Six Figure Chicks: The Power of Sharing Your Story with Mel Carr

“Mel Carr: I thought, okay, let's move it to a community-based book to where we have all the authors, all the women in one city, so that we can meet each other for the first time in person, see each other, those of us who haven't seen each other in months or years, reconnect.”

[EPISODE]

Alex Cullimore: Hello, Cristina.

Cristina Amigoni: Hello.

Alex Cullimore: We're here on a Tuesday out of nowhere. We never record on Tuesdays.

Cristina Amigoni: It's crazy. I know. It's confusing, the whole week for me. I'm sure people are sick and tired of hearing us figure out what day it is.

Alex Cullimore: It's a great part of our intro. 

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. It's now scripted, and we have to talk about it every single time.

Alex Cullimore: Well, we just had a great conversation with our guest, Mel Carr, who is the founder of Six-Figure Chicks. Just a great conversation about – I really appreciated the fact that she's really tied together the ability to be vulnerable, storytelling, supporting a community, and creating a community all throughout one, all while founding successful businesses. There's just lots of little branches of people doing well within this community, and it's such a cool idea of just a combination of a lot of things we talk about, and she does a great job of explaining how all of this comes together.

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah. Very, very inspiring what she's doing, the community, which this movement, Six-Figure Chicks, that she started with. Now, I don't remember how many books have been published already, but I think nine, eight, nine books of authors from all over the US, and it's now going global, and she's got 140 authors. It's not just write a chapter, be part of an anthology, and walk away. There's a full community that is constantly fostered behind it, and people that are truly showing up for each other, with each other, to take care of each other and care for each other, which is very much needed right now.

Alex Cullimore: Yeah. That's a great idea and a great way to connect.

Cristina Amigoni: It is.

Alex Cullimore: I think that the undercurrent throughout all of this was a great understanding of how vulnerability is both necessary and helpful.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. Yeah. So, enjoy.

[INTERVIEW]

Alex Cullimore: Welcome back to Uncover the Human. We are joined today by our guest, Mel Carr. Welcome to the podcast, Mel.

Mel Carr: Hey. Thank you. It's so great to be on with you guys. I loved our first conversation. I cannot wait until we have more great talks and to get to know you guys a little better and to share with your audience about the awesome Six-Figure Chicks.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. Yeah, looking forward to hearing more about it. We already heard some great things. Before we were recording, I mentioned how I just met one of the authors to get her story and understand her experience, and it's very inspiring what you've created.

Mel Carr: Thank you. Thank you. I mean, I have to remind myself, which I'm sure you guys do too with the podcast and all of your business projects and things you do, is like, not everybody knows what sets you apart from every other business, entrepreneur, coach, podcast host. We all have that special personality style that differentiates us from the rest, because we are in a crowded marketplace. I get that. But I am always looking at things like the Six-Figure Chicks book series of how can we set ourselves apart? How can we think outside the box and be different?

Alex Cullimore: Yeah. That absolutely makes sense. What set you down that path? What made you start looking at that?

Mel Carr: Well, the first book was published in '22. I have known about collaborations, anthologies from our past clients, because my first business is an executive virtual assistant agency. We've had clients that have been a part of book collaborations. We've had clients that have ran book collaborations. I knew the methodology and the reasons why and the marketing and the business growth strategies behind it, and I thought, “Okay, it's time. Let me do one.” When I did it, I followed what my publisher gave me as tools, instructions. This is how you get from A to B, to bestselling status. You check all the boxes. I did that. International bestseller. Number one. I was like, “Okay.”

Then when it was released, everyone went on their way, and they went into their own life. I had relationships with those authors still, but it wasn't as tight. We weren't talking like we were during that book process. Going, "Okay, well, what's wrong? I'm missing my people." I sat on for a year, and then I was like, okay, there's got to be another way that we can deepen those relationships. Because if you haven't ever done a book collaboration before, for well-run book collaboration, it is a lot of, during that time of writing and editing and getting ready to publish, a lot of communication, Zoom meetings. If you have enough together in one area, you have in-person meetings. There's a lot of value during that time of you get to know these authors on a deeper level, because most of the time, we're sharing something that we don't normally share on a day-to-day basis. I thought, gosh, how can we change that? How can we add more value to an ongoing, or an already built process?

