Nurturing a Cozy Business: Katherine Mackenzie-Smith's Approach to Success

Welcome to all our listeners tuning into "The Beauty in You."  Today's episode is one you won't want to miss. We're thrilled to have the brilliant Katherine Mackenzie-Smith with us, shining a light on the magic of intimate communities through her new Cozy Community Creator Hub.  We're diving into the importance of connection over collection—why nurturing a handful of relationships trumps having a legion of followers. It's about having an impact, taking it slow, and remembering to give grace as we strive for success and generational wealth without sacrificing our authenticity.
Katherine talks burnout and rebirth, teaching us vital lessons on the need for downtime. Today's conversation promises to be as enriching as it is enriching, with a side of soul-searching and a dash of heartfelt advice for the modern entrepreneur.
So sit back, relax, and let's discover together the beauty in slowing down and doing business with heart.

To work and connect with Katherine:

Website: https://katherinemackenziesmith.com

Freebie: https://katherinemackenziesmith.com/tracker

IG: https://instagram.com/miss_kms

To connect with Chi Quita Mack: 

Level Up Tour: Meet Chi Quita Mack: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-let-it-go-and-level-up-conference-tickets-784638574097?aff=oddtdtcreator

To work with Chi Quita Mack: https://www.thechiquitamack.com/thehealingsocial

To Purchase The Beauty in You Workbook:

 https://www.thechiquitamack.com/shop-tcm/p/the-beauty-in-you-a-guide-created-to-help-you-discover-the-best-version-of-you

Chi Quita Mack's Website: https://www.thechiquitamack.com 

Chi Quita Mack Shop/ Merchandise: https://www.thechiquitamack.com/shop-tcm 

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechiquitamack 

Chapters

• 7:20 Don't compare, we're seeing marketing strategies
• 13:38 Rediscovery journey inspired by community, essential connection
• 19:44 Disconnect, take breaks, and allow inspiration naturally.
• 28:09 Embracing hardship, learning, and healing responsibility.
• 35:17 Reminder to have compassion for ourselves and others.
• 41:46 Excited to give back to community. Always helping.
• 47:22 Focus on community, repurpose content, spread wider.

Transcript

Jacqueline G. [00:00:01]:
Welcome to the Beauty and you podcast, a safe place created for all women to come relax, get inspired, and be constantly reminded that they have not lost the ability to be who they once were. Join us as we dive into the true meaning of rediscovery through inspiring guests and topics such as healing, self love, and creating a positive mindset. So sit back, relax and get comfortable as we dive into to this week's episode. Here's your host, Chi Quita Mack.

Chi Quita Mack [00:00:29]:
Hey, y'all. Welcome back to another episode of the Beauty in you podcast. I am super excited because we're heading to Australia with my bestie. I will say she is absolutely amazing and she is the reason the beauty in you podcast even exists. She is the best business coach out there, the best visibility strategist out there, and I want to welcome Katherine Mackenzie Smith.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:00:56]:
Chi hi. That is so lovely. Thank you so much for saying that.

Chi Quita Mack [00:01:01]:
Listen, it is all true. There's not one thing I said that's not true. Like, you've been with me on my just dutch Quita Mac journey. I feel like, and especially with the beauty in you podcast journey, which I'm just so happy to have you a part of.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:01:15]:
Well, thank you so much for having me. I always love when we get to catch up.

