Episode 775: How to Build A Mindset That Makes You Unstoppable With Tasheena Womack

EBT775 – Tasheena Womack

[00:00:00]  Megan Porta 

This is one of the most inspiring mindset episodes I have ever recorded. Tashina Womack goes on a few absolute rampages in the best way, dropping gold on how to reframe failure, overcome perfectionism, and shift into unstoppable action. If your business needs a mindset reset, this episode is your permission slip to dream bigger and move faster.

[00:00:27]   Intro

Hi, food bloggers. I’m Megan Porta, and this is Eat Blog Talk. Your space for support, inspiration, and strategies to grow your blog and your freedom. Whether that’s personal, professional, or financial, you are not alone on this journey. 

[00:00:43]  Megan Porta

Tasheena, I am so excited to talk to you today. How are you?

[00:00:46]  Tasheena Womack 

I am amazing, Megan.

[00:00:48]  Megan Porta 

Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. And I love this topic so much. We’re going to talk about some unique ways to get a handle on your mindset to. To set yourself up for success. Yes, please. Right.

[00:00:58]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:00:59]  Megan Porta 

Before we do that, though, we would love to hear if you have a fun fact to share.

[00:01:03]  Tasheena Womack 

The fun fact is, I have never been stung by a bee. And oddly enough, I have a flower garden. So this season, after I actually mentioned it on social media this year. And so with that and having a flower garden, I have tons of bees around, I bet.

[00:01:21]  Megan Porta 

Yes.

[00:01:21]  Tasheena Womack 

After I shared it, I was like, a little like, oh, my God, maybe.

[00:01:24]  Megan Porta 

They’re after me now.

[00:01:26]  Tasheena Womack 

Y. But they were besties, so they did their job. I give them an abundance of flowers.

[00:01:32]  Megan Porta 

So they love you.

[00:01:33]  Tasheena Womack 

Besties. Yes. I love them, too.

[00:01:35]  Megan Porta 

I think that’s funny that you’re like, okay, wait, I sent out the message. I haven’t been stung, like, looking over your shoulder. My oldest son is terrified of bees and he’s never been stung, but he’s convinced that he’s going to get stung every time a bee is around and that he’s allergic. And I’m like, you’re fine. They don’t. They don’t even like you. They don’t want you. They. They want to go find the flowers.

[00:01:59]  Tasheena Womack 

Yeah, I get it. That’s, like, totally me now. Now I’m like, am I allergic? Like, what’s.

[00:02:04]  Megan Porta 

I know. Yeah, Right? Just a little bit so I can see.

[00:02:08]  Tasheena Womack 

Yeah.

[00:02:09]  Megan Porta 

Well, I love that. I don’t love that. Yeah, let’s not get stung. We’ll go. Yeah. Another year without getting stung. Tasheena.

[00:02:16]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes. Yes.

[00:02:16]  Megan Porta 

And if you are not joining us on YouTube, you have to, because you have to see Tasheena’s beautiful background. I love it so much. It’s like a. Like, you described it as an instagram worthy restaurant. Like a brunch restaurant you’re going to with the shimmery and the green.

[00:02:31]  Tasheena Womack 

Oh, I love like the brunch vibes. When you go to the like brunch spots and they have like the little Instagram worthy walls or spots in the area. Like yes, wanted to bring the brunch vibes home. I’m in Connecticut so we do get snowed in at times. So I, I’m like, I need, you know, those vibes going throughout.

[00:02:51]  Megan Porta 

Absolutely. Oh, gosh. Okay. Well, you’re inspiring me today, so thank you, Tasheena. Well, I’m so excited to chat. Tell us a little bit about your business first before we get into the topic.

[00:03:02]  Tasheena Womack 

So Simply Tasheena actually was started after graduate school. I wanted a place to just be with like minded individuals. That’s when blogging was going on and I just wanted a creative outlet. So it actually started off as Our Delightful Home and I rebranded maybe about five to seven years ago and transformed it to Simply Tasheena, where it’s just my creative outlet.

[00:03:29]   

I do pretty much all the above. More so lifestyle, travel, content, but food, that is just my therapy for me. I love to bake and cook, so it’s my creative outlet and I typically share my favorite recipes on the blog. So Simply Tasheena is just. It was my push after graduate school that it wasn’t the end of school.

[00:03:53]   

It was kind of like the beginning because with social media you just learn. It’s like you’re always learning, you’re always a student. So that’s where I started off at. It was like that hunger for what’s next.