I thought, okay, let's move it to a community-based book to where we have all the authors, all the women in one city, so that we can meet each other for the first time in person, see each other, those of us who haven't seen each other in months or years, reconnect and deepen those relationships and bonds. Then, of course, everything else comes after it naturally, like referral partners, business besties, women that you know, like, and trust, that you want to pick up the phone and ask them questions, or ask them for favors or say, "Hey, do you want to go get a coffee next week? I haven't seen you in a month. What's going on?"

Those sorts of stronger relationships are developed, because we're all in the same area, we're all like-minded women, Six-Figure Chicks, which I just love the name. We go through this whole writing process, where it's highly structured. We meet every two weeks on Zoom. We meet in person for a fun photo shoot, which is unlike the normal book collaborations. Because I'm like, okay, well, I ran into the problem before with other books and the first book of women not having up-to-date headshots, or having full body shots, or different headshots with their hands on their faces and. I wanted a more consistent book and images to really reflect hugely successful book series of like, we are successful women. We know how to publish a wonderful book that looks and reads like it should, and every chapter flows into each other. I thought, okay, well then let's get a photo shoot done. Then let's have fun photos, and let's have a fun afternoon together. Then I was like, okay, well, what else can we do?

I saw the ability to increase the visibility and the marketing for these women in their businesses, or their brands through the launches. I was like, okay, well then let's separate the launches so that we have multiple times to reach our audience and each other's audience. We have an eBook a month later, we have a paperback book launch party, which is in person, and then we have an Audible, and that came a couple of books later, but I was like, I'm not hearing any author's voices in the book collaboration. Now, a lot of people use the AI voices, but I thought, how else can we have the readers really connect with the authors? Well, they can listen to their stories in their own voices, and really want to know more about those authors, because they connect with them on a deeper level. That's three opportunities these authors get to be in front of people that they have never met before, they haven't talked to in decades, or new people and new audiences.

Yeah, sorry. I can talk on and on about this. Because I'm so in love with what I do. But I see the true value in what sets us apart from other book collaborations. I'm a part of at least, I think, seven other book collaborations right now.

Cristina Amigoni: Oh, wow.

Mel Carr: I am all for you should be a part of many more books, if not your own solo.

Alex Cullimore: Are these all different cities, all seven cities you've got going on?

Mel Carr: Yes. We've done four in Arizona, like the Phoenix valley. We have done three in Houston, all international bestselling books. Starting in August, we are going around the US, and then next year, we'll hit Canada. We're doing seven cities, Virginia in August, Boston, Maui, Las Vegas. I'm super excited about Maui.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. Yes, that sounds great.

Alex Cullimore: Yeah, it's a hard place to have to go and be.

Cristina Amigoni: Good excuse to go to Maui. It's like, book launch time. Okay. Yes.

Mel Carr: Yeah. Darn, I have to go back for the photo shoot. 

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. Yeah. Too bad. Yeah.

Mel Carr: Yeah. I timed it around whale season, so it's even a, a better time.

Cristina Amigoni: Nice. That's wonderful. I love the community aspect of it, which is a lot of what Gabrielle – I think she said she was in volume two of Houston.

Mel Carr: She was in volume one.

Cristina Amigoni: She was in one? Okay. No, I was butchering that. Yeah, just the community aspect of it, it's wonderful. It's this we're going through this experience together, and then we're still connected. She said, they meet up at least once a month, and it's shortcut phone call to any of the women, of the authors in the volume and beyond. It's that growth of keep growing the community of people out there.

Mel Carr: Yeah, and it's so interesting. I had no idea, or I didn't even want to create a networking organization. I was like, “No, I don't want to do any of that. It's a lot of work.” But it just naturally happened. Of course, I love what we have built now, because it is like a growing community of published authors. Like you said, they all know what each other has gone through to get to that international bestselling author.