Chi Quita Mack [00:01:19]:
It's always fun, always fun. So, as you know, with everything I do, I love to talk about rediscovery and all of our journeys, and we've known each other for quite a bit, I will say, and I always talk about the beauty of evolution and change. So I just want you to lead us through your rediscovery journey.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:01:41]:
Oh, my goodness. It feels like such a big thing to even try and condense into words, and I can't even remember what we talked about last time, so I don't know if that means I'm going to end up repeating some of it. But I feel like this idea of rediscovery is so much about, it's not just a one time thing. It's not just like the way that we've maybe seen these narratives play out in the personal development world, in the online business world, that you have this rags to riches kind of story and you have this aha moment and your whole life forever. And I just don't think that that's really how it actually works. It's like every day is rediscovery. It's like every moment is an opportunity to learn something new and make a change or go in a different direction. And there's like something kind of bittersweet in that.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:02:39]:
I think, because sometimes it's like, oh, my gosh, have I not learned this lesson already? Have I not already made so many changes and grown and healed so much? And I'm going through this again. But also it means that when we're in those moments of being like, oh, my gosh, is this even what I want to do? What am I even doing here? That we can change that at any moment? So I feel like that's just been such a big part of my life journey and my business journey in terms of trying to see the world the way we've been conditioned to understand it and show up in it. And then also what that means, who I actually am in that and for my whole life. And it feels like only now am I really trying to actually starting to understand that it's always been trying to fit in and be the good girl and be a good student because that's what your parents want and that's what the teachers tell you you should do. And I was kind of this introverted neurodivergent, which I didn't know at the time, kid, and trying to find my way in the world. And that's when you sort of start to chameleon yourself, to fit in and get along with people and not rock the boat and all of these things. And as we go through life, we start to unravel those parts of ourselves or, as you say, kind of rediscover and find those parts of ourselves. And I think when I started my business and I actually started to move away from the corporate world, the career ladder, all of those things, that was when I really started to understand that I could continue to follow this playbook that I had created for myself or start to find a way that things were going to work for me.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:04:37]:
And it does, it feels like an everyday rediscovering and unraveling because we get so drawn into, well, everyone else is doing this, so I should be doing this. And then it's kind of like pulling yourself back and going, is this me? Is this where my strengths lie? Is this what I actually want? You can follow someone online and be like, oh, I want what they've got. And actually asking, but what part of that do you want? And what are you willing to do that they've maybe done behind the scenes to do that? And then when you actually stop and realize, it's like, oh, actually, I don't want any of that at all, I'm not prepared to do any of those things. And then kind of continually understanding and unraveling where we get pulled up into that and then what is really us? And, yeah, I don't know if I've even answered your question, but I just feel like it's a lifelong journey, right?

Chi Quita Mack [00:05:33]:
It absolutely is. And especially when we talk about rediscovery and the entrepreneurship part. Oh, my God. I have evolved from the beginning of the Chiquita Mac, even until now. And I started in 2024, and I just now feel like I found a rhythm. That's a lot of work. You look at other people's social medias and they're like, I find your niche. All you have to do is let me give you three quick steps on how to.

Chi Quita Mack [00:06:08]:
And I'm like, Bs. No, it changes all the time. It changes all the time. And it's where you're comfortable and then also where you find that your audience resonates and what they're really taking and learning from you. When I first started, I was like, I'm helping moms rediscover themselves after childbirth, after motherhood. But I realized what I was really doing. I was doing that, but what I was really doing was helping moms heal before we even get started. I'm helping them heal and rediscover who they are.

Chi Quita Mack [00:06:41]:
So I'm like, this is what I'm doing. But it takes a minute to realize. And you also don't know until you get out there and start trying something. But it is like ever changing, rediscovering. And some days, I don't like being an entrepreneur, be honest. Some days I'm so aggravated by it, and I'm like, oh, my God, what am I doing? Some days I love it. So, I mean, yeah, rediscovery every day, I would say, is definitely the right answer. There's no wrong answer, but it's definitely the right answer.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:07:20]:
I'm so glad you agree. And I think even if you're not a business owner, which I imagine there are people who listen to this who aren't, who are mums and who are employees and doing all of the different things, which there's none that are better than the other, we just all have different identities and things that we're doing. And I think that that applies to everyone because I'm sure I'm not a mum, but I'm sure that there are plenty of mothers out there that are watching those perfect Instagram mum influences and thinking that they're doing mothering wrong, right? No one's house looks like that. And I have this thing that I always have started saying recently that is once upon a time, we would say not even that long ago, maybe three or four years ago, we would say Instagram in particular, social media across the board. But mostly Instagram is like you're seeing somebody else's highlights reel, and then for yourself, you're seeing your behind the scenes. So don't compare your behind the scenes to somebody else's highlights reel. But what I've realized now is we're in the place, we're in the stage of social media where we're not just seeing someone's highlights real, we're seeing their marketing strategy. And so we're actually seeing a positioning and a message that is trying to get us to buy something.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:08:37]:
And so now if we're comparing ourselves to people on social media, we're actually comparing ourselves to a carefully crafted marketing strategy. And that is like a whole other level.