[00:04:04]  Megan Porta 

Oh, I love that. I love how you described it and how much of your site is food versus other. Just out of curiosity.

[00:04:13]  Tasheena Womack 

It really depends on the time of year.

[00:04:15]  Megan Porta 

Okay.

[00:04:15]  Tasheena Womack 

So especially with the holidays approaching or like even with football season, I, I love to bake, I love to cook. And it also is when I see a recipe that I like or if I have something in mind, I’m like, oh my gosh. To answer your question, a lot during the holidays, but definitely throughout the year, I’m always trying various recipes because it’s just a creative outlet for me.

[00:04:37]   

I like to push myself to see what, you know, works and doesn’t work. And I’ve been making homemade bread so it took a while, but that’s something that I’ve been doing and it’s like, okay, can I make raisin bread next?

[00:04:51]  Megan Porta 

Right.

[00:04:52]  Tasheena Womack 

You know, what am I good at?

[00:04:53]  Megan Porta 

Right. Inspired. It sounds like it’s causing inspiration. I’m looking at your golden baked soft pretzels. Oh, my gosh. Those are. Those look so good. Amazing.

[00:05:05]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes. So we. I’m always. And it’s so random, but definitely the oven is. It has something at some point throughout the week. Like, I actually made that recipe again over the weekend. I made homemade bagels with. I’m just all over the place, so I can’t. I can’t say it’s. I definitely, you know, as the months get colder, but if there’s something trending or if there’s something that I want to try, you know, I don’t want to, you know, especially like Mother’s Day brunch times, I’m always, like, trying something.But definitely during the holidays, you’ll see the push with the food content.

[00:05:41]  Megan Porta 

Okay. I love. You’re so adorable. These pictures of you are just so cute. I can hardly stand it. And your food looks amazing. Okay, I need to stop getting lost in your website and get back to the conversation. Megan.

[00:05:52]  Tasheena Womack 

Okay. Yes.

[00:05:54]  Megan Porta 

So that’s great. Thank you for giving us a little bit of a background. So you’ve been really. So you’ve been rebranded for. You said like five to seven years.

[00:06:02]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:06:03]  Megan Porta 

And how did the mindset start to play in to your business?

[00:06:08]  Tasheena Womack 

Mindset is huge, especially creating content. Because you can be your worst enemy. You can be motivated one day. And the mindset that maybe you’re not good enough, maybe your photos are not good. You can open an app and just get discouraged. And that can transform your mindset. Yes. Immediately you can wake up like, yeah, I’m gonna.

[00:06:32]   

I’m gonna have my content created for the month. You open an app and then you’re like, oh, my gosh, my content is horrible. You talk down to yourself. So it’s. Your mindset is very, very important. And it’s something that you have to be your biggest cheerleader throughout the day, you know, throughout the month, throughout the week.

[00:06:50]   

And you have to consistently be there for yourself. And I think people don’t give themselves a permission enough to know that it’s okay to have those moments, but what do you need to do to get out of those funks in those moments as well?

[00:07:04]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, yeah, that’s. That’s huge. So not just avoiding them or setting yourself up for success, but also, what do you do when you’re there? Because I feel like we all do at times find ourselves there and we’re like, oh, no, how have I gotten here? And what do I do to get out what happened? So before we get into your points, which I think are so great. How. How do you start to get out of a funk? Do you have any tips for that? If anyone listening is in that spot.

[00:07:33]  Tasheena Womack 

Right now, I would say to take baby steps, and any step that you make is good enough. I feel like sometimes we have a to do list. And because a to do list is so long, a lot of times we get discouraged and we don’t want to take the first step. And the first step is doing something.

[00:07:52]   

And once you do something, even if it’s so simple as creating a post for the day or emailing a brand or going to the store to buy groceries for the recipes that you need, or doing, you know, having the services come to you, delivered to you, just taking that one step and also remembering, how am I going to feel once I take those steps?

[00:08:16]   

So a lot of times it’s the overwhelm, like, oh, my gosh, I have so much that I need to take care of. But once you take care of those things on your list, how would you feel? Even if it’s one thing, how would you feel? And a lot of times you just have to be cognizant of the relief that you will feel after you take whatever step you need to take.

[00:08:35]   

And that’s what I focus on. Once I take care of this one thing, how would I feel? And it’s like, I feel amazing. I will be, like, so relieved. It will be, like, so much weight lifted off of my shoulders. So that’s just something to remember. How will you feel once you reach that finish line and to give yourself grace?

