024: Taking Ownership Of Your Time
In this episode of BOSS™ Talk I am joined on the mic by April Nowlin, Certified Breakthrough Life Coach, and we talk about how time ownership has impacted our lives as business women and mothers.
Time is one of the most valuable resources that we as entrepreneurs have. So why then, are we so quick to misuse it?
For the women who wear so many hats, the thought of taking time for yourself may be steeped in guilt. As mothers, wives, girlfriends, business owners, 9-to-5 professionals, friends, and all the other roles we fill in our lives, we may feel like we always need to dedicate our time to something “productive” or reserve it for others over focusing on ourselves.
As a business owner of a thriving divorce recovery coaching practice, director of marketing and operations for a local nonprofit here in Arizona, and a single mother to a busy school-age athlete, my bestie, April Nowlin, knows firsthand just how challenging it can be to build “me” time into a busy schedule. She joined me for BOSS™ Talk to share some of her self-care practices as well as provide tips for how to overcome the guilt to start prioritizing yourself like you would the other important things in your life.
Below is the full transcript of the show.
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Prioritizing Me Time with April Nowlin
00:30 – La’Vista
Welcome to another episode of BOSS™ Talk. I am your host, La'Vista Jones, and today I am joined by my guest, April Nowlin, my bestie in the whole wide world. Welcome to the show, finally.
April
Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here, finally. Although I remember I was one of the early guests for BOSS™ Talk when it was in person. And so, it's exciting to be talking to you again.
La’Vista
Yes, yes, this new iteration, right. And so, like, what April was talking about is when I started BOSS™ Talk back in 2018, it actually was an in-person event that I would do on a monthly basis here in Arizona. We would have an entrepreneur come sit down interview-style, very similar to the podcast, talking about business. And we would have a crowd that was there with us, right, a live audience. And, you know, it's interesting, because for a long time, people would tell me like, ‘Oh, you know, it's like a podcast, just in front of an audience.’ And I'm like, ‘Oh, no, no, no. It is a networking event.’
01:43 – La’Vista
Oh, okay. And then it’s like somebody else is like, ‘Yeah, it's like a podcast in front of a live audience.’ And I'm like, ‘No, no, no, no. See, you're mistaken, because it's a networking event.’ And then when COVID hit, then it was like, well, I have an opportunity to pivot. And it was like, well, maybe this is a podcast. And there you go.
02:06 – April
So here we are. I can't believe it was 2018. It literally feels like it was a year or two ago, so that's crazy. Congrats, though, for holding it down for this long with BOSS™ Talk.
La’Vista
Thank you. Thank you. It's been an interesting journey, for sure. And just kind of seeing how things have evolved and how it's grown and how it was, you know, just how things have changed but still kind of stayed the same. And yeah, it's been a good journey.
02:34 – La’Vista
So, for those of you that don't know my bestie – and shame on you – let me introduce you to her a bit more. So, April is passionate about helping women love their life after divorce. April knows from personal experience how tough and disorienting ending a marriage can be. As a three-time divorcee, she has weathered the storms of transition and learned the techniques and strategies to thrive after a divorce.
April is a Certified Life Breakthrough Coach who specializes in divorce recovery. She's an aspiring author, a podcast host herself, a speaker, and a workshop leader who combines relatable storytelling, humor, and authenticity for women who want to crush the barriers to their success in life. April resides here in Arizona with her amazing daughter. That authenticity part, it made me sound like I can't read.
April
That's okay. That's alright. It's a big word. You better be happy I spelled it right.
03:42 – La’Vista
Authenticity, oh my gosh. Like I think Aiden would read that word better than I just did just now.
April Nowlin on Being a BOSS
03:48 – La’Vista
So, you know, I don't know that we were doing this when we sat together and did your BOSS™ Talk live interview so many years ago, right. So now on the podcast, one of the things that I ask each of the guests to do is to actually share how they define being a boss. And I totally want to hear your answer to this question. How do you define being a boss, April?
April
So, I would define being a boss as making choices that benefit my life, right? So, I think that the word “boss” many times has this negative connotation, right? In corporate, you're like, ‘Oh, that's just my boss. That's just my boss.’ And then we get into entrepreneurship, and we're like, ‘I'm gonna be my own boss.’ And sometimes that turns out to be terrible if you don't have the right tools and techniques.
And so, I think about being a boss as, like, a positive. It means that I have the freedom to choose my path. I have the freedom to choose what makes me happy. And so, when I think about being a boss, it's giving yourself permission to live, to set boundaries,
05:00 – April
to do what makes you happy and to have that freedom to do those things. So that's what I feel like being a boss really is.
Balancing The Many Roles In Life
La’Vista
I love it. I love it. And you seem so happy sharing that boss definition. You might just be listening instead of watching along, but she's got, like, this big, bright smile on her face. And I love it.
So, you know because you are very closely associated with BOSS™ Talk, that “boss,” for me, is an acronym that stands for Battling Overwhelm with Systems and Self-care. And with that, during each of the shows that we have, I get the pleasure of having candid conversations with other bosses like you that have faced and battled moments of overwhelm in their businesses and their lives, specifically by leveraging systems and self-care. So, with that, April, are you ready to share how you are walking out your BOSS™ Talk?
April
I am willing and ready. Yeah.
La’Vista
Let's do it. So, today, you know, I think there's a ton of things that we could get on the mic and talk about amongst ourselves. But today, we're going to talk about one of the most valuable and yet often misused assets that we have – and that's our time. So, you know, we touched on it briefly in your bio that you’re a mama, right, to an amazingly talented and busy athlete. So, just kind of note that. You are besties with one of the most demanding bosses in the game, yours truly.
06:33 – La’Vista
You are currently interviewing for a future bae.
April
Yes, I am.
La’Vista
And on top of that, you are growing a business and holding down a full-time gig. So, you are busy, right? So, talk to us just briefly about what does a typical day even look like for you, incorporating all of those things and all those roles that you play, all those hats you wear? What does a day look like for you?
April
Yeah, so before I can answer that, I have to share a little bit about my personality. So, I was that kid that always put things in their place, right. So, you know, my toys had bins and, you know, my bed –which I never make, so that's funny enough. Never make my bed. I'm a true believer that if you're going to get back in it, what's the point. But I was that kid that put things in their place. And that's the way I run my life.
So, I grew up in a military family. I grew up with a lot of structure. Although I was the out-of-the-box kid. So, I didn't like the structure; don't tell me what to do. But as I got older, I realized that that structure had its place. And so, a typical day for me is, I wake up before my child, because as we all know, once kids are up, it is like life starts and your me time is gone. And so, one of the things that I learned from my best friend, is the importance of having me time. And so, I wake up an hour to an hour and a half before she does, and sometimes I just lay there. I had a supervisor years ago who told me about the first 15 minutes of your day. She's like, instead of just hopping out of bed, like, lay there for 15 minutes. And that has proven to be very helpful for me because it gives me an opportunity to actually wake up and take in the day.
So, I'm usually up before she is. Then we are getting dressed. So, I have to wake her up two to four times for her to actually be out of the bed. So, some of you guys understand exactly what I'm going through.
La’Vista