We have a different type of respect for each other. Also, we have read each other's stories. We have seen each other. We have promoted each other. Then to be able to take it a step further and to meet in person. Yeah, Gabrielle came to Phoenix a few months ago and met with some authors. I've had authors from Phoenix join in on Houston book launches, because they were in town. They're like, "Of course we want to be a part of this." Because you want to empower and inspire other people, and even more so when you have done the experience with them.

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, one of her stories that she was sharing is that she recently had a keynote speaking, and she invited the Six-Figure Chicks community to attend, and she said, six or seven were in the audience, and it was so uplifting to have your community with you in this setting.

Mel Carr: Yeah. That warms my heart, because she at first was going, "Mel, I want to be able to incorporate the books with my speaking engagements. How do I do that?" That's where I love giving away knowledge to the fellow authors, or the people in my community of going, there are so many ways you can leverage that book to grow your business and brand, and for people to not be using those, they are missing the boat and leaving money on the table. I love money. When she was like, "I got my highest paid speaking opportunity and they bought the books." A 100. 

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. Yeah, 100.

Mel Carr: At retail price. I'm like, of course, this is how you do it. She's setting the stage also for the other authors to look at her and go, "Wow. She did that, I can do that too." Which is exactly why I love sharing our stories, because the readers, the young women in our country can look at that and go, "She did that, I can do that, too." It's all about sharing our experiences for the better lives of others, for them to look at our not so perfect past and easily connect and relate to them and go, "Wow, okay. I'm not the only one. I can do that.” There is somebody out there networking in rooms full of people. I have no idea who they are, and they use that to grow their business.

I see that she was pregnant and divorced before she was even 18, and now she owns multimillion-dollar company. It's not always easy and it takes hard work. But it's so much more able to get these things in your life when you surround yourself with positive people and people that are smarter than you and that have been there and done that.

Alex Cullimore: It's a great idea for community. It's a great build. I'm curious what inspired the name. I mean, it may be self-explanatory, but I'm curious where it came from.

Mel Carr: Yeah, great question. I sat on the book, the title, what I would talk about, what kind of authors I would bring into the book for probably about six to nine months, because my publisher at the time said, "You should do a book on virtual assistants," because that was my first company. I was like, "Everybody and their brother is a VA right now." Everyone who's writing books about that is like, how to become a VA and how to get your next client. I was like, it's just so overly saturated. I was like, "I don't want to be like everybody else, of course."

Then I remember sitting at this desk all weekend, researching, thinking about what do I want to talk about? Who do I want to invite? I thought back onto my first business coach, Carrie Conley, and she asked me on our first meeting, going, "How much money do you want to make this year?" I was like, "Ooh, I don't know. We don't talk about money." I want to have a good life and pay my bills." She was like, "No, we need a figure, so that we have something to work towards." 

I was "Mm, okay. $100,000." She wrote it down on a paper. And through the next months, she gave me the tools and knowledge to reach that number and surpass it.

My first year in business was six figures, which I never imagined, because I just didn't think that way, until I was coached by somebody that had the tools necessary for that. Then so, I was thinking about my book, and I'm like, "Okay. Well, how many people out there want to become a six-figure earner?" How many people question their ability to make six figures in a year, or the first year in their business, whatever it is? I thought, "Okay, six figures. What rhymes with that? What sounds good with that?" It just flowed off my tongue, Six-Figure Chicks. I was like, "That's it." It's fun.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. It is fun.

Mel Carr: Yeah. And the branding followed right after that. I was thinking back to when I was a little girl, the only books I would buy in bookstores were pink books. It's a little fun fact. I would literally go to the shelves and be like, "There's a pink book. It must be good." I was like, pink color for sure. Then I chose lime green as that accent pop glitter. I was like, "Well, let's see if it looks good together," and it really does. Then black and white just to give it a couple of other accent colors. Now that we're on the ninth book, I have the covers designed for the next 11 books, so I'm so excited. We're rotating and changing the colors around the different fonts and logos and backgrounds.

