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 Transcript

[00:00:00] Lesley Whitehead: Hi, beautiful. This is your host, Lesley Whitehead, and I am so excited to share this bold, brave, badass, creative woman with you. I hope our conversation inspires you not to let anything get in the way of your passion projects. I promise you, we need whatever is on your heart to create for this world.[00:00:20] Thank you for being here with us on Her Story So Far. I can’t wait for you to meet my friend Sofia and hear her inspiring thoughts on creativity and spirituality. Before we dive in, I want to let you know our conversation includes frank discussion of surviving childhood sexual
abuse and reconnecting with sexuality as an adult. If those topics don’t feel comfortable for whatever reason, please give yourself permission to opt out of this episode..
[00:00:49] Hi, beautiful woman. I am here today with my second guest, and I am so excited to introduce you to Sofia Galanis. She is a psychic medium, health and wellness practitioner, chemist, scientist, mother of twins, and former clergy’s wife for 20 years. And I would like to add artist, because I have seen her art as well as a chart reader. Because I do know you do that as well, even though it’s not your official title and you’re not putting that forward, that was something you shared with me and I really appreciate it. So that’s who we’re talking to today.
Hello, Sofia.
[00:01:33] Sofia Galanis: Hi, Lesley. Thank you so much for having me on. It is such an honorto be here with you today.
[00:01:42] Lesley Whitehead: I am so grateful. You know, we had talked about you being onthe podcast and we actually were talking about having you later, and then I spoke to you and you said, no, no, I’m ready to come on. So I’m really excited to hear about why, first of all, you
were willing to come on sooner than later. What’s going on?
[00:02:02] Sofia Galanis: If not now, when?
[00:02:04] Lesley Whitehead: I love that. That is such a great, way to think about this and feel about everything, actually, in the world. And especially, you know, one of the things that we’re
going to talk about is being in our fifties. Now, so the first thing I want to ask you is how young
are you?
[00:02:21] Sofia Galanis: I am 50 years young.
[00:02:24] Lesley Whitehead: Yeah, congratulations for joining this party.
[00:02:27] Sofia Galanis: this Thank you. It’s, it’s fabulous. 50 is fabulous. Let me tell you, I am living the best days of my life.
[00:02:36] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, I love to hear that. I really do believe that. And I also believe
it only gets better. Because I hear from women in their sixties, seventies, eighties, and
everybody who is saying the same thing. It only gets better and better. So, fantastic, I’m glad
that you joined this party and… So tell me, so I know you as so many things, and I want to share
all of them with everyone. So tell me first about the medium part and how you realized that this
was a gift that you had.
[00:03:10] Sofia Galanis: It wasn’t something that I had named or labeled or defined for most of
my life. It’s only really been a few years that I have labeled it that as, just getting to know, uh,
other terminology other than growing up in the Christian church tradition, which I did, we really
didn’t talk about things like mediumship.

[00:03:36] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:03:37] Sofia Galanis: And it was so taboo and so forbidden that it just wasn’t something that
was encouraged or talked about.
[00:03:45] But I would say that for me, understanding in retrospect and connecting the dots from
my past and what it means for me today, very early in life, I had several near death experiences.
And I feel like, for the majority of my life, I’ve been bridging both worlds and spirituality has
always been a really important part of my life. And just that connection to, you know, God, um,
you know, growing up in the Christian tradition, I still refer to the higher power as God. Um, I
honor other people’s choices.
[00:04:27] Lesley Whitehead: Lovely.
[00:04:28] Sofia Galanis: And, it just started slowly developing and as I cultivated my spiritual
life on the inside with quiet and meditation and prayer and, um, ritual, which for a long time
looked like going to church, you know, and, and that was part of the routine and the ritual and
the dedication and the devotion and cultivating that connection. And I had so many beautiful
mystical experiences during my time in the church and growing up in the church and all of that
was just such a beautiful connection.
[00:05:12] But I also saw where through my experiences where the church didn’t always have it
right. And not that they were wrong, um, that was just one perspective. And, um, I don’t think
that mediumship is any form of possession. I think it’s just clearing out all the distortions of other
people’s filters so that you can hear clearly. And I think everyone has that potential and that
possibility to see clearly and to know, and I just listen a little more clearly, uh, a little more
intently, that intuitive hit that says, someone crosses through my mind,
[00:06:01] Lesley Whitehead: right.
[00:06:02] Sofia Galanis: to reach out and to say, I’m so glad you called I was thinking about
you. I mean, I needed to talk to you. Or when someone crosses your mind, and then several
minutes later, they call you. I’ve just cultivated that ability to listen and to know that, that means
something.
[00:06:23] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Okay. I love that. It, does it have to do with energy as well?
Is it an energy, um, feeling?
[00:06:31] Sofia Galanis: We’re all, we’re all energy, right? We’re living, we’re energy. It’s from
the food that we eat to the sunshine. Everything has a frequency and it’s really beautiful
because I really feel that quantum physics is really starting to give us some of the terminology to
explain the unseen forces that so many of us have felt and experienced throughout our lives.
And, that can really be an explanation for energy, frequency, energy medicine, prayer, meditate
the power of prayer. It’s the power of meditation. It’s the power of our thoughts and, uh, the
power of connection with one another.
[00:07:19] Lesley Whitehead: Right. I do feel like there’s something to be said about being
quiet and, and in meditation. And that’s definitely something to help you connect more to your
intuitive. That’s kind of what you were saying before.
[00:07:34] Sofia Galanis: Correct.
[00:07:35] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Okay. I, um, had an experience, you know, I’ve had many
experiences recently where kind of like what you were saying, where you’re thinking about
someone and then they reach out or, you know, something serendipitous. Is that the word?

[00:07:51] Sofia Galanis: Serendipity is a beautiful word and I love… it’s alignment, It’s where
you are inspired to take action that brings you together with someone else. And I feel that about
our relationship and our conversations where serendipity brings us to have a conversation or to
talk about something or to reach out to one another and we each give each other something that
we really needed to hear. And that to me is God working through each of us.
[00:08:33] Lesley Whitehead: I agree.
[00:08:34] Sofia Galanis: To help support us along our way. And so, um, when we listen to that
little message, to that little voice in our mind that says, reach out to so and so or drive this way
to work today, that’s where the magic happens.
[00:08:50] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right. So when you’re working with someone, what are
you helping them with? Do they come with, um, ideas of these are the questions I have? Or, I
mean, I know I have my experience with you. I’m not sure. So I came. And we did a reading and,
um, is that what you’re calling it? A reading? I’m not sure.
[00:09:11] A session. A session is really what I would call it. And I didn’t come with any particular,
idea except I do think I had something about work. But, how does that normally work? Does
someone come with an idea or is it something that just happens organically with the two of you?
[00:09:30] Sofia Galanis: Sure. So someone comes in with an intention of what they want to
work on or talk about, and that may be something physical because we know that the things that
we haven’t looked at can manifest physically in the body, we’re body, mind, and spirit
[00:09:48] Lesley Whitehead: Physical. You mean physical pain or physical? What do you
mean when you say physical?
[00:09:54] Sofia Galanis: it could be something physically that they’re dealing with. So it can be,
uh, joint pain, it could be, chronic headaches. It can be, it can be any number of things. So some
type of. physical discomfort may come up.
[00:10:11] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:10:12] Sofia Galanis: And by all means, I don’t offer any treatment, but I do find it
interesting that people say, I feel better that my, my knee’s not bothering me. My, whatever the
discomfort was
[00:10:27] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:10:28] Sofia Galanis: tends to be helped or alleviated.
[00:10:31] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. And so it’s, it could be that it could be, but it might not be a
physical pain because I didn’t, I certain that wasn’t something that I felt. Um, it could just be. a
question that you have about life. It could also be just coming into seeing what’s and seeing
what’s coming up.
[00:10:52] Sofia Galanis: Right. So, so I think for me, one of the biggest things is bringing hope
to people, and help helping people find peace and love and compassion in their relationships
and their circumstances and their past and what’s happened in life so that they are free to move
forward in life.
[00:11:15] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right. I think that’s lovely. And then we did do a little bit of
chart work. So do you want to explain that?
[00:11:24] Sofia Galanis: Yeah. So for, for myself and, and I share just what I’ve learned on my
own personal journey, I am by no means an astrologer, but sometimes what I see is I’ll see a

specific planet at play and I’ll say, let’s pull up your chart and I’ll share with you just a little bit of
what I’ve learned and give you some additional resources that you can go listen to or read
about, uh, to understand that more. Ones that particularly come up are Chiron, which is the
Wounded Healer, it’s an asteroid, and it typically indicates your childhood wounding. And, uh,
another one is, uh, the North Node, and it indicates what your soul is here to learn.
[00:12:16] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:12:17] Sofia Galanis: And, so those are probably the two that I tend to see the most
because people are looking for healing from the past, which we all have.
[00:12:29] No one is exempt. It doesn’t matter how much you were loved and how much you
were loved and supported by family or not. Everyone has wounding from their childhood. And so
that’s one piece. But then it’s also, what is preventing you from seeing what your soul is calling
you to do and the work that you’re supposed to do.
[00:12:50] And it’s not all, you know, I’m going to be a star. It can be how you make a difference
just in your community.
[00:12:59] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:13:00] Sofia Galanis: And people know in their heart what that is, but we’re, we’re blinded to
it sometimes, and
[00:13:09] Lesley Whitehead: Definitely.
[00:13:10] Sofia Galanis: we’re afraid, we’re afraid to follow the calling. We’re afraid to follow
our hearts.
[00:13:14] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Well, it’s scary. It’s very scary to put yourself out there and
be vulnerable and say, this is, you know, who I am and what I believe and how I feel and, you
know, how I want to help the world.
[00:13:26] And what if people didn’t, you know, agree? I don’t know. That is, can be very scary.
Right?
[00:13:32] Sofia Galanis: It is scary to be seen and heard. And especially as women, because.
[00:13:38] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:13:40] Sofia Galanis: there have been times where we have not felt safe to be seen and
heard. And so this brings me to, to something else that we, that I often talk about with my clients
is boundaries. You know, what, where are the holes in your boundaries that prevent you from
feeling safe?
[00:14:02] And I’ve had to do a lot of this work myself. I grew up in a home with domestic abuse.
And, safety, what has been a huge factor for me, uh, stay, stay small, stay small, don’t use your
voice. Because my father would lose it over what people would say. And so even this now has
been a work in progress to be able to say, this is who I am.
[00:14:33] Lesley Whitehead: Right. I’m sure.
[00:14:35] Sofia Galanis: Your opinion of me is, is just that, your opinion.
[00:14:40] Lesley Whitehead: Exactly.