[00:08:52]   

I feel like we don’t give ourselves grace enough. And if we do check those one things off our to do list, give yourself grace, you accomplish one thing, and that’s good. Like, yeah, yeah, I love that.

[00:09:04]  Megan Porta 

And once we do the one thing, momentum can build so quickly. Right. And then just remembering that, like, okay, the one thing isn’t just going to be one and done. It’s going to be maybe a cascade of awesome things. So that’s reason to get started.

[00:09:19]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:09:20]  Megan Porta 

How do you deal with failure? Because failure is inevitable. And in the creator space, failure seems to come a lot. So, yeah. Give us your perspective on that.

[00:09:32]  Tasheena Womack 

Failure keeps me moving. Failure is my motivation. You have to learn from something. You should learn from the mistakes that you make. And it’s not punishment. It’s you. You what worked and what didn’t work. That’s the most important thing. And using everything as a learning experience. Experience. You can’t be hard on yourself.

[00:09:52]   

You can’t give up. There’s so sometimes people publish a cookbook and it doesn’t do the cells that they want to do just as an example and they want to give up or they create a seasoning and they want to give up. And then you look at it as a failure. You did not fail.

[00:10:06]   

You have to pivot. Maybe it just wasn’t the timing. Maybe you need to re rebrand. Maybe you have to use it as a bonus. I feel like timing is everything and sometimes timing can make people feel like they failed at something, but you just need to probably pivot and figure out what worked and what didn’t work.

[00:10:23]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So many people, including myself early on, see failure as the end point. And then isn’t that right? And I’m like, it’s the beginning. It is like even with a specific project or endeavor, like I’m going to crush it on Instagram or fill in the blank and then it doesn’t work and they abandon.

[00:10:43]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:10:43]  Megan Porta 

But it’s just research. It’s just.

[00:10:45]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:10:46]  Megan Porta 

Something to learn from. Data. Yeah, Data.

[00:10:47]  Tasheena Womack 

Right.

[00:10:49]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. I love that. So if somebody is feeling like that now, do you have encouragement for them, like just keep going or what would you say to them?

[00:10:59]  Tasheena Womack 

I would tell people to have an evidence file. I feel in that. And for me, what an evidence file looks like is having a folder maybe in your favorites or on your phone. And maybe it’s a comment, maybe it’s that a comment that someone left on social media. Maybe it’s a brand saying that they love to work with you.

[00:11:18]   

Maybe it’s just the likes that you got or a post that went viral. And if your post never went viral, maybe it’s that first post that you did and you went out and stepped out encouraged. Have that evidence file. And it’s not about numbers, it’s about your community. So have that. Who’s pouring into you if it’s someone’s.

[00:11:37]   

Hey, I loved your. You know, I loved how this meal turned out. My family loves it. This is like something I recreate once a week. Have your evidence file for those moments, for those days that you just don’t feel like getting out of the bed. When you don’t feel like posting. Have it as the reminder in the support system for those days.

[00:11:57]  Megan Porta 

I love that the evidence file. I’ve never heard it framed like that. And I also loved what you said about even if you don’t have something that went viral, you do have the first post that you put up and that equals courage. And that means that’s more than any viral video, in my opinion.

[00:12:16]  Tasheena Womack 

It surely is. It’s definitely just having something, guys. I know we are in a digital era, and even for some people, it’s physically they need something. Maybe you have something on your wall that you have and you use and you use it as encouragement to looks. I know some people do need physical things that they can look at as a reminder.

[00:12:37]   

And sometimes you can have it as your screensaver on your phone as well, or your lock screen, like a collage just to show you how brave you are. You know, the evidence file, you can put your creative twist to it and make it definitely work for what you need.

[00:12:52]  Megan Porta 

Oh, I love that so much. I have a something that’s kind of similar that I’ve been doing from the start. I have a filter in my email called Awesomeness. And anytime somebody sends me an email that’s like, hey, I listened to your podcast and love it or this episode changed my business or whatever.

[00:13:10]   

Like, anything that’s positive at all, I throw into the Awesomeness folder. And on days that are hard, it’s. It’s so helpful. It almost makes me brings me to tears to think about it, but it just. It takes away the imposter feeling. It just makes me feel like what I’m doing is meaningful. It matters.

[00:13:31]   

So whatever that looks like for you, I think the evidence file can be like make or break really for your mindset in your business. Yes.

[00:13:40]  Tasheena Womack 

Is so important.

[00:13:42]  Megan Porta 

How do you deal with overwhelm? This is another thing that I feel like is just constantly upon us because there’s so much to do in our worlds. What are your thoughts on that?