Chi Quita Mack [00:08:51]:
Marketing alone. I don't even want to talk about marketing. Stresses me out.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:08:55]:
All right, we'll talk about something else.

Chi Quita Mack [00:08:57]:
All of it stresses me out. No, we are. And it's crazy because you don't understand that. Well, at least for myself, business wise. Like the marketing part of it or the pain points when they say, use paint, use this, use that. And at first you're like, I didn't realize I was getting, I don't want to say duped, but wrapped into someone's marketing strategy until I was actually in it. Like, oh, that's what that is. Okay.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:09:29]:
Absolutely scary. Yeah. And the number of times that's happened as well. I've been doing this. This month is my 10th year in business, and I know. Thank you. Thank you. It's crazy to think, but I still do it and you do because it's getting more sophisticated and it's getting more kind of organic, seemingly organic, because we're in this stage now where the marketing has to evolve because people are becoming more clued in to how it's being done.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:10:05]:
And so that just makes it. Yeah, it still happens. And you go, okay, learn a lesson there. I'm going to never make anyone feel like that in my business. And what can I do next time to not get caught up in that? And also, what do I never want to do in my business? Because when I feel that feeling that you mentioned of feeling jute is actually like, oh, I never want someone to feel like that in my business. So I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that I'm really transparent about what I'm offering and that I'm not using pain points as my main driving force. For people to sign up to work with me. And yeah, there's a lesson in everything, but that doesn't make it any easier or more ethical.

Chi Quita Mack [00:10:48]:
Right? And I always try to say, like, I'm going to give you three steps to help with your anxiety or to help with this. Understand it is a lot of work. Understand that it's going to take is we're putting it in a tool bag so you can. It's just being very clear because I don't ever want anyone to think like, oh, I'm going to work with Quita and I'm going to heal in three months. No, but I'm going to give you a pathway and we're going to work at it and you're going to have the tools necessary. So when something happens, we know how. So I think it's very important to just be transparent and to be clear. Like, I made ten k in one month, but then they don't tell you they also spent like 100K on ads on the other side.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:11:39]:
Convenient, isn't it? Yeah.

Chi Quita Mack [00:11:44]:
Just be truthful like I did. But also you have to spend money to make money. See, something like that, people really get caught up and feel really bad about themselves when they're not making those ten k months or their homes don't look perfect. Just be like, girl, I know you're a mom. I'm a mom too. This is what my house looked like. You are okay. That's okay to me, at least.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:12:07]:
I love that about what you do as well.

Chi Quita Mack [00:12:10]:
Thank you. I want to talk about inspiration, a lot of just what you do. I feel like you're very inspiring. And I always find that your posts talk to me because I do well. Okay. When I get around you, I'm not an introvert because we laugh a lot, but I do feel like I am an introvert and being a business owner. But you're always so inspiring. So who is your inspiration?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:12:36]:
Oh, my goodness. That is such a hard question. You're like the deep questions. It's early Monday morning for me. My brain is like, oh, my goodness. Look, I've obviously been through the personal development and the healing and all of these things over the years and I actually try these days to follow less people and I still consume content. But I have really tried to take a massive step back from because I'm the kind of person, the introverted part of me as well is that kind of more soft energy field, which means that the ability to be being influenced by the energy of others is literally part of the definition of what being an introvert is. And so apart from the fact that it can be quite exhausting, it can also mean that people with bigger energies can kind of influence me so much more than I'm maybe even aware of.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:13:38]:
And that's something that has been a really big part of my rediscovery journey. And so I am actually inspired by the people in my community, and this is something that I'm really, really big on right now. That community has always been important, whether it is in life, in business, in mothering, in families, in just local living. And it feels like now more than ever, that is going to become just a core thing that we need to come back to because of things like AI generated content and how much noisier it's about to get on social media than it already is because of. We've been in a situation where in person connection has, over the last few years, become less a part of our experience, because for a really big part of that, we were having to do things like not be out in the community and things which has left us very isolated and more connected and disconnected than ever. But I think community is so important. And my favorite thing is I get inspired by the people in my community, people like yourself as well, who are every day trying new things and feeling the old cliche, kind of feeling the fear and doing it anyway, and wanting to inspire their kids and do something incredible that can show them that this is what you can do, because I'm doing it to show you and lead that path for you. And the amazing conversations that we have in my community space as well, they are the people who inspire me to go, oh, I should write a post about that, or, oh, we had this amazing conversation.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:15:23]:
I wanted to share a little bit with you outside of that space, my membership, so that you can kind of start thinking about it as well. And so most of my inspiration actually comes from the amazing, deeper, meaningful conversations that we have in my emerge and expand membership. And that's where that comes from. I just let those conversations be co created and just really energized by wherever we're all at in that moment. And that was the conversation we needed to have. And then sometimes I'll cherry pick little parts of that to share more externally with a wider space, because they're the people who inspire me the most, the people who are in the trenches giving it a go every single day, more so than some billionaire out there that's so out of touch with everything that's going on in the world.