[00:14:41] Sofia Galanis: And it doesn’t define me. It doesn’t define my, my worth. It doesn’t
define my value. this is me. This is my authentic self.
[00:14:52] Lesley Whitehead: But what, one thing you were saying, um, just made me think, it’s
very easy, I was the first child. So, and only daughter. And so I grew up, you know, a total people
pleaser. Because I was trying to, keep the peace, make everybody happy, fill in, become an
adult before I really needed to be an adult in many ways. And so, I didn’t speak up and I didn’t
have a voice in those ways because I was just spending all my time trying to please everyone
and be the good girl and look like the good girl and all of those.
[00:15:24] Sofia Galanis: Bingo. And that is the key word. Be the good girl and be the good girl
is betray yourself for everyone else.
[00:15:34] Lesley Whitehead: Right, exactly.
[00:15:36] Sofia Galanis: Betray yourself to fit in. Betray yourself to be loved. Betray yourself.
And so many women have this, this message. And not just women. I want to honor men as well
because I’ve definitely met. Men who feel that they have to betray themselves in order to be
loved as well. You know, do everything for everyone. Do it all, and betray yourself and don’t take
care of yourself. And taking care of yourself is selfish. And asking for your needs to be met is
being selfish. And that’s just not the case.
[00:16:14] Lesley Whitehead: Right. And also how much do you, praise do you get as a child
for those things? I mean, I, that’s the reason why you continue to do it, or I’ll speak for myself, I
did was because I got so much praise for it. Oh, look at Lesley. She’s such a little adult. I
remember being told that such a little girl and um, it made me feel good that I was getting all of
this, all these compliments. But it really wasn’t… it wasn’t helpful to me at that age to be, you
know, I should have just been able to be a kid and make mistakes and, but I, yeah, I feel that I, I
totally understand that.
[00:16:54] Sofia Galanis: And for me, it was, if I’m a good girl and if I do this, I keep the peace. I
keep the peace at home. I create a safe, a safe place at home, right? And so I don’t want to
discount this safety piece because I think that that is why we betray ourselves.
[00:17:16] Ultimately, we betray ourselves because it’s not safe for us to be us.
[00:17:21] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Exactly.
[00:17:22] Sofia Galanis: And, and I think that’s part of the human experience as well and I just
want people to be encouraged to be themselves, to be authentic,
[00:17:34] Lesley Whitehead: Yes.
[00:17:35] Sofia Galanis: to belong first to yourself because when you fully love and accept
yourself. That’s when you find your people that’s when you find people that will love, support,
encourage you and cheer you on. Not because you’re cookie cutters of each other,
[00:17:59] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right. Exactly.
[00:18:02] Sofia Galanis: but because your light is so bright that it’s infectious, and inspiring
[00:18:12] and just helps people feel loved and peace within themselves, not because of what
you did for them or what you do for them, but just because you’re present in the moment.
[00:18:27] Lesley Whitehead: Exactly.

[00:18:29] Sofia Galanis: And that’s the magic. That’s taking it back to that serendipity.
[00:18:34] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Oh yeah. I feel that.
[00:18:36] Sofia Galanis: That’s when you’re open to those serendipitous magical moments.
[00:18:40] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right. Boy, it’s hard walking through this world to be there
all the time though, isn’t it?
[00:18:46] Sofia Galanis: It is.
[00:18:47] Lesley Whitehead: With all, everything that we’re inundated with, I think it’s hard to
stay in that, that place.
[00:18:53] Sofia Galanis: The digital age has ushered in a lot of distraction. And there’s a time
and a place for it, but how do we remember what it’s like to connect with another human being?
Because that is something that technology, AI, cannot replace. The, the power of connection
between two human beings, the power of love.
[00:19:21] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:19:22] Sofia Galanis: The power of compassion and the power of presence. And so we use
technology and all of this, these digital marvels. And they are marvels.
[00:19:34] Lesley Whitehead: They are.
[00:19:35] Sofia Galanis: And they are gifts, but how do we come into right relationship with it?
And in my opinion, it’s no different than coming into right relationship with food, with alcohol, or
with any other situation in life.
[00:19:53] Lesley Whitehead: Great. What is the answer? Moderation?
[00:19:56] Sofia Galanis: I think for each person it’s different.
[00:19:58] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:19:59] Sofia Galanis: I think that we each have different careers where we use technology
and digital technology in such a different way,
[00:20:10] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:20:11] Sofia Galanis: but I think it’s the matter of remembering to look at people in the eye.
To see someone’s joy, to see someone’s sadness and the power of, are you okay?
[00:20:25] Lesley Whitehead: Yes. Oh, I love that. I feel that about you too, because when I
met you, there was just some energy right away. I just, I wanted to glom onto you and just follow
you around everywhere.
[00:20:39] Sofia Galanis: You’re so sweet.
[00:20:41] Lesley Whitehead: No, because I feel that sincerity from you. It just feels so genuine
and your energy is so healing just to be around you. I really feel that I do when I’m around you
and those big blue eyes, nobody can see you, but you are of Greek descent, correct? You, your,
your family. Yes. And you are a stunning woman, this beautiful woman with these. Big blue
piercing eyes. They’re gorgeous. They’re just so, and so when, when, when I met you, I just, I
just felt like, who is this woman? I want to be around her. I want to know her.

[00:21:20] Sofia Galanis: Well, thank you so much. I, again, it comes from finding that peace
within me
[00:21:27] Lesley Whitehead: Right, right,
[00:21:28] Sofia Galanis: and, and being at peace with me and being at peace with all of the
different things that have happened in my life. And, life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for
you. I would say that there were different times in my life where that would have been very, very
tough to hear.
[00:21:47] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:21:47] Sofia Galanis: Because it’s really difficult to say, this is happening for me during like
some of the most painful times when I didn’t feel safe, this is happening for me? You know,
question mark. Why? And, but it was happening for me for my healing and it was happening for
me to know that I am inherently safe and protected.
[00:22:17] And that was something that I would say that was lacking. I did not have that sense of
safety for the majority of my life. Because I had given that power of being safe and protected
over to other people. That I was waiting for other people to protect me or to keep me safe. And
when I took that power back within me, it’s like I know what to do to keep me safe. I know what
to do. I am capable of making decisions and placing myself in situations and environments
where I am safe and protected. That was so key, like bringing that back into myself
[00:23:03] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:23:04] Sofia Galanis: has really been a key for just, finding peace within myself and finding
peace for all of the different people in my life who didn’t create situations where I felt safe.
[00:23:16] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Okay. And was that recent? That you found that?
[00:23:21] Sofia Galanis: Yes. Very recent. Something, something I’ve been working on, I’d say
for the past seven years, but really felt like, uh, I cleaned up all of those holes in my boundary
probably within the past year.
[00:23:35] Lesley Whitehead: Wow. That’s fantastic. So are you able to help other people with
that?
[00:23:40] Sofia Galanis: I love empowering other people and giving them the tools to see
what’s going on in their environment. And so, uh, one of the first tools that I use. You know,
people often talk about they’re having a conflict with someone in their life and it can be personal,
it can be professional. It can be, you know, drivers driving down the street or triggering to
someone, you know, I mean, welcome to the modern age.
[00:24:09] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:24:10] Sofia Galanis: And the thing is, it’s like, it’s understanding. What are they mirroring to
you?
[00:24:15] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, yes.
[00:24:18] Sofia Galanis: Right, and what are they mirroring to you and, what is that telling
you? Is it connected to something you heard growing up? Is it connected to, you know, a car
accident that you had? Is that, what is that connected to? And when you find peace with that,
those situations are not triggering anymore. And so, people mirror to us what we are or what we
judge.

[00:24:46] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:24:47] Sofia Galanis: And that second one’s a little tough. You know, I’ll give you an
example, because for the longest time, I was so triggered by people who, by liars. I was so
triggered by liars and gosh darn it, you know, you better believe that I kept attracting liars as
friends. And I was just like, what is this? You know, why, what, what is this? Do I have like,
please lie to me, like stuck as a label to my forehead. Where is this coming from? And, what I
really had to find peace with was where was I lying to myself.
[00:25:32] Lesley Whitehead: Oh gosh, that’s so deep.
[00:25:35] Sofia Galanis: and that hit me like a ton of bricks because of where I was lying to
myself was that I was okay with constantly serving others at the cost of me.
[00:25:50] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:25:51] Sofia Galanis: You know, for the highest good and benefit of all at the cost of me.
And I really had to change that to the highest good and benefit of all, including me,
[00:26:02] Lesley Whitehead: I I love that.
[00:26:03] Sofia Galanis: Because I am a child of God too, and I am worthy of having my needs
met as well.
[00:26:13] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right.
[00:26:14] Sofia Galanis: And so I was lying to myself that I could do it all. I was lying to myself
that I was okay with the table scraps of what other people had left over for me.
[00:26:28] Lesley Whitehead: That’s beautiful that you were able to figure that out and you’re
able to help other people with that.
[00:26:34] Sofia Galanis: again, it’s, I really hope to just empower people to have the tools to
just live with more hope, more love, more self acceptance and more compassion, not just for
themselves, but for others. Because it’s really interesting. Lesley, we do such a great job of
forgiving others and asking for forgiveness
[00:27:01] Lesley Whitehead: We do.
[00:27:03] Sofia Galanis: We do, we do such a great job, but we forget to bring that back into
ourselves.
[00:27:08] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:27:09] Sofia Galanis: We forget to bring in, well, I forgive them, but I also forgive who I was
in that moment.
[00:27:17] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Grace. Exactly.
[00:27:20] Sofia Galanis: Grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness.
[00:27:24] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:27:26] Sofia Galanis: And then the other piece that I feel is, and I, I heard this for a long
time. Be grateful, be grateful, be grateful. And sometimes we look around and during those
really dark moments, and we’re struggling to find that one thing to be grateful for. And not out of.
a lack of desire of wanting to find the grateful things, but more it’s just hard to see it through the