[00:13:55]  Tasheena Womack 

I would say that it’s so important to just focus on the next right step. I feel like sometimes it’s so easy, just like you were saying, to get discouraged. But to focus on what can I do right now for my business and to focus on what would work for you is so important.

[00:14:17]   

And I feel like also that you can’t allow the outside noise of what everyone else is doing to deter you from what’s perfect for you and what’s the right next step for you. I feel like just honing in on what’s the right next step for your own personal brand is so important.

[00:14:37]  Megan Porta 

And do you have thoughts about how to land on that? Like, I know there have been times when I’ve. I’ve known that, but I haven’t known what right next step to take. How do we know what that is?

[00:14:51]  Tasheena Womack 

I feel like you have to not overthink things. And you have to focus on what has worked in the past and what could potentially work based on the data in the future. It’s so easy to. To really get overwhelmed and to get discouraged, but everything is based on the mindset. And it’s so easy, once you do create that next step, to say, you know what?

[00:15:17]   

That’s not going to work. This. This is not going to work in my business. I think I tried it in the past. What’s going to be different this time? And sometimes we talk ourselves out of things. So to me, realizing in sitting down, especially with this being the fourth quarter of the year, just really sitting down and honing in.

[00:15:36]   

Okay, based on what worked in the past and what could potentially work in the future, what is my next step for myself and my brand? And to not get overwhelmed and talk yourself out of it.

[00:15:47]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I like that too, because there always is a step, right. Are you gonna take the right one or. Yeah, like, you can’t take a million steps at once. So just figuring out what that right next step is for you. And then the thing I like about that concept is that once you take the next right step, there’s another next right step waiting for you, and then another and another, and the path opens up before you.

[00:16:12]   

How do you. You mentioned comparison a little bit, but how can you reframe comparison so that it doesn’t crush us? You mentioned earlier opening, you know, your phone and instantly wanting to crush it and break it to pieces because it’s just so much. It can be overwhelming. And the comparison thing is huge, and it can really sink a business.

[00:16:36]   

So how can we reframe that?

[00:16:38]  Tasheena Womack 

I feel that you can use it by being strategic, but it’s also having strategies that fit your own voice and values. And I feel like sometimes people see things and they mimic, and it’s not about mimicking something that already went viral, but giving it your own voice and values and your community will follow and people. You will actually grow your community by having your own voice and values as well.

[00:17:09]  Megan Porta 

Oh, I like that. So I’ll say that again. So you can have your own community by having your own voice and values and just keeping that top of mind, because that’s how other people build their brand. So the people that you’re looking at and comparing yourself to are doing that. So you should be embracing that as well.

[00:17:30]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes. And look at it as case studies and not necessarily. Yeah, look at it as case studies and using it as your voice and see what you can do to make things more authentic to your own brand. I feel like sometimes not showing like the behind the scenes and not including your community on what’s going on in your life, sometimes that can hinder your success with your business.

[00:17:58]   

Some people, people, a lot of times people want authentic and they want to see what’s going on in your life. And just having your own voice and values will allow you to build and gain a community. Yeah. And sustain them as well.

[00:18:12]  Megan Porta 

I was looking at an account the other day and it was really, like, the food looked really good. It was delicious. The photos were great, but I didn’t see any voice there. Like, I didn’t. I didn’t get the sense that there was a human there. And I really wanted to. I was scrolling and I was like, okay, there has to be a video or voiceover or something that gives me the human feel.

[00:18:34]   

And I couldn’t find it. And I was so frustrated. I was like, I’m done with this account. The food looked great, but I anymore. I think people just need that voice and that humanness in order to follow and relate to people into accounts. Right. Yes.

[00:18:50]  Tasheena Womack 

Like the. Know, like factor. People want to know who you are. They want to be able to relate to you as well. So that’s very important. People want to know who they’re supporting. And I think it’s just not thinking about being perfect and perfectionist at all times, but just people want to know who they’re supporting and know that you’re a real person.

[00:19:10]   

And sometimes just saying, hey, guys, like today, you know, I wasn’t up to it, but I made some muffins. Yeah. Like, this is what came out of it. And I’m still a adapting and figuring out the recipe, but as soon as it is perfect to my liking or it’s to my liking, I definitely will share it with you guys.

[00:19:27]   

But sometimes, you know. Yeah. Like, just letting them know, like, hey, I was in a funk today and I didn’t know what to do. I made some muffins here. Like, do you guys. Would you guys eat these? Like so. But you just never know until you are honest and transparent with your community.