Alex Cullimore: You're saying, your entire success began by judging a book by its cover?

Mel Carr: You got it. I'm going to have to borrow that one.

Cristina Amigoni: It works its own magic.

Alex Cullimore: No, that's great. That also speaks to what you were talking about before, getting your own journey and knowing-knowing what you particularly offer to anything. Just that you can be unique and that is worth something. I love the story with the business coach. It's just something that we can do. I think a lot of people would relate to you in the moments of, "Oh, I never thought that it could be more than that," or, "I never thought it could be like this." I didn't really think of things that way, until you start to. Then you're like, "Oh, maybe things are possible. Maybe this thing can be different."

Mel Carr: Yeah. Right. Even still to this day, I am sitting, reflecting, researching, asking other people in my circle. I have multiple business coaches now. How can I scale the business at a higher level now? As you guys know, after years in the business, you have different goals. Different levels of success, and you have to do things a little differently. You change that mindset that you have been sitting on for the past how many, five years of going, "Okay. Well, I'm making a little more money. Now, I have to do things a little differently."

Cristina Amigoni: Mm-hmm. Yes.

Mel Carr: The people that are just stuck in that mindset are wanting and hoping for more and going, "How can I get more? I'm doing what I have been doing for years to get me here." May not be the same thing that's going to get you to the next level.

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah. Wishing for the fantasy, instead of realizing you have the power to do things differently, to feel differently, to change your mindset, to change your behaviors. It's not a magic wand. It's not a fantasy. Then like, "Oh, I wish that you have the power to do it."

Mel Carr: Yeah. To just also own your own confidence and say, "Yes, I can ask for this. I am worth this." If somebody says no, they're just not your somebody. Don't lose sleep. Move on to the next one. I say, keep asking until somebody tells you no.

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah. It’s very true.

Mel Carr: We have 140-plus authors so far and growing. I have no problem saying those numbers and saying, "I'm going to double that this year and continue every single year." Because the more women that are a part of this community, this global movement, the more lives we're going to impact.

Cristina Amigoni: Oh, yes. Yeah.

Alex Cullimore: It starts to answer my next question. I was curious what your goals are now, if you're willing to share where you're at currently and what you're looking at in the future.

Mel Carr: Yeah. I think maybe last year this time, I was like, "Okay, I want to continue doing more books here in the US," because from the second book I was like, "I want to publish at least one book in every state." I got happily stuck in Arizona, because I live there. With more books. The ladies of Houston, I did the first volume and I'm like, that's all I'm doing, because I got to go to other states. But they kept bringing me back in.

We just published a third volume this year. We're doing volume four starting in January of next year. This time last year, like I was saying, I'm like, "Okay, I want to get out of these two states and hit the other states," and thinking, "Okay. Yeah, no problem. I can do it." Then fast-forward, I was like, “Whew, Houston was a lot to bring on women for the first volume.” Because I didn't know anybody there. Zero. Thinking about it now of going, "Okay, how can I reach women in those other states and areas without knowing a single person?" Flip the script and create a global book to bring at least one woman from different areas and state, publish them in that book, and then go back to those cities. Now that I have an ambassador there.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes.

Mel Carr: And a larger reach. Now, my vision and my goals are much grander, because we have our first international author. International bestselling book series. Now we have a global movement, because we have women in Canada stepping up and saying, "Yes, I want to be a Six-Figure Chick."

Then going back to what sets us apart, I was thinking, "How can I allow the authors the opportunity? How can I give them the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy?" Because, A, the books are going to outlive us all, so that's a given. But what else? How can I impact our community members, the young women that are in our areas? I created the nonprofit Her Write to Rise, W-R-I-T-E, so that the authors could give back their knowledge. Like I said, love giving knowledge away for free to the women that really need it most, which are the younger women, or next generation.

Alex Cullimore: It's another excellent name, Her Write to Rise. I like that.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes. You're good with names.

Alex Cullimore: Yeah.

Cristina Amigoni: And business and ideas. But good with names.