darkness.
[00:28:04] Lesley Whitehead: Sure.
[00:28:05] Sofia Galanis: But I have found in those moments of confusion to be thankful for
how I’m going to feel afterwards. So, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have touched the
lives of your podcast listeners
[00:28:25] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, I love that. Me too.
[00:28:29] Sofia Galanis: I haven’t done that yet.
[00:28:31] Lesley Whitehead: Right. I see.
[00:28:32] Sofia Galanis: Right. I don’t know who your, your listeners are, but I’m so grateful for
touching their lives. Right. And so it’s something that hasn’t happened yet, but I find being
grateful for what’s coming just kind of brings in just the good stuff.
[00:28:55] Lesley Whitehead: Definitely. That’s beautiful. So one of the things you mentioned
too was self love. And that leads me to the next topic that we were going to discuss that you
said you wanted to share about self love and becoming creative,
[00:29:13] Sofia Galanis: Yeah. So I’ve, I’ve talked a lot about safety and how safety has been
such a theme in my life and not feeling safe. And it was about five years ago
[00:29:31] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:29:33] Sofia Galanis: I had a memory from my childhood returned to me.
[00:29:39] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:29:40] Sofia Galanis: And, it has unfolded to the discovery that before the age of five, I was
sexually abused by two different people and sexually molested by seven different people.
[00:29:51] Lesley Whitehead: Oh my God, I’m so sorry.
[00:29:54] Sofia Galanis: Thank you. Thank you. Um, let me just say, I share that. I’m great. I’m
doing great. I’ve, again, I am living the best days of my life. I have never felt more empowered
and more within myself. And so I share that because it was a discovery. There was so much that
I had closed myself off. I had all of these walls and these boundaries that I had set up where I
was keeping people at arm’s length. And I spent so much time trying to understand what is that?
What am I doing? Why am I doing that? Why is that boundary there? And I was meditating and I
could see it. I could hear it. I could hear what was being said. I could feel how I was being
touched and, and all of the memories came back
[00:30:56] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:30:58] Sofia Galanis: And, it was tough. It was tough to,
[00:31:04] Lesley Whitehead: I’m sure.
[00:31:06] Sofia Galanis: you know, because these were people that my parents had trusted
into our lives and, um, my parents did not know. These people are just masters at manipulation,
right? And, and hiding And secrets. And secrets really take a lot of energy. And they take a lot of
energy out of our lives. And so the challenge when, for me personally, is, you know, I grew up in
a home with domestic abuse and then the sexual abuse, and I really struggled with trusting

people,
[00:31:48] Lesley Whitehead: I can imagine.
[00:31:49] Sofia Galanis: and especially people in authority,
[00:31:56] Lesley Whitehead: have no doubt. Makes. Sense. Yes.
[00:32:00] Sofia Galanis: you know, people in authority and, um, you know, I didn’t trust
therapists. I had tried a little bit of talk therapy after my twin sons were born. And I just didn’t feel
like it helped me with any, it didn’t help me resolve anything. Uh, and so I really struggled with
trusting. And so I went within, I went within to find that piece.
[00:32:29] And, uh, after my marriage ended and my marriage dissolved, I really started to
develop how do I know myself better? And there was all of this shame connected and attached
to my sexuality, my femininity. And the irony is, is that like, I really struggled with touch. I mean,
yes, I would hug people and, you know, and especially my kids and family and things, but I
really struggled with touch and, and so I got into a pleasure practice. And I prefer to call it a
pleasure practice. I know some people refer to it as masturbation, but I think that…
[00:33:16] Lesley Whitehead: I like pleasure practice.
[00:33:18] Sofia Galanis: Pleasure practice it, well, there’s such a negative connotation
associated with masturbation and, and ultimately I think the human body was designed for
pleasure. There’s a reason those pleasure points are there. And so I really just cultivated a
robust pleasure practice, uh, self pleasure practice where I have truly gotten to know myself.
[00:33:47] Lesley Whitehead: That’s fantastic.
[00:33:48] Sofia Galanis: And the beauty is, Lesley, is that with every, with every pleasure
practice, I set an intention. And for the longest time, the intention was for my healing.
[00:34:00] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Oh, beautiful. I love that.
[00:34:02] Sofia Galanis: Right. And, and so, the genitals are connected to the root chakra and
the root chakra is just our safety, our foundation and our security and our stability. And there
were so many things, memories that came up that were just so not connected, even, to my
sexuality, to my femininity, but connected to my sense of safety that would come up and it would
give me an opportunity to rewrite the story,
[00:34:38] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:34:39] Sofia Galanis: right? To rewrite the story of my childhood because I’m an adult now,
and I have empirical evidence that the story that I made up as a child or the story, the
programming that I learned from my family is not necessarily true,
[00:34:57] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Exactly.
[00:34:59] Sofia Galanis: as it was written in my childhood. And so I get to now look at, well, do
I still believe that? Is that my experience?
[00:35:09] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:35:10] Sofia Galanis: What do I believe? What do I want to believe? What feels true for
me? And what feels true for me in my heart? And, and I talk about that and I know that there are
a lot of people in Christian circles, I’ve seen these discussions on social media where they talk
about there’s only one truth and, um, that truth is God’s truth. But if we believe that we’re

created in the image and likeness of God, then we have to trust and believe that we have a
sense of what God wants for us as well.
[00:35:50] And, and I feel like that comes to us through our heart wisdom, through the peace
that we feel in our heart. And that is a big filter for me because our society, we get stuck in our
mind a lot and we disassociate from our body consciousness.
[00:36:07] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:36:07] Sofia Galanis: But when our body consciousness contracts, when we tighten up,
when we tense up and when we contract, that tells me that something’s not necessarily true or I
don’t know all of the truth.
[00:36:22] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:36:23] Sofia Galanis: But, when I’m at peace and my body and my heart feels peace and
my body is relaxed and I open up and I feel expansion and connection with other people. That’s
when I know that I have hit on truth.
[00:36:44] Lesley Whitehead: I love that. One of the things that you had talked about was that
this practice has also helped you in creativity. And I, I’d love to hear more about that.
[00:36:54] Sofia Galanis: Right.
[00:36:54] Lesley Whitehead: And also how that can help other women with their creativity. We
kind of talked about that a little bit.
[00:37:01] Sofia Galanis: Absolutely. So I was studied sciences. I was in the sciences. I have
my master’s degree in chemistry. And, uh, the last time I had taken an art class was I think
middle school. I did not consider myself to be artistic at all. And, uh, as I was cultivating my
pleasure practice, I kept hearing paint.
[00:37:29] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:37:29] Sofia Galanis: I kept hearing paint. And I had so much resistance. Because it didn’t
look pretty. It’s funny how we judge ourselves and we judge everything that we create. But the
art was for me. The art wasn’t for me to, um, share in a gallery anywhere. Uh, the art was for
me. And oftentimes what it looked like was color on a canvas and, um, pushed around either by
paintbrush, but for a long time, I just used a palette knife.
[00:38:08] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Okay.
[00:38:09] Sofia Galanis: And it just helped me move energy, move emotion, move thoughts
that were stuck. And it was fascinating because so many of my pieces would end up as water,
like water scenes. Right? So choppy waves versus flowing waters versus, you know, blue with,
you know, white glistening accents, versus…
[00:38:44] Lesley Whitehead: When you were painting, did you see that as, were you thinking
this is going to be water or were you just letting the paint flow on? And then when you looked at
it, you thought this is what, I mean, what,
[00:38:56] Sofia Galanis: Great question. Great question. So I would start with a canvas and
the colors that I would start with, there were multiple layers. I would paint upon, paint upon, paint
upon the canvas, multiple layers. And so whenever I felt so inspired, I would go grab any, any
colors, not just colors that you would see in water. And I would just paint and move, move the
colors around on the canvas. And at first I had no idea what they were, what they were going to

become.
[00:39:31] And sometimes I was working with more than one canvas at a time. I would be
working with, four to five canvases at a time. And I was just like, I don’t understand what I’m
doing, but this is how I just followed the inspiration, followed my intuition, followed what I, what I
felt like I was hearing. And I would, um, just move the paint, move the colors around and set it
aside. And when I felt like I was ready for another layer, I would, I would add another layer. And
sometimes I would be working on one piece over the course of a couple of days and just as
soon as it dried, I would be adding another layer, and sometimes even before the layer dried, I’d
be adding another layer. And so it was very, it became very meditative.
[00:40:27] But color has a healing frequency.
[00:40:30] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, I want to hear more about that.
[00:40:33] Sofia Galanis: And I know that as I was moving those colors, it was bringing in the
healing that I needed as well. Green, when you think of like the color green, for example, it
represents the earth and growth and, things provided to us by Mother Earth, right? Like all the
nourishment that we need. Blue represents our expression. It represents truth.
[00:41:03] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:41:04] Sofia Galanis: You know, red represents love, but it can also represent danger.
Right. So it depends on like, is it blue kind of pink or is it, you know, dark and muddy and, how,
how’s it flowing on the canvas? And so, you know, whether you think of the colors associated
with the seven different chakras, or I know that there are other, there are other resources out
there talking about the frequency of color that it brings in and color therapy that exists out there.
[00:41:42] And so the lesson really for that is, whether it’s for painting or how you decorate your
home or the clothes that you’re wear, you know, sometimes we’re just really inspired. Like, I
know I need to wear that green shirt today, or today I’m wearing this, um, beautiful blue wrap
that I had purchased at Autum’s shop, The Collective Lifestyle Boutique and Makery. And you’re,
you’re drawn to specific colors because it supports what you need at that time.
[00:42:17] Lesley Whitehead: Right. I love that. I’m not familiar with that. I wasn’t familiar that, I
think I knew it, but, um, but I hadn’t heard it in those terms. The colors can be healing,
[00:42:30] Sofia Galanis: Absolutely. Color is frequency. Words are frequency. Music is
frequency. And so when we think about what we’re drawn to in life at different times, it’s
supporting in and bringing to us what we need at that time.
[00:42:49] Lesley Whitehead: Right, right. Well, and I’ve seen some of your work. Is this
something that you’re doing just for yourself or do you think it will be something that you will
share with the world?
[00:43:00] Sofia Galanis: Oh, such a great question. At this time, I can tell you that everything,
most everything that I’ve created to date is very personal. There are gifts that I’ve made for
others where I felt inspired to create art for others, uh, that I have gifted for others. So, uh, right
now it’s still really personal,
[00:43:23] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Beautiful. I love that.
[00:43:25] Sofia Galanis: But still really powerful, right? And that’s, that is such a tool that
anyone can use at any time for their own healing. It’s available for you. It doesn’t have to be for
public display for, it to be a form of expression for you.

