’re kind of in your business? Like, do you look back on Hawaii when you were in that moment? Like, what does that feel like? I lost, like, my half of my job, or half of my employees are gone, um, don’t have a place to live to now where you’re at, like, how do you feel about that journey?

[Anne Massey] I mean, I think that any of those experiences are shaping like who we are and the direction that we want to go in. And I have to say that that probably something that made that experience easier to navigate for me is that after I got divorced, one of my personal goals was to really create more depth and intimacy in my friendships. And because I just never wanted to feel that loneliness again. And you know, so that was something that I really fostered. So even when I was like, alone in the middle of the country, I never felt alone, I wasn’t lonely, because I had, you know, I had created these relationships. And because Hawaii is so transitory, a lot of my friends have come and gone, I’ve moved from a lot of places. So my people are all over the place. So I can still, you know, have those deep connections without physically being in the same room with someone on a regular basis, you know, so that I think, really helped that kind of, okay, here’s a bump, here’s a bump, what do you do next? Like, who am I? What do I want to become, you know, so that has helped in that trajectory to sitting in this apartment now?

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Well, when you’re fostering those kinds of relationships, you also kind of have a better like, Okay, I know like, right now this bump is, you know, more financial related, or this bump is more like I’m in an anxiety ridden space or whatever you have, you know, who to go to, to help support you in those 100 Pacific things, which can help with not with not feeling alone, because you’ve have that connection and understanding on on a variety of different

[Anne Massey] elements. Absolutely. Yeah. So

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  favorite place that you went on your road trip and place that surprised you the most?

[Anne Massey] Um, I actually, I never can answer this question. I think the places worst, do I have places that like were awful? Absolutely. But my, like, favorite places, I don’t, I don’t know. Every place is so unique, has its own personality as its own food. You know, some places I was alone, sometimes I was in an area where there were friends and they showed me around sometimes friends met me in places. And you know, like, I had a friend that met me in New Orleans, and I’d never been there and they showed me around and you know, so that made the experience is just kind of different. I will say that the very first place that I was after I left my brother’s place in LA. So this is like, you know, the first destination the first Airbnb, I ended up in this weird type of RV park in the middle of Coachella, California. That really turned out to be a retirement community. Who were so wonderful. They were so wonderful. Like, on my morning dog walks, I kept seeing this this one guy Wayne every morning. And finally he was like, you know, we play pickleball every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 930 You should come and join and then afterwards like we go to some someone difference house every every time and have coffee and breakfast. And I did. I like didn’t go every day because like and I just went for like and I was there for six weeks. So I went a bunch of times and I was invited to people’s homes for dinner and one of the people that used to live in the community owned a date farm across the street and we got to tour and like, I was like, okay, just like talk to people out in the world. You have no idea what’s going to happen and I felt like that was such a great opening to the possibilities of what could happen on the trip.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  In a community that you would have never put yourself in, necessarily people you would have never ever met.

[Anne Massey] And almost all of them were from Saskatchewan, Canada. So it wasn’t even like, like, these were just, you know, totally random, you know, population that I ended up with.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  That’s awesome. Well, I love your story. And I think it’s an inspiration for people to even if you’re not willing to step outside your box enough to sell your stuff and move across the country or do all of that stuff. But at least, maybe it’s kind of a nudge in, listen to what your intuition is telling you. And don’t sit in what’s comfortable, like push yourself to do something and see what happens.

[Anne Massey] Yeah, there’s really exciting things on the other side of fear. Yeah,

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  yeah. I love that. Okay. Well, here are our last questions that I ask every single guest that comes on. So where is your kind of go to place for personal development? Or where where you go to maybe even learn about your travels or kind of plan for things?

[Anne Massey] I don’t have a specific place, I consume a ridiculous amount of information, like book reading news articles, that usually if I’m like, Oh, I’m really interested in something like, eventually through that consumption. It just kind of pops out. Got it and shows up like, oh, yeah, you put that out to the universe. There it is. You’ve been looking for it. Here it is. It’s kind

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  of like, you know, when you’re going to go buy a new car, and all of a sudden you see that car? You see it everywhere? Everywhere?