Chi Quita Mack [00:16:14]:
Absolutely. See, I love that I do. I love it so much. And your posts are always so organic. They're always so real. And I like the fact that you do take those true and real conversations and you're very transparent, like, hey, this is what it is. Hey, you might be feeling like this, too. Let's talk about it.

Chi Quita Mack [00:16:39]:
It's not any sugar coating or making anyone feel bad. It's always the truth. And so I think that it is beautiful that your community inspires you and it definitely shows you just like a person.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:16:53]:
Thank you so much. Thank you. So are you. I love our conversations, and that's so kind of you to say that as well.

Chi Quita Mack [00:17:01]:
Thank you so much. I don't know. Everything. Okay. Do you feel like everything is happening faster as far as the quickness of it all, with AI happening with social media? I know we try to relax, especially myself, but I feel like even though I'm trying to slow down in the thick of everything, I feel like everything is just pulling me really fast. What are your thoughts on that?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:17:36]:
That is such a perfect way to explain it. I feel like you've put words to a feeling that I feel all of the time. And we do have these conversations in my community because a lot of the people who come into that space are more introverted and deep thinkers and need time to process and for things to simmer before they're ready to be out in the world where we are living in a space where speed and just hustling and getting it out there and all of that is so kind of put on a pedestal and so praised, especially, I think, the online business and the personal development space. And that's exactly how it feels. It kind of feels like, okay, I'm just going to slow down. I'm just going to take all these things off my plate because I've got a lot going on in my personal life right now, and I absolutely find myself taking six things off my plate and then adding seven new things onto yes. And I actually, in August last year was feeling really burnt out and I just stopped doing everything. So my podcast is on hiatus and still it was only supposed to be for a month.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:18:50]:
It's been like five months. I haven't made a YouTube video in months either. I took so much off my plate, but even when I've been starting to think like, oh, I want to put these things back on again, then all of a sudden it goes from zero to 100. And it is really tricky to. Apart from the fact my brain moves so much faster than the rest of me does, it's just like, I have one idea and suddenly it's 20 ideas. The stepping back and turning everything off, shutting down all the social media accounts, stepping back and actually physically forcing ourselves to slow down, I think, is the way that we can remember. Like, I will sometimes be like, oh, I cannot do that on the weekend because I've got this stuff I need to do for work. And that's not why we started our businesses to be working all the time.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:19:44]:
And when you actually do take a step back and have a break, go out, see the world, catch up with friends or family, that is when a, you feel just so much better when you come back because you've actually had a chance to give yourself a break and disconnect. But also, I find that my best ideas don't come when I'm sitting at the computer and I'm trying to force an idea to come to life. It always comes from, I've gone out for a walk, I've gone and spent the afternoon with my mum, something like that. Instead of being so plugged in all of the time that we're just constantly having our attention going off in all different directions. And it's almost like you have to intentionally force yourself to stop and slow down. And I use the analogy or the fable of the tortoise and the hair all the time because so many of my clients are like, I move so slow. Everything takes me so much longer than everyone else. And it's like, be the tortoise, just be the tortoise.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:20:46]:
And so that's one of our little mottos. Yeah, you don't have to be moving at the pace everyone else and AI and the Internet is because you're on your own journey, and that doesn't necessarily look the way that you are trying to force it to look. It's going to play out the way that it's meant to. And yes, you can control elements of that, but your pace is your pace, and it's going to be so much more authentic if you are true to that instead of forcing you to be someone that you're not and move at a pace that's not aligned for you.