[00:43:45] Lesley Whitehead: Right. And like you said, it doesn’t have to be painting. It could be
writing. It could be creating music. It could be taking photographs. It could be, whatever.
[00:43:56] Sofia Galanis: Knitting, sewing. It could be.
[00:43:58] Lesley Whitehead: Exactly.
[00:43:59] Sofia Galanis: It could be cooking
[00:44:01] Lesley Whitehead: Yes. Cooking. Cooking is, I love cooking.
[00:44:05] Sofia Galanis: Is such a creative outlet, right? I mean when you look at foodies and
what they create,
[00:44:11] Lesley Whitehead: Yes.
[00:44:12] Sofia Galanis: It is such a creative process.
[00:44:14] Lesley Whitehead: It’s art. It is. It is. My daughter last night made, she’s out in
Denver, but she made a spinach pie, which I had never thought about making. Shared the
recipe with me. It was beautiful. It looked like a piece of art. It really did.
[00:44:30] Sofia Galanis: That’s awesome.
[00:44:32] Lesley Whitehead: I know. I love that. So well, first of all, before I ask my last
question, is there anything else that you wanted to share? Any wisdom, anything that’s coming
up that you feel they need to hear? Our audience.
[00:44:47] Sofia Galanis: What I really want to share is that
[00:44:49] sometimes we carry other people’s emotions. And for me, I was holding on to a lot of
people’s shame and I thought it was my shame.
[00:44:59] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:45:00] Sofia Galanis: I thought I had to be ashamed of my sexuality. I thought I had to be
ashamed of my femininity. There were so many messages that I received where being a woman
and being feminine was weakness.
[00:45:15] Lesley Whitehead: Right, right.
[00:45:16] Sofia Galanis: But there’s strength in our femininity and that strength comes from the
ability to create. Because that is something that women can do that men cannot.
[00:45:30] And not that they can’t create art, create music. It’s just very different. But, a woman’s
creative life force center has the capacity to just create life,
[00:45:44] but it becomes something so much greater when it is balanced with that ability to just
receive and relax and be nurtured and nourished and be inspired. The ability to receive that
inspiration, to be a vessel for allowing that creativity and that inspiration to grow and develop
and to be birthed, I think, is just something that women possess that is so powerful that cannot
be matched by men on their own. I think men have other strengths.
[00:46:32] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:46:33] Sofia Galanis: But I think that this is something that’s just really powerful, and for
women to take that energy back that they’ve given away to all of their partners, former partners

that they’ve ever been with. To get back that power to create and their worthiness of creating,
uh, not just human beings, but their legacy. Their legacy of love, their legacy of compassion,
their legacy of art, their legacy and the, and the footprint of, of what’s here on the planet and
how women have transformed the world with what they’ve created and brought into it.
[00:47:15] Lesley Whitehead: I love
[00:47:16] that. That’s beautiful.
[00:47:18] Sofia Galanis: Being a woman is strength.
[00:47:20] Lesley Whitehead: It is. We need to harness it.
[00:47:23] Sofia Galanis: That’s right.
[00:47:25] Lesley Whitehead: And own it.
[00:47:26] Sofia Galanis: You know, our feminine energies receive and our feminine energies
inspire the masculine. They inspire action. Like, so we need that harmony and that balance
between our feminine energies and our masculine energies. And then, likewise, as women with
the men in our lives.
[00:47:48] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right. One other question I want to ask you, and you are
part of my 55 women project, which I didn’t mention at the beginning, but when I had met you, I
just thought, oh my gosh, this woman needs to be part of my 55 women project. Cause she is
such a badass. But one of the questions I asked, and I loved getting all the answers for was,
what is one thing that, um, people would be surprised to know about you?
[00:48:14] Sofia Galanis: Good question, Lesley. First me just say it was such an honor to A,
work with you to be photographed. You are such an amazing photographer. I had such a
wonderful time. Thank you. I love my photos. So excited about them, and they really helped me
feel beautiful.
[00:48:38] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, thank you so much. I’m so glad. That is my goal with
everyone I have the honor of photographing, is feeling like you see yourself, who you are, you
feel beautiful and you recognize yourself. In a very beautiful way, so thank you for that.
[00:48:56] Sofia Galanis: You’re welcome. So I already feel like I’ve shared some things in this
podcast already that I don’t think very many people really knew about me.
[00:49:05] Lesley Whitehead: Well, then maybe the question’s been answered. Maybe you feel
like the question’s already been answered and it doesn’t need to be answered again. Okay.
[00:49:12] Sofia Galanis: I do.
[00:49:13] Lesley Whitehead: That’s very fair. Oh my gosh, Sofia. I am so grateful that you sat
down with me here today and shared all of your heart and soul. And what you’re offering to the
world and the beautiful lessons that you’ve learned about yourself, and the feminine parts that
we need to recognize in ourselves. It just really resonated with me. I know it’s going to resonate
with everyone else out there. And, um, I also hope that everyone takes, um, an opportunity to
start, um, doing that self pleasure practice?
[00:49:54] Sofia Galanis: Everyone needs a pleasure practice, whether they’re there, they’re
with a partner or by themselves. Because there is a self awareness that comes from your own
self pleasure practice. And so, um, there is something so valuable and honorable to the human
body. And, we all need more joy and, and pleasure in our lives. And it’s just about finding the

right balance. And so, um, go discover yourself.
[00:50:29] Lesley Whitehead: That is a great, a great ending, my friend.
[00:50:34] Sofia Galanis: Thank you so much. It has been such an honor to work with you and
to be a guest on your podcast. I wish you so many good things. And I wish so many good things
for your listeners as well. And thank you for the opportunity to allow me to be seen and heard.
[00:50:56] Lesley Whitehead: Thank you, Sofia. You are a beautiful woman.
[00:50:59] Sofia Galanis: You are too.
[00:51:01] Lesley Whitehead: Love you.
[00:51:02] Sofia Galanis: Love you too.
[00:51:07] Lesley Whitehead: Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you found this
episode inspiring as well as entertaining. If you want more out of the box wisdom from boots on
the ground, creative, brave women like this one, subscribe to Her Story So Far podcast
wherever you listen, and please share this link with anyone who needs some inspiration. To
receive more wisdom in your inbox, sign up for my weekly letter at
Lesleywhiteheadphotography. com.
[00:51:36] Her Story So Far podcast is produced in conjunction with mad talented executive
producer K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.
[00:51:46] Thank you to all my beautiful bold guests, without them there would be no show.
[00:51:52] Until next time, get out there and make yourself visible to the world. We need you and
your creation. If no one has told you today, you are beautiful.

Her Story So Far

Her Story So Far focuses on outside-the-box conversations with badass female creatives. These women are birthing amazing passion projects in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of their lives. Host Lesley Whitehead is an artist, visual storyteller and multi-passionate marketer. She believes age shouldn’t stop you from achieving your dreams or make you invisible to the world. Join us to be inspired by the wit, wisdom and one-of-a-kind experiences of these amazing women.

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Mentioned

Explore The Collective, A Lifestyle Boutique & Makery, at https://thecollectivelhe.com/

Autumn’s vision for The Collective was inspired by the novel The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. https://anitadiamant.com/books/the-red-tent/  

Transcript

[00:00:00] Lesley Whitehead: Hi, beautiful. This is your host, Lesley Whitehead, and I am so excited to share this bold, brave, badass, creative woman with you. I hope our conversation inspires you not to let anything get in the way of your passion projects. I promise you, we need whatever is on your heart to create for this world.
[00:00:21] Hi, beautiful woman. I am here today on Her Story So Far with my friend Autumn Geist, artist, teacher, speech coach, creative, elected official, community organizer, and mother of three incredible humans and grandma of one beautiful little girl. Hi, Autumn.
[00:00:46] Autumn Geist: Leslie. Well, that is quite an introduction. Thank you.
[00:00:50] Lesley Whitehead: Well, you. are quite a woman.
[00:00:53] Autumn Geist: Thank you.
[00:00:54] Lesley Whitehead: I am so grateful to have you on my first episode of my new
podcast. It is such an incredible honor to me that you are the first one. For many reasons, one being that you are such a connector. You've been such a connector for me in my life and in my business. and especially in this project I just launched, which, um, you're well aware of.
[00:01:21] You're in the project. You also hosted the big launch party and, um, also connected me with many, many, many wonderful, amazing, badass, bold, brave, entrepreneurs. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that. And for being here.
[00:01:39] Autumn Geist: Well, thank you. It is a pleasure to be able to support you and your
art. You have always been such a great supporter to me and I don't, and I don't say that lightly because many women will say I'm such a supporter of women, I'm a fierce supporter of women, but at the end of the day, you know they're not really acting on it in the ways that you do. Like you do it so selflessly. And so I'm very appreciative and I'm grateful to have been part of the project.
[00:02:06] And when we had the launch party, like I said to you to be in a room of women who all had so much, brought so much to the table. So much. We need to put, we need to put an insert in that table. What's it called when you put the leaf in? Yeah, the leaf, right? That's what we, we need to put like a couple of leaves in because they brought so much to the table, we need to keep growing it. Um, just a really dynamic group of women that you have collected in this project. So you should be really proud of yourself.
[00:02:34] Lesley Whitehead: I am looking forward to the spring launch of that book and, um, seeing it all to come to fruition. But for now, I want to spend this time talking to you about, um, all of your passions and what you're bringing to the world. The whole reason that I, I'm doing this podcast is to spotlight all these amazing women who, um, in some areas are invisible. They
aren't seen. And, you know, we're not celebrities, so it is hard to be seen. And especially for us
who are 50 plus. So I guess my first question is, how young are you?
[00:03:16] Autumn Geist: I am proud to say I am 54 years young. It, you know, it's a crazy thing
when you say that out loud though, because I remember being, you know, 17, 18 years old and
thinking 32, 37 was old. Like, how will I ever be that old? And now I'm like, wait, what just
happened? Time is a thief. Um, we know we've lived every single day of these years, right? It's
like, it just really goes fast. It goes way faster than I ever could have imagined, you know? And I
find myself just wanting more and more more and more time.

