From Teacher to Mindfulness Entrepreneur with Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely

TUP EP 118

Aransas: [: 00:00:00

[00:00:30] But this came after years of teaching in the San Francisco School District where she made a brave decision to take a leave and launch. Vanessa, I'm so excited to talk about that journey [00:00:45] of change. Yay. That's a pretty brave leap.

Vanessa: Yeah, it's a big change. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast.

n several years since I took [: 00:01:00

Aransas: which is coincides.

That was the time of great realignment. Yes.

o major things make it so, I [: 00:01:30

Aransas: I love that. Crisis does make it seem like there's something broken, but it is such a time for Yeah, actually awakening.

It's like the chrysalis. So [: 00:01:45

Vanessa: Okay. So I graduated from undergrad and immediately got into teaching through Teach for America and started teaching in downtown [00:02:00] LA near Koreatown. In a 3000 student middle school was teaching sixth grade math science.

where I was teaching, and he [: 00:02:15

And there was an opportunity to join the new teacher mentoring induction team, which I ended up being a part of for nearly. It was an amazing job. There was a lot of [00:02:45] independence and creativity and personally it aligned with like the next phase of my life when I was like going into trying to have kids and entering motherhood.

eally good work-life balance [: 00:03:00

So, okay. Okay. So really off awesome opportunity. So my husband and I both did it. I, um, because I was [00:03:30] attached to central office, knew that when I returned I would be looking for a new position. And I was like, this is probably good for me and my husband, because he was a high school teacher, was, had returned rights to his school.

And so for a. We moved [: 00:03:45

Music: Oh my gosh.

ny alpine village where, not [: 00:04:00

So it is a place very close to my heart. As was my relationship with my grandparents. When I even think back on like the journey that happened after that, since sabbatical, the influence of my grandparents, even though they're not [00:04:45] around, only strengthened because my grandparents, my grandfather in particular was a man of nature and a man of change and leading folks into holistic wellness journeys, whether they be physical.[00:05:00]

s like join ski team and ice [: 00:05:15

The pandemic started happening, like geographically very close to us. 'cause we're very close to the Italian border. I [00:05:30] am thankful that we were there because we were next to a forest. And so as the schools shut down, as you know, we were no longer able to leave our homes without having a written form that was signed, saying what [00:05:45] we were doing.

session in France in June of: 2020

And this is, this is again another big. Movement in the journey of what ended up happening because I found a job that made a lot of [00:06:15] sense on paper. I was the instructional coach at a middle school. So given my years of, um, coaching and also working specifically with a lot of middle school teachers and and administrators, this made a lot of sense except that that is the year that [00:06:30] in San Francisco, the schools remained closed for pretty much the entire year and.

also co-teaching a homeroom [: 00:06:45

Like, what is happening? The kids have their cameras off. It is completely, this is like [00:07:00] depressing. How do we lift them up? How can we maintain any semblance of joy in what is a very, like anxiety producing? Sorry, just got a little, okay, how do we maintain this for them? So. What [00:07:15] that meant for me was that I was like, I have to think of what I can do that that isn't gonna be completely on Zoom.

E credential because there's [: 00:07:30

I felt like it was my [00:07:45] opportunity to connect with students outside and figure out within the context of physical education, what can we do to help boost mental and emotional joy and social connections, and so PE. [00:08:00] Became a vessel in some ways to expose them to sports and skills. But really it was also a time where we were doing gratitude appreciations.

f my students also came from [: 00:08:15

[00:08:30] They were, oh my God, they were so cute. They were so positive. They were so open. They were so curious, and you could tell that some of them were, were really shy. That some of them had social skills that had just been [00:08:45] really impacted by the pandemic. There were just some serious delays happening with coordination, with connections, and so in this opportunity of, we met outside for every single PE [00:09:00] class, it was a tiny blurb of just trying to.

th other kids because that's [: 00:09:15

And I never wanted to do a program that was. [00:09:45] Before, because for me part of it was gonna be about being in connection and the energy in the room, and then suddenly because of being outside with kids all the time, I was like, actually, let's just see what it's like to do this [00:10:00] online. 'cause it's really convenient.

g Zoom with that many folks, [: 00:10:15

To the kids whenever we had a rainy day schedule and we could get inside and just [00:10:30] do little sessions together. And I was like, oh, is this my favorite part of what is happening? Mm. Like I love like sports and I love introducing kids to activities that they're unfamiliar with, but also [00:10:45] to be on the mat together and to see how we could bring in.