Mel Carr: Yeah. I mean, I was just thinking if we all, most of us give to charities, or organizations that deeply impact our communities, our lives in some form or fashion. I thought, "Why not do it ourselves?" I know exactly who we want to help and empower. Why not take our stories a step farther than just the pages inside the books, but give those, give our experiences, our knowledge, our know-how to those young women that are so flooded with social media and Hollywood and self-expectations of what they think that they should be doing, but they have no idea what to do. And say, "It's okay to ask for help." Because I know when I was 15 on my own, signed myself out of high school, I had no idea that I could just ask somebody for help.

Cristina Amigoni: Big thing.

Mel Carr: Yeah. For us to be able to step forward first and be like, "Here we are. Come talk to us. Come ask us anything. We are here to give back."

Alex Cullimore: I like that. That helps reduce some of the stigma of asking for help. It is a huge portion of life that is somehow always a secret. It's always held back. It's always like, "Oh, no. I really do have to ask people," and it's hard.

Mel Carr: Yeah. Especially when you're in a room with people you have no idea, or you're alone and you have no idea that if you just ask somebody that you worked with, that you went to school with, that I swear, if you pass them by on the sidewalk, they would stop and say, "Okay. What do you need to know?"

Cristina Amigoni: Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's so true.

Mel Carr: Yeah. We all want to feel good for the right reasons. It's not just like a "Here, I want to be bigger than anyone else." We're doing it for the right reasons and that's just to empower others, so these women can be as successful or more than us.

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah. Well, and there's tons of studies that show how in order for the goodness and the fulfillment of life, the joy, the hormones, the health, the wellbeing, it's not just about asking, but it's also being able to receive help comes with asking for help. We can't actually receive help if we don't ask for help. It's a mutual thing. It's not one or the other. And we're cutting off the flow if we don't ask, but we're always there to receive.

Mel Carr: Yeah. We recently started an online virtual 90-minute monthly meetup called Fishbowl for Her Write to Rise. One of our global authors, actually the author in Canada, Rochelle Lee, was like, "How can I be a part of Her Write to Rise now before the book starts in Calgary? How about we do a virtual fishbowl?" I was like, "Okay, what is that?" She's like, "Well, it's a safe space where we can invite young women online and multiple authors from any of the books and give them the opportunity, those young women, the mentees, to ask us whatever they, life, love, business, money, starting a business, changing careers. The floor is open, and we make it even easier for those young women to ask those questions right when they register for the event.” Because even though it's virtual and nobody has to be face to face, there still is that uncomfortableness of going, “I don't know if they're going to think my question is stupid, or whatever it is.”

We're going into the second one, actually, tomorrow. Every month, we do this, and it is growing, and it is reaching more people, and that's what we are here to do is bridge the gap, so women know that, yes, they can ask. Then, like you said, receive also.

Cristina Amigoni: And receive.

Mel Carr: The authors flip the script and ask those young women questions. Give them the ownership of coming online and being smart and offering their insights that we have no idea what to do. Taking it even farther, we had an in-person mentorship event last year. This year, we're starting it back up. We're doing it a little differently. We're going to be going to colleges and universities and continuing education organizations this fall in Houston and in Phoenix with a select number of authors to offer their experience and their expertise to these young people who are yearning and wanting to learn and hear from people who have been there and done that.

Cristina Amigoni: That's wonderful. That is really wonderful. There was a question that Gabrielle asked me, actually, which is a really good question, that I'm going to flip and ask you. She said, she asked, and I'm going to butcher it, but she asked something about, before deciding that this is what you want to do, get very, very clear with what's the motivation of it, behind it. What do you actually want to get out of the experience from it? What was your motivation for starting this, and what did you want to get out of the experience?

Mel Carr: Yeah. I'll be completely honest. The first book was brought to us. I had talked to the publisher in a group mastermind. The publisher brought it to us as a pure marketing move for the businesses. I knew what it was. You grow your audience, you grow your community, you become a published author, you elevate your expertise, credibility. I thought, okay, that's why. Bought the package right away. It was a lot of work doing that first book. I made zero bucks. I was awfully in the hole. That's why I didn't right away do a second book, because I was like, “This is not worth it.” That's what it was, because my story I shared in the first book was literally my journey to that success of six figures, which was amazing, and I love reading that part of my life.