[00:03:50] Lesley Whitehead: Well, and also, you've lived so many lives in this lifetime. Like,
there's some people who have a little more, uh, straight trajectories in life, and, um, yours has
not been that.
[00:04:04] Autumn Geist: Not at all.
[00:04:07] Lesley Whitehead: But it's created this wonderful, the wonderful woman that you
are. So.
[00:04:11] Autumn Geist: Yeah, I think the experiences certainly have. I mean, when I look
back on it, you know, I was a young mother, um, and you know, I was doing professional theater
when I was young and auditioning for, you know, TV film. I was, I went from that and then I was
a makeup artist for Chanel . Then I somehow landed in IT for an investment bank, and I did that
for a number of years and stayed in IT and project management, moved into marketing.
[00:04:39] Every opportunity I had, opened the door to the next opportunity. But 100% to be, I'm
100% transparent with you. I was never qualified. for any of the opportunities I had.
[00:04:52] Lesley Whitehead: So what's the lesson from that?
[00:04:54] Autumn Geist: Well, what I will tell you is my ability to be a great communicator was
what managers would see over and over and over again. And those soft skills are not something
that companies want to spend a whole lot of time investing in. They can teach you technology.
They can teach you process, procedure. But the art of being a good communicator is what
secured opportunity after opportunity for me that I was not qualified for, but all those
opportunities culminated into the next opportunity and the next opportunity.
[00:05:25] So, I think the lesson for anyone is to learn how to speak your truth, like learn how to
be a good communicator. If someone has told you you're not a great communicator, work on it.
[00:05:37] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. So, that kind of leads me to my next question because this
is, um, an area that you are very passionate about, which is that you are a speech coach. Can
you tell us a little bit about that and what you're doing and how you help, um, women find their
voice and other people as well?
[00:05:57] Autumn Geist: Yeah. when I say I'm a professional speech coach, I think people
automatically go to like speech pathology. No, it's, learning how to be an effective communicator,
whether that's in a one on one communication or you're giving a presentation or you're self
advocating or, whatever the situation is where you're having to verbally communicate, I coach
people in the tools. And they're using the tools in their toolbox because we all have them and
they just may not realize they have them or how to use them. So I coach them in how to use
those tools to be more effective communicators.
[00:06:29] And, and what happens. Ability breeds confidence. And I still am nervous every time I
speak, so it doesn't mean that I'm so confident. I'm still nervous every single time, and I tell
people, it's okay to be nervous. You should be nervous. It means you care.
[00:06:46] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:06:47] Autumn Geist: And we should care, especially when we're communicating, you
know, we can have all of this great knowledge in our heads, but if we don't know how to, to
share it or, you know, impart that information, it kind of just gets stuck. Right.
[00:06:58] So I work with professionals. I work with community leaders. I work with youth
primarily. And it's really exciting because I've had some, from a competitive perspective, some
successful speech competitors through that. Uh, state and a national award winning speaker.
So, very proud of that. I know that, that's something you can't take away from someone, right?

Their voice. You can't take it.
[00:07:23] Lesley Whitehead: And... for you to be able to help them with that, that is such a gift.
Um, I'm interested in working with you as well on that because, um, I want to use my voice more
and speak as well and that's not something that comes naturally to me.
[00:07:37] And I'm also one of those people that when I get up in front of an audience, I'm much
better if it's impromptu but if I have to sort of plan what I'm saying, it makes me stop and second
guess everything. And I also turn very red, which makes me more anxious about it. So I'm sure
there are tips and tricks that you could, um, help me with in working on that.
[00:08:00] Autumn Geist: For sure. I will tell you this though, um, impromptu speaking is the
most difficult. So if you can master the art of impromptu speaking, prepared speeches are just
that much easier. So I,
[00:08:11] I always tell people don't memorize. Don't memorize your speech, know your speech,

[00:08:16] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:08:16] Autumn Geist: If you know your subject matter, then you should just be able to have
a conversation about that subject matter and that becomes the speech.
[00:08:23] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, I see.
[00:08:24] Autumn Geist: Right? As soon as we get stuck on the words, instead of the
message or the information or what we know, the knowledge we have, we get stuck on the word
verbatim and we lose one word.
[00:08:35] Lesley Whitehead: That's true. That's so true.
[00:08:37] Autumn Geist: And then we're frustrated and we're standing there flustered and
we're starting to sweat and our hands are clammy grabbing our, our clothes and tugging and
because you got stuck on the words instead of trusting that you knew what you were talking
about. So you have to know your material, not memorize it. It's very different.
[00:08:54] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Cool. Okay. Well, I'm excited that you shared that part of
you with, um, all these listeners. I, um, also want to talk to you about, um, the collective and
makery that you've created in Lyle and where we hosted the 55 Women Project. So, will you tell
me about this passion project of yours and what you love about it?
[00:09:19] Autumn Geist: Oh, okay. So okay. I'll explain why I'm laughing in a minute. Uh, so
The Collective is The Collective Lifestyle Boutique and Makery. It's a lifestyle boutique, right? So
that means, what does it mean? It means that we have a little bit of everything. We have
products that touch various aspects of your life. So whether that's candles, tabletop, artisan
foods, uh, jewelry, baby gifts, apparel, whatever that case may be.
[00:09:47] Uh, and 85 percent of the goods in the store are woman owned brands, products that
give back to good causes, or small maker made. Yeah. So everything is very intentionally
curated, uh, to give you an inspired shopping experience. Because I believe you should shop
inspired. And so get off that A to the N word. And stop. But anyway, yeah, so that was the
concept.
[00:10:17] And then the other part, it's a two, it's a two fold business model. So shop inspired
and creating community. And so in our makery, so a bakery you make, a bakery, you bake. Uh,
in our makery we offer all types of experiences for people, from canvas painting to, uh, candle
pouring, beautiful Reese porch leans, gorgeous trays, you know, literally we do everything

except macrame.
[00:10:46] And then we also hold space for, um, different types of vendors to come in and offer
pop ups that we have permanent jewelry. We have a lip gloss bar. Uh, I do pop ups with small
brands. They can come in on a Saturday and, and have a six foot table. It helps them to expand
their reach. You know the saying, lighting someone else's candle doesn't dim yours.
[00:11:05] Lesley Whitehead: Yes.
[00:11:06] Autumn Geist: I believe in, in giving, sharing my space in those ways. So are my
whole purpose is shop inspired and creating community. And I think that we do that between the
collective, which is the retail and the makery, which is the creative workspace.
[00:11:19] Lesley Whitehead: Right, right. And we had that experience the other night when,
um, you hosted the party because we made candles with you. Will you describe that a little bit?
Because I know that's a passion project of yours as well.
[00:11:32] Autumn Geist: Well, it is, so I've been sort of, you know, testing the process out with
these different workshops because we, um, candles are the number one seller in the store,
right? So I'm recognizing that by, I love selling everyone else's candles, but I also love the idea
of my own line. And I have a candle club right now called Soie La Lumiere, which means to be
the light in French. And so the goal is to release, a candle line, you know, of that name. And I
don't want to talk too much about that because it's really special.
[00:12:03] But when the guests came, uh, to your event, they got to, you know, talk about what,
what did they feel about scents and what scents, know, really triggered like an emotion of
comfort and home because we were focused on fall scents. So we weren't. there were, we
weren't working with florals or clean or or masculine or anything. It was all fall sort of, um, warm,
warm, earthy scents. And, so they went through that process and they did their blend, and then
they did, they poured their candle and while they visited, they, the candles cooled.
[00:12:32] But something I forgot to share with you when I was telling you about the, the shop,
which I think is really important, is where did the concept come from.
[00:12:39] Lesley Whitehead: Yes.
[00:12:40] Autumn Geist: It was based on my experience of reading the book, The Red Tent.
[00:12:45] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, I read that.
[00:12:46] Autumn Geist: What was so beautiful about the red tent is that no matter what was
going on outside of the tent, whatever strife, jealousy, whatever, right? When they went into the
tent, women took care of each other. So whether they were having their cycle or had a baby or
they were ill, the other women came in and they fed you and they, they washed your hair and
your feet and they just loved you up. Right.
[00:13:08] I wanted, to create as much of that as I could in these walls. I want people to come in
and feel like loved up. Not here by my stuff here. Here's all my shit. Want to buy it? Can I say
shit on your podcast?
[00:13:23] Lesley Whitehead: Of course, yes, please.
[00:13:24] Autumn Geist: Sorry. So not that stuff'slf shit, but you know what I'm I feel like, you
know, this is not timeshare condominium sales. So people come in and they come in and they
go, I'm just looking. like, whoa, settle down, sally, look, I'm just saying hi. It's okay. And I do tell
them, I mean, I'm a very cheeky person, it's like, not like, this you know, but.