[00:19:42]   

And I feel like that’s what people want. They want the authenticness behind a brand. Even though they, you know, of course they want the curated content, but they want to know, I like you for you. I like you that your. Your stuff is messy and your home’s not perfect and you just show up there. I feel like they are more concerned. The community is more concerned about you showing up versus you being perfect.

[00:20:06]  Megan Porta 

Oh, absolutely.

[00:20:08]  Tasheena Womack 

I feel, I trust me, I have to tell myself that all the time as well. So, yeah, it’s a reminder. But people just want to know that you’re OK and you’re showing up and you’re trying and you’re doing your best. You may not even have a KitchenAid mixer. They may love the fact that.

[00:20:22]   

Yeah, they’re like, they love the fact that you just. You’re figuring it out and you’re doing what you need to do and they’re showing up every day like you. You motivated me. I thought I needed all these amazing appliances. And I see you show up every day and you’re like, I don’t have everything, but we were making it happen.

[00:20:40]   

And they want to see the journey. I feel like some people, sometimes people forget about the journey that people want to see.

[00:20:46]  Megan Porta 

Oh, that’s also beautiful. I loved your thing about KitchenAid mixer. If you don’t have one, I think embrace that, right? And let that be part of your story. Like, I don’t have a KitchenAid mixer like most people or like most creators. So, yeah, just add that into who you are as a cook, baker, whatever.

[00:21:06] Sponsor  

Food bloggers. Do you want to see the conversations behind the mic? Eat Blog Talk is now on YouTube featuring edited interviews with expert guests. Head over to YouTube and search Eat Blog Talk, hit subscribe and join the conversation in the comments. Let’s connect and grow together. 

[00:21:30]   Megan Porta

Do you have thoughts for people who are terrified to show themselves or show their. Let people hear their voices, show their faces. Because I do think that is becoming more and more important. What are your words of encouragement on that?

[00:21:39]  Tasheena Womack 

People are going to love you for you and your community. Those are the people once they do step out. And I want to say one faith, once they do step out, those are the people that go viral. Those are the people that have communities. Those are the people that are not worried about just being perfect.

[00:21:59]   

And at this moment, you may say, oh, my gosh, like, my house, my home is dark, or my voice sounds squeaky. You are your biggest critic, but people are going to love you for you and they are going to show up for you and give it a try. You’re talking yourself out of it.

[00:22:18]   

You’re discouraging yourself. Your voice is perfect. You are perfect. People are going to watch you because of you. And something that you’re thinking about is the last thing on everyone’s mind. And it can be a joke a year from now, six months from now. Guys, I was nervous. I didn’t think you guys would like my voice.

[00:22:37]   

And they’re like, we love you. Like, what are you talking about? Or I just, you know, I don’t have the aesthetic. We’re not looking for an aesthetic. We are looking for you to show up. You are amazing. We love you. Like, please do more. I always try to encourage people to just show up.

[00:22:56]   

Yeah, show up for yourself, of course, but show up for your community. They’re not looking for perfection. They’re not looking for someone that knows it all and has it all together. They wanna. You’re inspiring them. And even if they don’t post content, you may be inspiring them to try new recipes or to just cook.

[00:23:16]   

Some people are like, I never cooked. I ordered out. I went to a million restaurants. But you are inspiring them to get in the kitchen and to make things happen for themselves. And you. You, because you are not you. You’re showing the recipe recipes, but you’re not showing the amazing person behind their recipes.

[00:23:35]   

The person who is so creative, who has the. The best personality, the person that your family and friends love. You are not showing your community that side. How you may stumble upon your words, how you, you know, you may have a shirt that’s faded that you had from college, that you still wear.

[00:23:59]   

They want all of that. They’re craving all of that authenticity. You are not showing up and you’re missing out because you’re. Because of fear. And that’s all your community wants to see. They want to see you. They want to pour into you. They want to show you that this. I love your T shirt.

[00:24:18]   

Like, I notice you, you’re batching. We don’t care that you batched and you had the same outfit on. We get it. But we, we love your content. You, you know, you just have to just go for it. And you are. It’s going to be times where you stumble upon your words, where everything just doesn’t sound right.

[00:24:36]   

And your. Your voice, you know, with me, when I get excited, my voice like, so you’re not going to be perfect. And that is fine, but that’s why people are going to show up for you. There’s people that I follow that have millions of followers, and they stumble upon their words. I stumble upon my words.

[00:24:55]   

I get nervous, and still I’m not perfect. But your community is not looking for perfect. They are looking for you. They’re following you because they love you. And that’s why they’re there.