m settle in and settle down. [: 00:11:00

With this idea that I was going to try and develop something and because I'm [00:11:30] French American, I was like, I'm gonna try and develop something for kids in both languages that educators as well as caregivers could use, and what was happening on a micro [00:11:45] level. I was like, what can I do like on a macro level?

ion as probably the greatest [: 00:12:00

And I didn't know what I was gonna do yet, but I was like, I've got a name. Gotta secure it. Gotta get a website just secured with a domain. And then that whole first year, which is now three years ago, that year was my year of [00:12:30] developing something. It was great because I, we as a like family decided there was kind of no pressure for that financial year we took for that first year.

explored what was going on. [: 00:12:45

How are you not teaching? And I was like, I'm not ready. And she's like, yes, you're so shout out to Vie. But I then [00:13:15] auditioned. And started teaching at Core Powers, and that was just great because I felt like it was also very nourishing as I was in this deep developmental project phase where I started [00:13:30] that first year, basically I was like, I'm gonna create something, it's gonna be a podcast, it's gonna include like videos, it's gonna have text, it's gonna have curriculum.

m, parents could use it. So. [: 00:13:45

This is too [00:14:00] much. Like, you know what's happening in your brain, but somebody who is already engaged in what they're doing, they're not gonna be able to ping pong around. And it needs to be more simple. And I was like, okay, okay. [00:14:15] Because also producing this all on my own, I was like, it'll be fine. I can like upload videos like weekly.

right. You're right, you're [: 00:14:30

And so we went from kind of like, I went from the idea of like a full program, like wraparound, but I was like by myself doing all this to, [00:14:45] okay, let's keep it simple. Let's just keep it focused on a podcast.

Aransas: Hmm.

Vanessa: And so it pivoted to a podcast with guided meditations. So there are at this point, over a hundred.

alf in English. Most of them [: 00:15:00

Ant.

There's [: 00:15:30

So I was thinking this would just be, you know, increasing someone's exposure to different places [00:16:00] in the world with the idea that maybe one day they would go to that place and they would say, wow, I'd listen to a meditation about this. Meditation has brought a lot to me personally. I was trained in transcendental meditation and [00:16:15] then for, for being able to share something.

became a big thing. And then [: 00:16:30

Journals in French and in English for kids, teens, adults, that all are supposed to help [00:16:45] us just build our, our habits, our routines, our rituals, where if we take time daily to focus on how we connect with others, what we're eating, time in nature, and we like take some time to [00:17:00] think about or write about it.

And there is so much that is [: 00:17:15

Aransas: I love that.[00:17:30]

Vanessa: Be able to recognize. Mm-hmm.

Aransas: And to,

Vanessa: to focus on that was a lot.

ere right, is the ability to [: 00:17:45

And so I'm gonna do my best to kind of translate what you just said into a process. Mm-hmm. And what I heard here is that you recognized a need. [00:18:15] And then you set out to learn ways to address that need by both catalyzing the, the experiences that you'd already had, but then by also really nourishing your own needs as a [00:18:30] learner.

g your own needs. Right? And [: 00:18:45

And so I think that's a really juicy and important piece of this. Then you created space [00:19:00] in order to meet both the external and internal needs. Mm-hmm. By taking this leave. I watched you start to clear the barriers, right? So what were some of the main barriers that you described? [00:19:15] Money. What are we gonna do?

so, mm-hmm. You were able to [: 00:19:30

Right. We're never really gonna fully believe we're ready. But if we can just get ourselves to the doing mm-hmm. [00:19:45] Then eventually we will probably believe. Mm-hmm. And so rather than trying to think your way through it, you acted your way through it with a little nudge from someone else. Yes. And then this act of testing and learning.

So you created something, [: 00:20:00

Absolutely. You're so good.

Vanessa: You're

k it's a really powerful and [: 00:20:30

Vanessa: [00:20:45] Taking the leap is probably the scariest. I had been really stable for 20 years, so for 20 years I was like, I am in a job that, you know, leads to retirement. Like I don't have to think about what I'm doing outside of my job in terms of service to the world [00:21:00] because the daily job is doing that and it's very consistent.

new it was just for one year [: 00:21:15

If there are things that can make that less scary, then that's great because [00:21:30] lesson learned it was the best decision of. That first year was when I learned how to record a podcast, how to do video editing. I fell in love with Canva. I love Canva, like all these different platforms and [00:21:45] tools, which I could have used in another job, I hadn't yet.