[00:13:50] But I say to them, well, this isn't Target and I'm supposed to help you. And so if you
don't want anyone to talk to you, you could go to Target and you could walk up and down aisles
all day, probably from open to close and nobody will say boo to you. But in here we're
consultative.
[00:14:09] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:14:10] Autumn Geist: We are here to serve you, so we're going to talk to you, and we may
say, hello. Ha Don't be afraid. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Don't be afraid. Ha ha ha. ha
[00:14:22] Lesley Whitehead: That's funny.
[00:14:23] Autumn Geist: I say it in a loving way. I mean, it's cheeky. I am cheeky, but I still say
it in a way that lets them know, look, this is different, and I want you to know it's different, and I'm
not, I'm unapologetic about that. Right? This isn't a big box store, you know. And so when you
come here, no, you're not going to just be left to your own to fend for yourself. A lot of products
in the store have, have stories. There's a, there's a purpose. So if I don't engage with you, how
will you ever know? And then how we ever know how special that is. Right? So, yeah. So we
actually talk to you here. It's like a rule.
[00:14:56] Lesley Whitehead: And it's called The Collective for a reason. It's a collective. You
feel it. You also, are you still doing, um, I know that you also rent your space out for certain
events. Is that still available to people or...
[00:15:11] Autumn Geist: We do. Um, and I have, I've had people, it's really interesting. I had,
um, I've had like the U S tennis association rent my space. I had some guys come in from
Silicon Valley who rented the makery for four days. Four days, right? Their luggage was worth
more than my house. I don't know who they were, but I know they were important people.
[00:15:31] Lesley Whitehead: So know that if you rent this space, Autumn's going to keep it on
the DL.
[00:15:36] Autumn Geist: I didn't, I didn't say where they were from. What I will tell you, yeah,
but throughout the day, like, so they filled three six foot tables with sticky notes just so you know.
But they would cover it at night and trust me, I was tempted. I was tempted, but I'm such a good
girl. Like, I didn't, I didn't peek. I didn't peek, but they were lovely.
[00:15:57] But the point is, is we get a really interesting mix of people who use the space. Down
to someone, you know, like, like we have the pop up, you know, jewelry, we've got someone
who comes here and does, uses the peony lounge to do, you know, brow tints and stuff. So the
space is always in use in some creative, interesting way. And yeah, so people are always
welcome to contact me about how the, how they can do that.
[00:16:20] But I, I love that they chose to use this space. And when I asked them why, because
they could have been in any boardroom and any corporate building, right, for those four days.
They specifically chose the space because they liked that it was different. And the makery is a
creative vibe because it's a creative space. And we all know, I know they didn't tell me this. I
know this, that creativity sparks innovation.
[00:16:46] Lesley Whitehead: Definitely.
[00:16:47] Autumn Geist: I just wish I knew what they were innovating. Like,
[00:16:50] Lesley Whitehead: Ooooo.
[00:16:50] Autumn Geist: Maybe I could have been in on this. Like, you know, maybe this is a
big product release coming out that we didn't even know about, know, Maybe it was A.I.

[00:17:00] Lesley Whitehead: Could be.
[00:17:02] Autumn Geist: Thanks for asking about that though. Yeah, I love sharing the space.
[00:17:05] Lesley Whitehead: I know that's fantastic. Let's talk about a little bit about being in
our 50s and being entrepreneurs and the lessons around that, maybe we could share with the
women who are coming up.
[00:17:18] Autumn Geist: Yeah. Well, first and foremost, I would say do it sooner
[00:17:25] Lesley Whitehead: Wait, how old were you when you started?
[00:17:29] Autumn Geist: Well six it's been six years. I opened the store six years ago.
[00:17:32] Lesley Whitehead: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:17:33] Autumn Geist: But I've been a semi entrepreneur on and off for years. But I what at
my point is I had this dream a long time ago that I wanted to create a space where women could
shop inspired and create in community. And, I, I just wish I had done it sooner cause I think I had
more energy before menopause.
[00:17:53] Lesley Whitehead: Menopause could be a whole episode and it's its own.
[00:17:58] Autumn Geist: 100%.
[00:17:58] Lesley Whitehead: We'll do that another day.
[00:18:00] Autumn Geist: Another day. But you know, just, I, I'm tired, I'm more tired than ever,
you know? I would have just liked to have been doing this when I was a little bit younger. And,
but also at the same time. Do I? I don't know, because I wouldn't have had all the experiences
that led me to know how to create the experiences that I create for people here, right? People
are always like, oh, how did you think of that? Well, because I've been around the block a
couple thousand times, and that gives you, those experiences build upon your ability to make
the choices you make, right? So if I hadn't lived all of these 9,000 lives... would I have as
effective? I don't know.
[00:18:41] Lesley Whitehead: Right, right.
[00:18:42] Autumn Geist: But yeah, I still think you could start sooner.
[00:18:45] And I think some of the biggest lessons that I would say to younger women is build a
tribe. I think our generation was much better at that. You know, really leaning into each other.
So, you know, but also we've had some experiences that sort of forced us to have to learn how
to do that. And maybe this younger generation hasn't had some of those experiences. I don't
know. Maybe because I was a young mom, I learned to lean into women a little, a little earlier.
But...
[00:19:16] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:19:16] Autumn Geist: Find your tribe. And, don't just find them. Nurture those relationships
because those are going to be the people who, you know, really push you through. Because
entrepreneurship is not for the shrinking violet.
[00:19:32] Lesley Whitehead: No, is it is certainly not.

[00:19:35] Autumn Geist: And I know people say that and people probably listen to that and
go... no, we're legit. When someone comes in here and goes, oh, this is such, you know, I
always wanted to own a store. I'm like, well, have you ever wanted a store to own you? Because
that's what that's what.
[00:19:51] Lesley Whitehead: I know, I think it's interesting because I think no matter where you
are as an entrepreneur, whether you're, you? know, um, like it makes me think of Emily and
Friends, the card company and how she, you know, built this whole giant card company and,
you know, from a distance, it looked like she was on top of the world.
[00:20:11] And now she's telling everyone that it was a fucking nightmare. And yes, of course, I
mean, she enjoyed parts of it, but her health suffered and that she had no balance in her life and
all of those things. So I think having that tribe, like you said, helps us, maintain balance,
because at least we have other people to lean on and talk to about, hey, this is heavy, can you
help me carry this weight of this thing that I'm dealing with right now?
[00:20:39] Autumn Geist: I think it's 100 percent that. And I think it's also, I went to a leadership
conference a couple of months ago, and my biggest takeaway from the two days was
transparency. I think too often we are so embarrassed or, you know, we feel shameful if we're
struggling. We don't want to come across weak because we all want to be badass boss bitches
and we want to be able to do it all. And we can do it all and we don't need anybody and, you
know, we, we, we, we, but we do. You know, and I think when you can surrender and go, you
know what? Yeah, I don't, I don't have all my shit together and I'm dropping balls, like lots of
balls. Maybe I'm not even holding balls cause I can't pick them up because I've got so many
balls. I don't know.
[00:21:29] But when we can be transparent and feel safe to be vulnerable. You can do that when
you build a tribe. Right. Um. It releases so much, I think, because it's not easy. You know, you're,
you're marketing you're sales. You're, you're, you're, you're the buyer. You're the visual
merchandiser. You're the accounting, you're payroll, you're HR, you're social media
managemenyou'reour website management. You know what I'm saying? Like it's no joke, right?
If you can't admit that, this is hard.
[00:22:00] I see people all the time like, like, it seems like you said it seems like everybody has it
all together. I mean, even looking at all my pretty pictures every day, I'm sure people think, oh,
everything's going, it's not going great. It's not going great. Every day is a fight. But what the
difference is now is I stopped crying about it. And I stopped crying because I could just picture
my grandmother, when, when I would come to her crying about something. And my grandmother
is a huge influence in this space and the energy here and, but she, she would say, don't you
shed one more tear over that. And I'd be okay, you're right. But, but again, here in my, my ear
told me, stop crying.
[00:22:41] Soon as I stopped crying and just like surrendered into, yeah, it's hard. And it's okay
to tell people it's hard. And it's okay to tell people that you're afraid and it's okay to tell people
like you're, yeah, yeah, I'm struggling. And when they say, well, how can I help? And answer,
don't say, Oh no, it's fine. I'll figure it out. No, you're not going to figure it out. You need your
tribe. Lean in, you know? So I think that's it, you know, having a tribe leaning into it, being
vulnerable, you know, being transparent, people don't know what they don't know.
[00:23:10] Lesley Whitehead: Right. The other question I had was, um, you know as a black
woman, a black female entrepreneur, how has that been for you, especially in the last few years
with COVID and Black Lives Matter and frankly being in a predominantly, I think, white area,
right? Aren't, isn't, Lyle? I...
[00:23:34] Autumn Geist: I mean, I would say that it is predominantly, you know, I haven't really
struggled with that so much. What I have struggled with is, you know, historically black owned

businesses do fail at a higher rate than white-owned business, because access to funding.
[00:23:49] Lesley Whitehead: Right,
[00:23:49] Autumn Geist: Right. So I think that's been my biggest challenge
[00:23:53] Lesley Whitehead: Did you get funds from...
[00:23:55] Autumn Geist: Oh, girl, I didn't get, I can't, you haven't, I got a dime, not a dime. And
I look at all the people who... I don't begrudge them that they were able to secure funds. God
bless. But if you secured funds and you didn't use it to just keep your, sustain your business and
you open second and third businesses, you should feel a little like a little like.
[00:24:17] Lesley Whitehead: Well, a little shame.
[00:24:20] Autumn Geist: Oh, you know, I mean,
[00:24:23] Lesley Whitehead: Well, then that is huge that you've been able to like manage all
this without additional funding going through COVID because I know, that was not easy.
[00:24:32] Autumn Geist: Well, I funded myself. So I guess that would be another, another
lesson I would teach any, any entrepreneur is do not self fund your startup.
[00:24:41] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:24:42] Autumn Geist: You know what I mean? Like crowd, crowd gather, crowd fund,
whatever. Look and research for grants for startups, start woman owned business startups. Use
other people's money.
[00:24:53] I remember one time I, uh, you know, my daughters and I would love to go from, you
know, manicures and pedicures together. And I'd been taking Keely for years. Right. And one
day she's like, hey, you want to go get a manicure pedicure? So we go. And it comes time to
check out. And we're both standing there. And she's looking at me and I'm looking at her. And
she's like, weren't you going to pay? And I'm like, you invited me. You asked me if I wanted to
go. Aren't you paying? You have money. And you know what she told me? That's how rich
people get rich. They use other people's money.
[00:25:29] Lesley Whitehead: I love Keeley. Lesson learned. Mic drop.
[00:25:37] Autumn Geist: So don't use your own money to self fund. Don't sit for your startup,
seek grants. They're out there. Make sure you're connecting with organizations that will mentor
you. There's a great one here in DuPage called Innovations of DuPage. I was not a member of
it, but I know some startup, uh, folks who have really had some great successes with them. So
learn what your resources are.
[00:25:57] When we launched this business, it was two friends going, hey, I have an idea. You
have an idea. I have an idea. Oh my our ideas are similar. Let's do this. That was our business
plan. You got 10, 000. I got 10, 000. And it's not, I mean, it's funny to
[00:26:17] Lesley Whitehead: Fly by the seat of your pants.
[00:26:20] Autumn Geist: What? Yeah oh, need a business plan. And not only do you need a
business plan, if you are going to go into business with someone, I don't care if you love them
upside down, sideways to the moon and back again, you have to have a system in place for
how you're going to manage when, um, things don't work. So when you have a difference of
opinion, when there's a conflict that's, you can't die on the sword for everything.