Then when I got to the second and third books and I really started opening up, I hadn't ever told the public about dropping out of high school at 15, until a year or two ago. I was scared. I felt like I was going to be judged by other people. Who wouldn't think I was smart enough to own a company or have a high-paying career. Any of those things. Like, those were my roadblocks. I didn't ever talk about it, because I didn't want people to think I was stupid. Then as we grew and as the women came forward and I heard their stories, I was like, “Oh, my gosh. You went through that? That's what you lived through and pushed past. Look at where you're at now. I never would've thought that you went through those years of setbacks and turmoil and perseverance.” All of these things. I had a newfound respect for these authors.

I then thought, okay, if these ladies can share their stories, the real raw ones, I can, too. I don't have to be afraid of what other people think of me. Yeah. That's how it's changed. It's total flip the script, and that's why every day I love what I do and I love talking to these women. I love reading their stories and hearing them. Transformation that they go through when writing their stories, because most of them have not even told their family some of these things.

Cristina Amigoni: It's amazing.

Alex Cullimore: From experience, I'm guessing that you sharing that story has also opened doors for other people. They've had a similar feeling of like, "Oh, wow. I can share this. I can move forward." It's the other important part of it, and it's sometimes the part we don't even see, and ends up becoming a huge ripple.

Mel Carr: Yeah, and that's it. That ripple effect of like, I say, if one person, if I can change one person's life with my story, my job is done. One is better than none any day.

Cristina Amigoni: Well, and that's how we change people's lives, is by sharing our hardships. Because everything else is staying at the high level and pontificating about how things should be, and here's the recipe for success for everybody else, but I'm not going to be vulnerable and share my struggles. That doesn't do anything. That doesn't inspire. That doesn't draw action into, I have the power. I'm going to get out there, and I'm going to be vulnerable. If I'm vulnerable, then other people are going to be inspired to be vulnerable, and now we're a community. When we're in a community, we care about each other. When we care about each other, then we create an environment where we take care of each other, and the world becomes a better place.

Mel Carr: Yeah. It's not just about making money. I love money. I got to make money to have a good life. However, the lives that we impact, like you said, our community is number one. Without the people around us, we wouldn't be where we're at today.

Cristina Amigoni: Very inspiring.

Mel Carr: Thank you. I mean, these ladies are inspiring. They're the reason I get up every day and put in 10-plus hours, or travel for a book launch party. I love seeing the women and their smiles and their family and friends. Celebrating them, because we should be celebrating our success and proud of where we have come from and what we are doing, because we are changing other people's lives, and we are impacting the world together.

Cristina Amigoni: Last couple of questions for you. What is your definition of authenticity?

Mel Carr: My definition. I said this earlier today. I’m like, it seems to me like, run rampant on social media lately. Everyone is screaming on, because of AI and everything else. But authenticity is being okay with talking about the not so pretty side of your daily life, not putting on the filters and/or not having the right words to put in the caption, and being okay with that and not worrying about what other people are thinking, and that takes a lot.

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah. It does take a lot. It is not easy. But that's how we inspire. That's how we change the world.

Mel Carr: Yeah.

Cristina Amigoni: That's how we change people's lives.

Mel Carr: I always rule the conversations. Tell me about you, Cristina. What's your –

Cristina Amigoni: Initially, and I think it's still pretty aligned with that, when we started the podcast with the authenticity theme being the core theme of the podcast and creating ways to live an authentic life and sharing that authentic life, my definition was having the courage to share who we are, what our desires are, what our hardships are, and also like a social contract, but, and also creating space so that it's safe for others to share that and creating that. I would say that it's probably still similar to that. That's definitely still the core. I would say, if somebody asked me today out of the blue, "What's your definition of authenticity?" I think it's really around sharing, asking for help when we least feel like we can. Sharing the hard stuff, sharing what we're actually going through, not what we feel comfortable sharing that we're going through it.