It just became really exciting to be a learner and to be able to have the time and space to like go into things that your learner brain was firing.

. Yes. Which is when we make [: 00:22:00

Vanessa: It was so stimulating and it was so fun. I was having the time of my life and I've always cared how like I did in a job in terms [00:22:15] of wanting to do well in whatever I was doing.

ut picking up my kids in the [: 00:22:30

It was just really awesome and it was really. Fun and I'm like, dude, that's what we need is we need to figure out whatever sparks our own joy because it makes us better [00:22:45] people to interact with the people in our families and whom we're in connection to. So I'm in like a really awesome French or Francophone women entrepreneur group called the L Collective.

as well because it's pretty [: 00:23:00

All the time from other people who are taking big risks is, is this fear about putting it out there and not [00:23:30] having it be perfect. And it's interesting because that wasn't one of my fears. And so I feel like it's also something that I really love to talk about because I'm, I see how, especially for women, we have to be sure that it's perfect because we don't want, want to offend somebody, we want [00:23:45] to do it right.

elieve in the growth mindset [: 00:24:00

And we have to also not look at it as like a mess up, but just like part of the process. Hmm. I feel like I'm, I've entered the phase of my life where I [00:24:15] am, like throwing pasta at the wall and just seeing what sticks, but I'm like, I'm just like, we just have to do it and we have to encourage each other to do it because mm-hmm.

are not putting it out there [: 00:24:30

Aransas: Yes, I agree completely. I talk about it as experimenting in my work and life, and [00:24:45] for me it is, I feel like my secret sauce is my willingness and eagerness to experiment. Yeah. And it sounds like not dissimilar to you. It gives me that [00:25:00] desire to really invest. And play, because I'm like, yes. Oh my gosh, what?

d get into the flow. I don't [: 00:25:15

Vanessa: Yeah. And you take your ego out of it also in that sense.

Aransas: It

setting up expectations for [: 00:25:30

And this actually just recently came up in a conversation because, so in the spirit of that, I, I just started a new podcast and this was, this came out of. Left field, [00:25:45] the Golden State. Valkyrie is the new WNBA team in San Francisco that started in May. So they recently just started and I had already, just my, my love for the Valkyries had started maybe a year and a [00:26:00] half ago as we saw that they were coming to town and I was like, oh, do have women basketball players.

ng on at these games. And so [: 00:26:15

And so we have this whole chunk of seats. We, we brought all our kids. [00:26:30] The first preseason game was one of the most wildly immersive, joyous. Experiences I've ever like participated in. It's like suddenly I was like, am I evangelizing the WNBA? [00:26:45] Because what we were seeing there, I was like, especially in contrast to the political divisions and the hate that is happening.

of love. And so we left that [: 00:27:00

I was like, sure. And there was not a second thought about it. And part of that was because I know how to do this, I'm also like, this seems fun. I don't know where this is going. And so why bring this up is 'cause we, the other day we had this [00:27:30] conversation and she was just expressing. A little bit of anxiety about not knowing where we were going with this and kind of also this idea of not perfection, perfection, but having to be a certain way.

t, and I was looking at her, [: 00:27:45

We'll figure it out along the way. You have the evidence. Yes, we have the evidence. And then this, the evidence has become one of the best things. So now we have this new podcast, ies Say less. I see it taking [00:28:15] off in a that my meditation one. Didn't at the same rate, and it's only been 30 days. And I was like, there's kind of like this, this energy about it that's matching like this new season and the energy of the games.

I'm watching it happen and [: 00:28:30

Aransas: Yeah. Take what you [00:28:45] love and share it with other people seems to be a continuous theme for you.

words what it has meant for [: 00:29:00

Vanessa: Okay. So as like a 46-year-old mom, wife, entrepreneur, teacher, we all wear a gazillion hats person in the [00:29:15] world. As we age, we can see that our energy's impacted.

different levels of fatigue [: 00:29:30

And creativity and the number of times that I'm in some subconscious moment mode and then feet, and then there's this thought and I was like, oh, okay, I'll just get to that later. It's all the time. And so I always [00:30:00] equate like premeditation. I do it two times a day. I do it right when I wake up in the morning, and then I do it in the afternoon.

y brain is like a dried out, [: 00:30:15

So a lot of times I feel like that by the afternoon, 'cause all the stimulation from the day has taken [00:30:30] its toll and then I meditate and then I equate it as a graceful hand, taking that sponge and just dipping it into a bucket of, and taking it out and squeezing it, and it's juicy. That's how my brain feels afterwards.