[00:25:07]  Megan Porta 

Oh, Tasheena, that was. That was so beautiful. I feel like we can make like five different reels from that. I think that is what people need to hear. Because keeping, not showing yourself is like keeping the best parts of your content from people. Right? If you’re holding yourself back, then you’re holding the best parts back.

[00:25:28]   

It’s like you’re the gem. So show people who you are. And you worded it so beautifully. I could never say it like that, but yeah, you’re like everything you do, your T shirts, your voice, it all, they all matter to your people. And I think that’s probably the biggest message here today is just get out there and show people who you are.Yes, we’re all human. Yeah.

[00:25:51]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes. They love the behind the scenes going to the store kitchen mess. Hey, guys. You know, this is what my kitchen looks like after creating food recipes. And you don’t need, you know, all the perfect utensils that everything’s matching. They love just you showing up, being authentic, your authentic self. Mix match bowls.

[00:26:15]   

They love that. Like the plates. You may go shopping for a haul at like the Goodwill or something or the thrift stores. They want to see the creative side. Like, okay, these are where I got the plates from. Someone may act in the comment section and you may take. That may create a whole series in itself.

[00:26:34]   

You’re taking people on halls of, you know, going thrifting or shopping for your produce, like what you’re looking out for or just, you know, maybe how you say the avocado in water. I feel like people feel like everyone knows everything and they don’t. So that may be what you have been been doing for years.

[00:26:57]   

May be something that someone has never seen before. And then someone posts about it. You’re like, I’ve been doing that for years. Like that’s something new. It could be just like some people leave the bread inside of the brown sugar to keep it soft, right? And you’re like, I’ve been doing that for years. And they’re like, I had no idea. Everyone.

[00:27:16]  Megan Porta 

Don’t assume that people know.

[00:27:18]  Tasheena Womack 

Don’t assume. Show up, give all of your tips, all of your tricks, leaving the butter at room temperature. You know, the, if the, if you need milk or if you need the butter at room temperature. Once you put the milk inside of the microwave, adding the butter to it, People want you to show up for like your tips and tricks of what works.Please. Just because you have seen people get so discouraged when they see someone post about it on social media. They’re like, I didn’t post about it first.

[00:27:47]  Megan Porta 

It doesn’t matter.

[00:27:48]  Tasheena Womack 

Hasn’t seen it. It doesn’t matter.

[00:27:50]  Megan Porta 

There is space for all of us to talk about whatever is on our hearts. Right?

[00:27:55]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:27:56]  Megan Porta 

You kind of mentioned this a little bit. But that perfectionism thing. So in regards to creating content, pressing publish when things aren’t perfect, or putting out the video, that’s not perfect. What do you think about that? Because I think this is one of the biggest mindset hurdles of all in our space. I hear this all the time.People have that desire to be perfect.

[00:28:23]  Tasheena Womack 

Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. And you can literally talk yourself out of launching. Even there’s someone listening that wants to start posting on social media and hasn’t started yet because they are like, my photos are not perfect. I’m going to tell you, get outside and use natural light. If you don’t have a ring light, if you don’t have, you know, even if you don’t have the newest camera, just get outside.

[00:28:50]   

Use what you have. People want to see the journey, and it really starts as ventures started, as being imperfect, imperfect experiments. And you have to really hone in on just leaping out and making it happen. It’s never going to be perfect. It’s never going to be perfect because you’re a perfectionist. It’s something, you know, maybe you felt like, oh, I could have turned the food this way, or I could have taken a photo of myself.

[00:29:19]   

My, I don’t have a bio. I don’t have a good photo of myself. I don’t have a good photo of food. My, you know, my videos. I don’t really get how to transition. You will talk yourself out of everything. You’ll say, well, I’m not going to do a voiceover because I’m not feeling well.

[00:29:37]   

You’re not feeling well. People want to see the transition of you feeling well. You, you know, guys, oh, my gosh, in the last video, I was a little under the weather, but I really wanted to share this recipe with you or I really wanted to share this haul with you. People love imperfection.

[00:29:54]   

And you cannot just wait for the perfect moment. Moment. Now is the perfect moment. Now right now is the perfect moment. Not January 1st, right now. Because there’s someone probably listening. And like, I’m going to launch this January 1st. I’m going 100%. You’re going 100% with your brand today. You are going to start now.

[00:30:18]   

You’re going to start today. Not December 1st, not November 1st. You are going to start today. You don’t need a new month to start. Whenever you’re listening, start that day. I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night. I don’t care if it’s first thing in the morning. I don’t care what the algorithm tells you.