Chi Quita Mack [00:21:17]:
Absolutely. And just getting back to the basics, I think when I have that thought, like, you got to hurry up, you got to hurry up. You got to hurry up. What brings me back to life is, like, you have to slow down because you're talking about healing and you're helping someone that may have gone through something that is extremely traumatic. I don't feel like I need to rush and get the product out there as much as I feel like it needs to process correctly and be right. Because the last thing I need is to get some crap that's out there. That's crap, right? And someone follows it and they're like, I feel worse than I did before. So I try to think everything through and really process.

Chi Quita Mack [00:22:05]:
I'm a slow processor. I'm very slow. Okay. So I try to walk it back and think it through. And that does help me slow down when I'm like, you're still working on the course part. Oh, my God. And it's like, yeah, I am because I record it and then I go back and I follow it and I'm like, okay, that makes sense. Yeah, or, oh, no, that doesn't make sense because I didn't really touch on this key aspect.

Chi Quita Mack [00:22:32]:
Or let's go back to the grieving process and let me add this, because I feel like that'll really help. All those things happen in my head and I'm like working it forward and backwards. So I always try to remember, like, I could possibly change somebody's life. And I definitely don't want it to be in a negative way because I'm trying to keep up with this fast paced world out there, too.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:22:55]:
Absolutely. And so honorable, because that is not what everybody else is doing. That is not what most people are not thinking of. What is the impact potentially, on my community if I rush this or if I overwhelm them with too much theory and too much content? The fact that you're putting so much thought into what the impact is is so rare and amazing as well.

Chi Quita Mack [00:23:24]:
Thank you. I think people need to do it. Just slow down. I know it's hard, but just slow down.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:23:31]:
It is. And I also think that we can have an idea and we can have a project like a course or whatever that might be, and we can try and force it to be ready by a certain date. We can say, okay, I'm going to have this out by the end of the month, or I'm going to have this out by this time. And I genuinely believe, because I've seen this and I've been through it so many different times and with clients and things as well, that these bigger ideas that encompass such a big part of our purpose and why we're here and why we're even doing this work requires it's not just on our timeline. So sometimes we have to have a lived experience to be able to embody certain lessons or go through healing of our own before we're ready to hold space for that, for somebody else. And so I often think, as well, even if you do try to push it, if it wasn't ready and you weren't ready for that to be out in the world yet, there's going to be things that resistance, or you accidentally delete everything on your hard drive, and then you lose all those videos, or you just do that where you keep kind of changing things, or it feels like, oh, I don't actually want to do this today. Why don't I want to do it? All of the things that we kind of blame ourselves for and say, well, I'm just being lazy, or I'm just not motivated, or I'm not moving fast enough. So much of it is actually there's something else that I'm meant to learn or experience or embody or heal for myself before I'm ready to actually infuse that into this program or this course or this community that I'm holding space for.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:25:17]:
And I just think that that's going to add so much depth and richness to it that wouldn't have been there if it had come out six months ago when you had hoped it would be ready, or a year ago when you expected it would be done by. Sometimes we have to go on a bit of a journey ourselves to be ready for that work to come through in the way that it's meant to for us as well.

Chi Quita Mack [00:25:39]:
Absolutely. I think for myself, I say long, I'm building generational wealth. Eventually, the kids will take this over. You will take this over, is what you will do this? No, but it's to build generational wealth and actually going back and making sure everything is in place, which is what I started doing this year, is going back and making sure every part of the Chiquita Mac is set up in the event knock, something happens. It's set up the right way. And even with the nonprofit we are launching, so it'll be like the Chiquita Mac for profit, and we're going to have rediscovery, which will be our official nonprofit. And we're working that now. And so it's taken a long time, didn't realize how long.