This is free. [: 00:30:45

Like time meditating. And for some people that external reward of seeing their rack bonus, literally [00:31:15] the best thing. I did create an online course for tweens to teach them how to do it. And then outside of that, I teach groups one-on-one or small groups. I've done like school staffs, I've done parents and their kids.

This summer [: 00:31:30

Aransas: post season. So I love it and I love that you said that out loud, right?

the biggest fallacies in our [: 00:32:00

Vanessa: scream your wish.

know. I was like, Hey V, I'm [: 00:32:15

Aransas: That is my dream. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. Can't wait to hear about it. And that's how it's gonna happen, not by holding it in, so. You [00:32:30] make meditation sound super compelling.

Would you wanna walk us through a little something? Sure. Absolutely.

take a moment to settle in. [: 00:32:45

If you're cross-legged, then just notice [00:33:15] how you're sitting, where your hands are. And just begin to focus on your inhale. So [00:33:30] take a nice, slow long inhale in through your nose,

en an even slower exhale out.[: 00:33:45

Awesome. Just like that. Do it once more. Big, [00:34:00] slow breath in, feeling your belly expand as you inhale through your nose,

and then pause. [: 00:34:15

And as you continue to breathe on your own, then just become aware of different sensations in your body. And we're gonna start. With the [00:34:45] top of our head, and as we inhale and exhale,

gonna say or think a gentle, [: 00:35:00

Are your hands resting in your lap? Are they on your knees? [00:35:45] Do they feel warmth? And throughout this all, just continue to take a nice, juicy, slow breath in[00:36:00]

and out.

attention to our hearts, and [: 00:36:15

And we'll take one final breath in together on the inhale puffing up our bellies. [00:37:00] And on the exhale, we're gonna think of sharing that kind thought outward.

es are closed, open them up. [: 00:37:15

Aransas: Thank you for sharing a little more love. That was lovely. Oh, you're [00:37:30] welcome. And just a little refresher I needed mid-afternoon. Yeah. Excited to go into my day with that. Wonderful.

Vanessa: I love that.

Aransas: Thank you. We [: 00:37:45

Vanessa: Yeah, totally. Yeah. And those other things are great and I love them. Same. And also we feel a physiological transformation.

In our body when we [: 00:38:15

Aransas: How beautiful.

Vanessa: So

ing as uplifters, we love to [: 00:38:45

Vanessa: Thank you for asking you. Listen to my podcasts. That would be [00:39:00] the like biggest uplifters for me. They're on all the platforms. My guided meditation one is called Big Belly Breathing, and that's also the name of my website, big Belly [00:39:15] breathing.com.

isten on Apple, if you wanna [: 00:39:30

Aransas: joy.

Each [: 00:39:45

Vanessa: Well, I would love to nominate my current [00:40:00] podcast cohost Raina Mast. She is someone who I admire so deeply for how she moves in the world. She cares deeply about other people as exemplified [00:40:15] in her.

pottery. She also is just a [: 00:40:30

So. Cheers to you, [00:40:45] Rena. You are just the ultimate babe

So what a gift to give Rena [: 00:41:00

Vanessa: Yeah. Yes, go be messy. Go have fun and go do the things that bring you joy and [00:41:30] you know, help others find those things too. Thank you. This was such a, it's really awesome to carve out time to think and talk about things like this.

: Thank you for listening to [: 00:41:45

Head over to [00:42:00] Spotify, apple Podcast, or. Wherever you get your podcast and like, follow and rate our show, it'll really help us connect with more uplifters and it'll ensure you never miss one of these beautiful [00:42:15] stories. Mmm,

Music: big love painted water, sunshine with rosemary, and I'm dwelling, perplexing. You find it.

To [: 00:42:30

Lift you up.

ft you up. Whoa, lift you up.[: 00:43:00

Lift you.

Lift you up.[: 00:43:15

Lift you up.

th your voice, right? In the [: 00:43:30