Looking back, I actually wrote a post this morning, but thinking about, what would my six-year-old self-think of me today? At the same time as, what would my 80-year-old self-think of me today? Would they be inspired by seeing you're you, you're authentic, or would they just see armors and masks and all sorts of ways that we try to impress everybody else, but cover up who we actually are, because of the fear of rejection, pushback, all of those fears. Maybe that's my definition. I'm getting around it, but it's like, what would your six-year-old self-think of you if they saw you today? Would they say, "That's authentic living. I want to become that," because that is freeing and flowing and inspiring.

Mel Carr: I love that. Alex?

Alex Cullimore: I had a similar – For a long time, I've talked about authenticity being that feeling of less internal friction, where you don't feel like you're holding those masks up. You don't have all that weight of the armor and the ways you feel you're supposed to be and supposed to act to other people. For a while, I've suggested it as something that's living with less friction. But ultimately, I think it ends up being choosing external friction over internal friction. That there's going to be some external friction of, A, it's uncomfortable to share with somebody else, or, oh, this is going to sound different to other people, because that's just how I feel and I'm not sure if they feel that way.

I think choosing external friction and being more comfortable with that and allowing the space for other people to do that over allowing just the internal friction to be your go-to, I'll just take the hit on this one and put the mask up and keep it up. I think that authenticity is that choice to move the friction externally and make it about things that aren't personal to you, that yes, maybe other people have a discomfort and you have to deal with that part of it, and you're not dealing with the internal part of it, because you're making a choice that's authentic to you.

Mel Carr: Yeah, I love that. On my podcast, I always like to ask the women this and see if, what you both say. What one thing would you tell your 15-year-old self?

Alex Cullimore: I would say, there are way more choices than you realize.

Cristina Amigoni: I would say, it is hard for everybody, not just you. It's going to continue to be hard for everybody and not just you. What's harder is to lose yourself in trying to be who you think other people want you to be.

Mel Carr: Gosh. You're not stupid. I mean, it's pretty simple, but that was my whole thing that I realize now in my older my older years of going, I can see myself sitting in my car and going, "I'm just not smart. I don't know what I'm doing. I've just got to keep clocking in, clocking out, making money, live my life."

Cristina Amigoni: Yeah. Nobody else knows what they're doing either. It doesn't seem that way, but it's true. Excellent. Where can people find you? We'll put everything in the show notes.

Mel Carr: Yeah. Definitely you can look up Six-Figure Chicks. You can Google and have pages and pages of different authors, different platforms. We're on all the major platforms, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Check us out at sixfigurechicks.com, all spelled out. I'm Mel C. Yeah, I would love to connect with anyone and everyone that feels something, that they are like, “Okay, I want to learn more. I want to read stories. I want to learn from other women.” And/or if you are a Six-Figure Chick and you want to share your story to empower others, connect with me today.

Cristina Amigoni: Thank you, Mel.

Mel Carr: Thank you.

Cristina Amigoni: I'm sure we'll be in touch.

Mel Carr: Yay. Yes.

Cristina Amigoni: And thank you everybody for listening. 

[END OF INTERVIEW]

Alex Cullimore: Thanks so much for listening to Uncover the Human. We Are Siamo, that is the company that sponsors and created this podcast. If you would like to reach out to us further, reach out with any questions, or to be on the podcast, please reach out to podcast@wearesiamo.com. Or you can find us on Instagram. Our handle is @wearesiamo, S-I-A-M-O. Or you can go to wearesiamo.com and check us out there. Or, I suppose, Cristina, you and I have LinkedIn as well. People could find us anywhere else.

Cristina Amigoni: Yes, we do have LinkedIn. Yes. Yeah. We’d like to thank Abbay Robinson for producing our podcast and making sure that they actually reach all of you. And Rachel Sherwood for the wonderful score.

Alex Cullimore: Thank you guys so much for listening. Tune in next time.

Cristina Amigoni: Thank you.

[END]