[Anne Massey] Yes. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, we put our attention on that thing. And then it appears.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Yep, I believe that too. Would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? Yes. I hear that from most my guests, which I love. Because

[Anne Massey] I think I think I feel very strongly that as women age, and I’m 47, we want to be left alone. And I we just like want to sit quietly and be left alone for a period of time. And then when we’re done, we’re gonna go out and do things. And I love to be around people and talk and I love live music. And but I might not I love living alone. I love being in here by myself.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Yes, I can understand that. What’s one thing on your goal list for the upcoming year either personal or professional.

[Anne Massey] I, even through this conversation, I actually feel like I’ve done all these things, but I’ve been playing way too small. And this year is about leveling up. And specifically in like the beginning of the year, I’ve been focusing on, you know, leveling up my connections and networking. Because the field like the coaching field is so big, like health coaching is big. But then there’s executive coaching and leadership coaching and life coaching. And I think they all inform each other. So I’ve been doing a lot to make those connections, and then also bring in the cannabis piece to that. So it’s really kind of having a louder, stronger voice and being more seen.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  That’s awesome. I love that. What’s one piece of advice that you’ve gotten from someone that has stuck with you?

[Anne Massey] I think probably the best advice I was ever given was, you know, one of my first bosses, he was really fantastic. And he said, an acceptable answer to almost any question is, I don’t know, let me get back to you. No matter like what level of expert you are. We don’t know everything. We might have an idea of it or like I remember I read an article about that. What did it say? I mean, we could make it up and answer the question, but it’s totally okay to be like, You know what, I think I know, but let me follow up and get back to you.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  That’s great advice. And what how lucky to get that advice from a manager early in your career, right? You know, when you’re just getting started, as opposed to sitting, I remember sitting in meetings, and financials are not my thing. But I had to present on financials for events at a nonprofit and like, I can’t do math in my head. And I was new, and the CEO looks at me, and he’s like drilling me with all these questions. And I was just like, if I would have just like taken a breath and been like, could you list these questions out for me? I will get you all the information. I couldn’t get them. It wasn’t an environment where I felt like that was safe to do and instead it created a whole lot of anxiety. So I whoever that supervisor is kudos to them for he was yeah,

[Anne Massey] he was great. Awesome, and I think it pertains to so many things as well.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Yeah, we don’t have to know everything. We What is a non negotiable in your life?

[Anne Massey] Rest? And you know, whether that be sleep. I am a massage therapist, so I’m very picky. But I found an absolutely amazing massage therapist out here. And you know, every time I go in, she’s like, What do you want to focus on? I’m like, my nervous system. Let’s just relax. And she does. Yeah. And but even, you know, laying on the couch and listening to music, but just, you know, any type of deep rest.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  So good. So good. And thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story with everyone. If people want to connect with you learn more about you. How do they do that?

[Anne Massey] You can find me on LinkedIn. And a nn, E, Massey, Ma, S, S, E, y. And then like the thing also says NJ at the end, because I am in New Jersey now. But you can also find me at my website, which is my first and last name a nn e m a s s e y.com.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  I love it. Well, thank you so much for being here.

[Anne Massey] Thank you for having me.

[Sami Bedell-Mulhern]  Well, are you inspired and excited to do something that scares you in your life? I hope so. And it’s such an inspiration. And I’m so grateful and thankful that she was on the podcast, you can grab all of her links at https://easystylewithsami.com/7. And that’s S A M I. I look forward to seeing you there. But thank you so much for listening to these episodes every single week. I’d love to know which stories are inspiring you and if you have an inspiring story and you want to share it on this podcast, just send me an email see me at easy sail with sammy.com. But for now, we’ll let you go and get on with your day and get into some things that are going to challenge you and push you past fear. I love that she said that. Make sure you subscribe wherever you listen, New episodes come out on Thursdays and I would really love it if you would leave us a review, especially on Apple podcasts. But thank you again and we’ll see you in the next one.