[00:26:42] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right. It's like a relationship. Like a marriage.
[00:26:44] Autumn Geist: Yes, it's very much like a 100 percent like a marriage and, I
encourage seeking a business coach to help you work through some of those growing pains
that are going to happen. It's inevitable. It's human nature.
[00:26:56] So I would say that that's really important because that's something that I, you know,
we had leaned into. In our situation, things still, uh, went in a different direction, but that's
another thing. So have a plan in place. What happens if one person wants to go? What's the
liability on the person who stays?
[00:27:11] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right.
[00:27:12] Autumn Geist: I've shared with you, that was the biggest mistake I made was taking
ownership of all of the debt at the brink of a pandemic and then not getting any funding. So it's
been a, it's been a battle, but have a system in place, have an agreement in place, have
everything well documented with an attorney so that it doesn't even have to get personal. It's
like, hey, this is what we agree to.
[00:27:33] Lesley Whitehead: Right, exactly.
[00:27:34] Autumn Geist: It's right here in writing.
[00:27:35] Lesley Whitehead: And partnerships are hard. I know very few partnerships that
have worked. Business partnerships. I mean, I had one when I started, it did not last a year. It
was the same thing. It was like, Oh, I'm a photographer. You're a photographer. Let's be
photographers together. This is a great idea. we didn't write down a thing. It was so, it just did
not end well.
[00:27:55] Autumn Geist: But I do think partnerships can work in business, but I think you have
to both be sort of... so for me, I knew that starting up a business was going to require late nights,
long weeks, like, right. Just long days, late nights.
[00:28:09] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Yes, of course.
[00:28:10] Autumn Geist: I was going to have to dig deep. I would be away from my family for
large periods of time. My family would suffer. My relationships, my friendships would suffer. Like,
I accepted that that was part of a startup. And not everybody is wired for those sacrifices. It
doesn't make you a good or a bad person. It's just, it's not for everyone. And you really have to
honest with yourself. How much are you willing to give? Like when, when people say, I would
love to own a store. No, the store owns you. You think that you with the entrepreneurship, that it
means that you have freedom. You know, when you work for corporate, you're, you're, you're
tied to their rules and their hours and you're limited. Your, your, um, income is limited to what
salary they offer you. Right. And so you think as an entrepreneur, well, I could do better. I can do
more. You're going to work harder and yes, you can have great success. And you could make
more than you did as a salaried employee and you could believe that you have control of your
own hours and time, but...
[00:29:04] Um, and I, I'm trying to feel bad. I don't want it to make it sound like it's like all bad.
It's beautiful too. There are relationships that have from this experience that I never would have
had if I had not done this. But it is hard I'm not going to lie.
[00:29:17] Lesley Whitehead: That's how I met you. I walked in the store.
[00:29:20] Autumn Geist: Right. See, see what the store did. see what the store did. I think, so,
you know, be prepared to sacrifice, you know, don't spend your money. Be prepared to sacrifice.
Have things well documented, have agreements well documented, have a backward past plan.

I'm a project manager by nature. So what is the plan if things don't work out? How do you, how
do you back out of it?
[00:29:44] Like have a whole system in place and then give it a hundred percent. And be willing
to listen and ask questions. You know, if things aren't working at your business, have an honest
conversation. Is it your website? Is it your employees? How are they talking to people? How are
they, how are they addressing people?
[00:29:59] I listen to how my employees talk to people all the time, you know, and their
messaging needs to be the same. It can be in their own voice, but the message is the same. It is
consistent who we are, what we are, how we want people to feel when they shop here. That's
consistent. And I think as a result of that, you know, we have very few returns. We have very few
issues in the store. And, you know, I'm cheeky.
[00:30:23] Lesley Whitehead: Right. I love that.
[00:30:25] Autumn Geist: if people come in the store crazy,
[00:30:28] Lesley Whitehead: I know. Well, they're looking for you I mean, it's, it's, it's almost
like a double edged sword. Um, entrepreneurship when you own a store like, or a boutique like
yours because you are the store. So when people come in they'll specifically ask for you. Is
Autumn here? Is Autumn here? Is Autumn here? And...
[00:30:47] Autumn Geist: It's not inaccurate. And I would say that's probably another tip. Maybe
you have to really decide what is the face of your brand and does it have to have a face, you
know, because you're right. Then, people get very bonded to the face of the brand so that if that
face isn't there. Oh, okay. I'll come back later You know, so be really you have very careful that
think
[00:31:14] You know Michelle at 16 suitcases has done a really great job at that. Like she's got
this beautiful brand well curated goods a really strong following but she's not the face.
[00:31:24] Lesley Whitehead: No, she's not, you're so right.
[00:31:25] Autumn Geist: Right, whereas I am the face that does that does present some
different challenges for me. But I think that's also part of the charm of the store. I had met with
angel investor, I don't know, probably two years ago. And his, him and his wife. And the wife said
to me when I was like, I just don't understand why the online sales aren't, you know, matching
what's happening. You know, if everybody wants to shop online, whyaren't they clicking? And
she said, well, you're not on the website.
[00:31:53] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:31:54] Autumn Geist: So the experience people have when they come to the store is with
you. They want that time with you. They want to talk to you. They want to connect with you. And
that is all part of the experience. It's not transactional here. It's very relational. If you go to
Target. No, I'm not dissing Target. I love Target. I can't leave Target without hundred
[00:32:13] Lesley Whitehead: I know me too.
[00:32:13] Autumn Geist: spending a hundred dollars.. I wish people would come in here and
say I can't leave without spending a hundred dollars. But anyway, I Target and I go and I buy the
detergent and I go to the checkout and I pay for it and I go home. That's transactional, right?
[00:32:27] Here, we're relational. I know their children's names. I know where they vacation. I
know if their mother's ill, you know what I'm saying? Like I know them. It's, it's a very relational
experience here. So you're not just, I'm not just saying, here, buy all my stuff here, buy my stuff.

You a lot of times I tell people, you don't need that materials person. You don't need that They'll
try to buy like multiple of something in different colors or something like, nah, you need
[00:32:54] Lesley Whitehead: You don't need all that.
[00:32:56] Autumn Geist: I do need it. No, you don't. Like, aren't you, aren't you supposed be
selling me things? I'm like, yeah, but I'm also authentic.
[00:33:03] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:33:03] Autumn Geist: And I don't want you to get home and have buyer's remorse.
[00:33:06] Lesley Whitehead: Exactly.
[00:33:07] Autumn Geist: I also don't want husbands cutting you off from coming here, right. So
I have to be like, really mindful of that too. Like, I want you to be able to come back.
[00:33:17] Lesley Whitehead: Okay, I have to ask this question, um, because it was in the
group of questions, I asked for my project and I thought that it brought out the most interesting
answers from everyone. So what is something that people would be surprised to know about
you?
[00:33:32] Autumn Geist: I have a irrational fear of bridges.
[00:33:39] Lesley Whitehead: Uh, okay. Tell me about that.
[00:33:42] Autumn Geist: I have an irrational fear of bridges. And what's interesting about that
is I've had that fear for as long as I can remember. And my husband used to like, when he was
alive, used to make fun of me about it. Like he's like, you're so ridiculous. It's so irrational.
Bridges are strong. They're not going anywhere. And then remember when that bridge collapsed
in, collapsed in Minnesota.
[00:34:03] Lesley Whitehead: Right? Yes,
[00:34:04] Autumn Geist: See?
[00:34:07] Lesley Whitehead: It does, It does happen. It happened in florida. It yes, it does
happen.
[00:34:12] Autumn Geist: But being such a brave, bold person, I think people would find It like,
interesting that, like, I would be afraid of something so, not silly, but, you know, unlikely.
[00:34:23] Lesley Whitehead: So, what do you do? Do you avoid them? Do you go over them,
close your eyes? How do you handle that?
[00:34:29] Autumn Geist: Well, it would be bad if I closed my eyes driving
[00:34:32] Lesley Whitehead: Well, no, not if you were driving, but if if you're in the car.
[00:34:38] Autumn Geist: That Sunshine Bridge, I'll tell you, that Sunshine Bridge in Florida,
like, you know what, you are like, you, if anybody ever expected me to drive a car over that
bridge, they're dead to me. Never. You will never, like, put me in a boat. I would rather go by
boat from one side to the other than cross that bridge.
[00:34:57] Lesley Whitehead: But you know that's the one that was hit originally. Okay, so this
is what happened when I was, I think, either in high school or in college, um, we had a barge, or
big boat that hit the pilings on the bridge that was the original bridge and it collapsed. But there