[00:30:36]   

Start today. Just post and then repost and do it as a throwback and do it as your. A memory for your first post. You create a ton of content. There are tons of content ideas out there, but you have to start today. Like, don’t wait for the perfect moment to start. Your perfect moment is now.

[00:30:57]  Megan Porta 

Oh, my goodness. Okay, another great little spiel. And you’ve said this a few times. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Yeah, just stop. Like, the alternate way to say that is stop making excuses. But I think, like, don’t stop talking yourself out of things that you know you should be doing and putting out into this world. And the deadline thing, I’ve done that so many times, Tasheena, where it’s like, oh, okay, well, it’s October. I’ll. I’ll start it November 1st. Or, oh, New Year’s Great. A new year is coming up on us quickly. So I’ll just start it then. Like, no, stop doing that. Right.

[00:31:32]  Tasheena Womack 

Start today. And then there’s people who may be scared to get into this space, and they may be listening to your podcast because food is a passion. There’s enough room for all of us. Please get into this space. Stop talking yourself out of it. Your videos, you may feel like your videos are not perfect, and if you pay attention to TikTok and social media, those are the videos that go viral.

[00:31:58]   

So I just want to encourage you to step out, stop looking for things to be perfect. But, Pete, you feel that your items and stuff is not perfect. Your content’s not perfect, and the world is cheering you on in the background, letting you know that you are perfect. This is your moment. This is your time. You have to show up. We just need you to actually post so we can support you. So just stop talking yourself out of things.

[00:32:24]  Megan Porta 

I feel like you should be. Are you a keynote speaker? You would be great on stage.

[00:32:28]  Tasheena Womack 

Yeah.

[00:32:28]  Megan Porta 

Pumping people up. Like, come on, you guys, get out of your shells. Create the stuff. Get it out there.

[00:32:34]  Tasheena Womack 

Yes.

[00:32:35]  Megan Porta 

Such great messages.

[00:32:36]  Tasheena Womack 

That is definitely. I, you know, keynote speaking, speaking to people, speaking to groups. That is a passion of mine. And it’s just something that I love. So definitely contact me.

[00:32:48]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I love it.

[00:32:51]  Tasheena Womack 

But, yes, you know, it’s. I’m your biggest cheerleader if you see this. Please contact me if you have any questions, if you want me to look over your videos. And I’m honestly saying that because I know what it feels like to not know. Like, hey, you know, how does this photo look? How does this video sound?

[00:33:09]   

We can walk through it, we can talk about it. Hey, I found you. We can connect. I will be your biggest cheerleader. I get messages all the time. Like, how did you. Like, I just posted a second ago. Like, I guys, if I open the app, I engage because I know what it does to the algorithm.

[00:33:30]   

So I will be your biggest cheerleader. But I need you to show up. I cannot show up for you. I will show up 100%. I will support you, I will engage with your content. And I am like everywhere. Like, I’m on TikTok, so, you know, Facebook. I’m everywhere. And I will show up and I will support you when I see it because I want you to reach your full potential.

[00:33:52]  Megan Porta 

So if anyone listening is like, okay, I’m gonna do it. Tasheena told me. So I’m gonna go publish the video or the blog post or whatever, start the blog, send me an email. Cause I wanna know. I know you. I just absolutely know that you encouraged people today. So yes, thank you. This was really incredible.

[00:34:10]   

Is there anything we’ve forgotten regarding to just mindset, getting a handle on it to set yourself up for success?

[00:34:17]  Tasheena Womack 

I will say you don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate. Because as you’re creating content and you’re working with brands in terms of food brands, stationary products, brands will find a creative way that you can incorporate. It could be water, it could be plates, it could be napkins and plates.

[00:34:41]   

It could be like anything. Brands will find a way. I feel like a lot of times with content creators, they’ll say like, well, I feel like I’m so niche down that I there certain brands that won’t want to work with me. There are clothing brands that will want to work with you because you show your face, you show your full body.

[00:35:00]   

There are makeup brands that will want to work with you because you’re showing your face, your full body, your glasses, brands that would want to work with you. Again, the sky is not the limit. You know, you can really do whatever you want to do. And I feel like sometimes people, when they think about food, they just think about plates, they’re thinking about pots, and they’re not really thinking about the full horizon of what really can happen.

[00:35:27]   

So I just really want to say, like I said, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. So when brands are reaching out to you just because you feel like, well, I really don’t understand how this can all be incorporated together. You. It can be. And I want you to not talk your rate down because maybe you’re new.