was also fog, which is why that happened in the first place. And so, unfortunately, buses and
cars went over before they realized that there was a hole in the bridge. And so, yeah, we lost
quite a few people and you know, finally they realized it, obviously, but, uh, so that. that second
bridge that they built towers over the first one. The first one only has, like, the beginnings of it
sort of showing and people fish off of it. But you're right, that big tall one, my mom won't go over
it either.
[00:35:47] The thing that I don't love about it is that it doesn't have high guardrails on the
outside. I don't understand that.
[00:35:54] Autumn Geist: Thanks for pointing that out.
[00:35:55] Lesley Whitehead: LAUGHS
[00:35:57] Autumn Geist: See, my eyes are closed, so I didn't notice that before, but I really
appreciate you bringing that to my attention. I probably couldn't have lived day without knowing
that.
[00:36:05] Lesley Whitehead: I'm doing the complete opposite of what I was hoping. Well, I, I
have an irrational fear of elevators and I have been, um, addressing it for, for a while. I avoided
it. I would just go up the stairs and just completely avoid it. But yesterday I had to have a, just a.
Um, I went to CDH just for an appointment and it was on the fourth floor and I thought, oh my
God, I was kind of running late, so I'm like I don't have time to find the stairs or to wait for
someone else to be in this elevator for me with me. So I just hope it doesn't stop and I don't
have a panic attack and die because I feel like if it stopped, I wouldn't know what to do. Even
though rationally, I would, but I just feel like I would be in the fetal position. So, uh, I hit the
button and it closed and opened on the fourth floor. So I somehow made it, but I understand that
feeling. I really do.
[00:36:56] Autumn Geist: Yeah. Even those little bridges, like on 55, when you're heading
South, it's like a little tiny bridge, So little.
[00:37:04] Lesley Whitehead: And you don't know where you don't know where it came from.
Did you watch some TV
[00:37:09] Autumn Geist: No, but you know what? read a book here in the shop. Cause we do
something called meeting of the minds where we'll like read a, you know, read a book or watch a
documentary and talk about it. And we read a book called Inherited Trauma.
[00:37:21] Lesley Whitehead: Okay.
[00:37:22] Autumn Geist: And so did you know trauma can be embedded in your DNA? So like,
if you have like irrational, like
[00:37:28] Lesley Whitehead: strongFears of elevator.
[00:37:30] Autumn Geist: Yeah, so it could be something that was, you know, you know, in here
that your DNA may have happened like I and I believe that, you know, because, um, it makes
sense.
[00:37:43] Lesley Whitehead: It does make sense. It does make sense. So if it's embedded, is
there anything that, you can do to overcome it
[00:37:51] Autumn Geist: Well, I probably could get therapy
[00:37:53] Lesley Whitehead: No, I maybe did the, did book make any recommendations? No.

[00:37:58] Autumn Geist: I don't remember it doing that. it just kind of honored like that, you
know, trauma is embedded in generations, you know, so just, you know, when people say, well,
you didn't experience it, like you're, you know, that was generations ago. Yeah, but it's
embedded in my DNA.
[00:38:14] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:38:15] Autumn Geist: I don't have to have experienced it firsthand. It's part of me. It's part
of your soul, you know? So yeah, no, it didn't have a solution, but I mean, I've had other, you
know, fears too. And there's some great podcasts you can listen to to try temper it. But I think
the best thing is just not to drive it. Just letsomeone else drive it and close my eyes. I mean,
that's my solution. Leslie, I don't know why I need a different solution. don't like my solution.
What's your problem with my solution? Are you judging me?
[00:38:44] Lesley Whitehead: I have no problem with your solution. I can't avoid elevators,
unfortunately, as much as I would like to, um, so I just keep facing them and dealing with it,
[00:38:55] Autumn Geist: Well, isn't that the whole point of being brave is doing it even though
you're scared? So you were scared to get in the elevator, but you got in anyway, which made
you brave. I am scared as hell to get on those bridges, but I get on anyway. I just don't drive it,
but I get on it. I like, sometimes I think, just stop the car, just stop the car. I'll just get out and
walk. Oh, I won't. That'd be worse. Way worse.
[00:39:16] Lesley Whitehead: I know, but this is kind of interesting, um, talking once again
about our fifties. I've found a lot of women, um, who develop irrational fears later in life. Um, I
met one woman who, um, couldn't drive on the, all of a sudden couldn't drive on the interstate,
just could not drive an interstate at all. And now, um, and she's, you know, work towards getting
back on it and,
[00:39:43] And, um, or not being able to fly. My mom who worked for Pan Am at one point, um,
just stopped flying. She just had an irrational fear of flying and for the rest of her life, she hasn't
flown. So I I think there, I do think there's something about age and fears, but I'm not sure if it's
tied to having children and being worried that you weren't going to be there for them or what it is.
Do you, have any thoughts about that?
[00:40:10] Autumn Geist: Wow, you know what? I think that could be some of it. We start as we
get older, you know, we start to recognize our own mortality, right? So we're starting to see our
friends pass. We're seeing our parents pass, and we start to realize, oh wait, I'm not invincible,
like we believe when we're children, like they have no fear. They don't
[00:40:30] Lesley Whitehead: Right. Right.
[00:40:32] Autumn Geist: They don't have fear of the end or that like, but like the deeper into
our life we go, we realize how fast time moves and we realize how tragedies happen and you
know, just unexpected incidents happen that take people's lives and we begin to realize like that
could happen, to me. And so then I think that that, that could be the root of some of the
irrational, fears that happen. You know, maybe they're not so rational. Maybe it's just like being
like aware,
[00:41:01] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:41:02] Autumn Geist: You know, maybe the other people just aren't aware yet.
[00:41:06] Lesley Whitehead: I think you're right. I think you're right. I think that's it.
[00:41:08] Autumn Geist: Yeah. Which is crazy.

[00:41:11] Lesley Whitehead: Well, Autumn, I don't want to take up so much of your time, but I
am so grateful that you have been here today. It has meant so much to me that, you were my
first guest. And um,
[00:41:22] Autumn Geist: I'm so glad. so excited.
[00:41:25] Lesley Whitehead: I know, me too.
[00:41:27] Autumn Geist: Did we, did we get all your questions answered?
[00:41:29] Lesley Whitehead: I think so I didn't, I didn't list questions. The only one I listed was
the one about, um, what is something that people are supposed to know about you. But let me
ask you this is there anything else that you want? Wanted to talk about.
[00:41:44] Autumn Geist: Um, I think one thing just as a, as an entrepreneur, as a woman, I
just want to impress upon other women and just people, you know, um, the importance of giving
the small guys a shot at their business, especially this holiday season. You know, um, Amazon
will still be here tomorrow.
[00:42:03] Lesley Whitehead: Right.
[00:42:05] Autumn Geist: You know Hobby Lobby will still be here tomorrow.
[00:42:07] Lesley Whitehead: Right. So what's the best way for everyone to support you?
Because I want to see you thriving through this season.
[00:42:15] Autumn Geist: Yeah. Well, I mean, events are really helpful. We, know, we love to
create events that, that could be with you and, you know, you and friends, you and family. We do
some great team bonding exercises. So maybe your work team, you know, goes to lunch for the
holiday. know, how about come and create here and have lunch? You know, there's some,
those, I would say that that's one really great way.
[00:42:35] And then of course, shopping with us, we love doing, um, we love doing corporate
gifts. We love putting gift sets together. We can help with any of that. We're very good at
curating creative ideas for that. Uh, we are at where the collective is located at 4724 Main Street
in the heart of downtown Lyle, uh, five minutes from either expressway, um, a two block walk
from the train. So very easily accessible, free parking.
[00:43:02] Uh, our website is www.thecollectiveLHE.Com. We're on Instagram and Facebook.
um, the shop is The Collective Lifestyle Shop and the makery is the Makery TC. So, those, you
know, come follow us. You know, that helps us fight the Facebook, instagram algorithms. It's
having, don't just follow us, engage. It's important. Not just with us, other businesses.
[00:43:30] I'll, I'll leave you on that note. You know social media is intended to be social. Not
supposed to be passive scrolling, you know, it's intended to be social. You're supposed to
engage. That means you're supposed to like and comment, you know, on posts and engage
with them because that's the point of being social. So I would say, yeah, don't just follow us, get
in there, ask questions. If you like something, say you like it. If you really love something, share
it. Right.
[00:43:55] That costs nothing. There are so many wonderful ways, not just for us, any small
business. Those are the ways you can support a small business without spending a dime. Not
everybody has, you know, disposable income. Okay. But you're on social media, like our posts,
comment, share it. That way, maybe the people who do have disposable income will see it. Help
a girl out, right?

[00:44:15] Lesley Whitehead: One thing I want to, last thing I want to add is that um, you know,
you are a beautiful writer. I hope someday to read any book you write. I can see that in your
future, I really can. Um, but I actually love your newsletters because I feel like they become very
personal, and they're interesting and inspiring, and so how do we sign up for
[00:44:37] Autumn Geist: Yeah, you can just go onto our website, www.thecollectiveLHE. com.
And I think if you scroll to the bottom, there's a button to subscribe to the newsletters.
[00:44:46] Lesley Whitehead: Good, good, good. That's fantastic. Autumn, thank you so much.
I'm so grateful. You are such a beautiful human.
[00:44:52] Autumn Geist: Grateful. You are a beautiful human. You're a seed planter, I don't
know if you recognize that. So you planting seeds that you don't, you'll, I don't know if you'll ever
really understand the value of, the fruition that comes from it, because I don't know if you, cause
you're, you know, you're moving, right. But you know, just know that, just know that you make a
difference every day. And you know, if women really want to empower other, other women, and
really, you know, live that truth, they should follow your example.
[00:45:21] Lesley Whitehead: Oh, and you know what? Right back at you. Right back at you,
my wonderful friend.
[00:45:26] Autumn Geist: Good luck with this new venture.
[00:45:27] Lesley Whitehead: Thank you so much.
[00:45:29] Autumn Geist: It's going to be great.
[00:45:30] Lesley Whitehead: I see, I see in my future you being on here again.
[00:45:35] Autumn Geist: I'll be back.
[00:45:37] Lesley Whitehead: I love you.
[00:45:37] Autumn Geist: I would love it. Thank you.
[00:45:39] Lesley Whitehead: Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you found this
episode inspiring as well as entertaining. If you want more out of the box wisdom from boots on
the ground, creative, brave women like this one, subscribe to Her Story So Far podcast
wherever you listen, and please share this link with anyone who needs some inspiration. To
receive more wisdom in your inbox, sign up for my weekly letter at lesliewhiteheadphotography.
com.
[00:46:08] Her Story So Far podcast is produced in conjunction with mad talented executive
producer K.O. Myers at Particulate Media.
[00:46:18] Thank you to all my beautiful bold guests, without them there would be no show.
[00:46:24] Until next time, get out there and make yourself visible to the world. We need you and
your creation. If no one has told you today, you are beautiful.

Her Story So Far

Her Story So Far focuses on outside-the-box conversations with badass female creatives. These women are birthing amazing passion projects in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of their lives. Host Lesley Whitehead is an artist, visual storyteller and multi-passionate marketer. She believes age shouldn’t stop you from achieving your dreams or make you invisible to the world. Join us to be inspired by the wit, wisdom and one-of-a-kind experiences of these amazing women.

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