[00:35:48]   

I want you to really show your worth. I want you to really pitch for yourself and really feel like there’s a reason that the brand reached out to you. And I just want you to remember that. And you are not a small creator. You’re not a micro creator. You are a big creator.

[00:36:03]   

This is a big business and you spend your time creating the content. So I don’t want you to talk yourself down with the rates or what you feel like you should be paid. You get what you negotiate. You don’t. If you feel like you shouldn’t get paid anything, they’re not going to pay you anything.And I promise you that they’ll say.

[00:36:22]  Megan Porta 

Oh, it will align.

[00:36:23]  Tasheena Womack 

We won’t pay her. Yes.

[00:36:26]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Oh, my gosh, thank you. I mean, I could literally keep just listening to you all day, but thank you for all of this, seriously. It’s so valuable, I think such an important piece that a lot of people give enough value to because they’re in the weeds getting the things done and avoiding the things too.So just something. So many things to keep in mind. So we appreciate you and everything you said today, Tasheena. Thank you.

[00:36:50]  Tasheena Womack 

I appreciate you guys so much. I’m so thankful to be here and I am rooting for you 100%. You just gotta step out and make it happen.

[00:37:00]  Megan Porta 

Yes. Well, it feels a little silly to ask you for words of inspiration or a quote, but do you have any? Because you’ve already said so much.

[00:37:08]  Tasheena Womack 

Yeah.

[00:37:08]  Megan Porta 

Do you have a favorite quote or extra words of inspiration to share?

[00:37:11]  Tasheena Womack 

The best is yet to come.

[00:37:13]  Megan Porta 

Oh, that’s amazing.

[00:37:14]  Tasheena Womack 

That’s yet to come. Yes. That’s something I say to myself every single. I actually have, like, pieces. The best is yet to come as a constant reminder because sometimes people feel like they’ve reached, even for the people listening and they. I started blogging in 2011 and I will tell you there is. You just have to pivot and it’s okay to pivot and it’s okay to try different things.

[00:37:40]   

Things. The best is yet to come for you. I. I still get emails. I still am contacted when I feel like I’ve worked with my favorite brand or like the brand of my dreams, I’m contacted by somebody else, another brand. The best is yet to come. Just always remember that you’re amazing. You can accomplish anything that you put your mind to. And we are going to root for you 100%.

[00:38:05]  Megan Porta 

Great way to end. Thank you so much. Yes, we’ll put together a show notes page for you, Tashina. If anyone wants to go peek at those, you can, you can head to eatblogtalk.com/simplytasheena tell everyone where they can find you.

[00:38:19]  Tasheena Womack 

I am simply Tasheena across all social media networks and I would love to connect with you guys and we can be social media besties and I’m going to be your biggest supporter. So I am waiting for you to let me know that you exist and to do a shameless plug. One one of my comments.

[00:38:36]   

If I don’t list reach out to the messages. If you send a message. A shameless plug. Hey, I will I listen to the podcast. I would love for us to connect on social media. I will be there. I will connect with you. You have to be your biggest, biggest cheerleader. You have to be your publisher.You have to be everything. So I will be there to support you and to help you show up every single day.

[00:39:01]  Megan Porta 

Thank you. I hope everyone takes you up on that. You’ll be like, oh my gosh, not so many.

[00:39:05]  Tasheena Womack 

No, no, no. I’ll welcome it. You guys. Listen, it’ motivation because that means that I impacted you in some way. So please do not feel like, oh my gosh, I see people commenting under her post. No, I, I will get to you. I’m going to support you. I’m going to be there for you.

[00:39:22]   

I don’t care if it’s a million people. I’m going to go through those. I’ll be 2 o’ clock in the morning. I’m here. I see your comment. I’m cheering you on. Like, I will be there. Don’t use it. I don’t use it as another excuse. Yeah, it’s use it as motivation. I will be there to support you.

[00:39:39]   

I don’t care if you see this, this podcast a year from now. I will be there to support you whenever. However, we are going to be social media besties and we are going to make it happen in this year and next year and the coming years are going to be your best years. So I want to hear all about it and I want to be a part of the journey.

[00:39:58]  Megan Porta 

Amazing. Thank you again so much and thank you for listening, food bloggers. I will see you next time. 

[00:40:00]  Outro

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Eat Blog Talk. This episode was brought to you by the Eat Blog Talk Mastermind, where bloggers come together to break through barriers and accelerate growth learn more at eatblogtalk.com/mastermind. I will see you next time.