Chi Quita Mack [00:26:32]:
And that's one thing. You have these great ideas and you write them all down, and we're like, we're doing it. I'm like, oh, my God, this is taking such a long time. However, this is going to be so worth it.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:26:40]:
Yeah.

Chi Quita Mack [00:26:41]:
Because we were already doing the work.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:26:43]:
Yeah. And I think that's what people forget. Like, you're talking generational wealth here. That's not going to happen in four weeks. You're not laying that foundation that it's going to be done in even maybe three months. It's going to take time for that to be sustainable, for that to have its anchors in and its roots in to last.

Chi Quita Mack [00:27:05]:
Like my brain, I'm like, we're going to have scholarship program. We're going to do this, we're going to do that, we're going to do this. And they're like, okay. I'm like, okay, I know it's going to take a long time, but it's there. So it's like, just make sure to do things right and just remember why you started. And for the future, our community is going to be set. We're going to be set. We're going to help a lot of people in the long run.

Chi Quita Mack [00:27:29]:
Yeah. I just really feel like as I go through my rediscovery journey, and like you said, every day, every day, no matter what part of our lives we're in, we're going through some sort of journey. And every day I feel like the bad parts of my journey I did not go through for no reason. So we talk about learning lessons from the things we experience. So when I do have those days where I'm like, oh, my God, I'm like, no, I did not go through all that years ago for anything. So I'm going to keep plugging away even though I don't want to. So I wanted to ask you, how much do you value your experiences and what lessons have you learned from them?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:28:09]:
Oh, my goodness, so much. I mean, really, all of these pieces, I think sometimes from even the challenges, it's not even the, oh, well, this came out of that because sometimes this awful thing happened and the resilience and who I showed myself to be in those moments and the taking responsibility for not what happened, but for the healing part of it, that circumstance was not by choice, but I will do what I can to heal from that so that I don't perpetuate that onto other people. And I will take the time to honor that part of myself that survived that or that went through it and came out the other side. Because I think sometimes in the healing space, it can be so much like, oh, that happened to me so I could become this. And that's my personal belief. I don't personally believe that horrible things happen every single day that people do not deserve, did not manifest all of these things, but we are responsible for our healing journey and taking those experiences and yet going, not going I'm going to look for the silver lining in this, but, like, okay, what did I learn from that? What came out of it, and what can I do to make sure that I never pass that along or I never do that to somebody else, or that I take the kindness and compassion for myself and heal that part of myself so that I don't keep reenacting that trauma over and over again in other parts of my life as well?

Chi Quita Mack [00:29:54]:
I think that question when you think about the healing journey, so I can only speak for myself. In the beginning, I didn't want to go through the healing process because I felt like, okay, everyone always said how strong I was, right? Whatever that means. Now I'm like, that's trash. Don't say that. But you're so strong. So I'm like, well, if I'm strong, then I shouldn't be feeling all this pain, or, I'm fine, I'm strong. But reality was, I was not. And it was weighing on myself, not only my mental health, but physically, I was really skinny, not healthy wise.

Chi Quita Mack [00:30:37]:
And it started to take a toll on myself. And that's when I realized how important the healing journey is, because now I'm a firm believer, like, if you don't take care of that stuff, it's going to find a way to come out, and it's going to keep coming up. Even as an adult. Especially as an adult, it comes back out. That happened when I was five, and it's going to come out when you're 35, so you have to somehow take care of that because, I mean, it's scary, but it's so worth it. It's just so worth it. And just being that example, and I try to teach my daughter, like, whatever she's feeling, I'm like, okay, you're mad. Okay, be mad.

Chi Quita Mack [00:31:21]:
It's okay. Be sad. It's okay. I'm not going to be like, you're so strong. Stop crying. I think that's not right. Okay. And I'll say, you're allowed to have your moments.

Chi Quita Mack [00:31:34]:
It's okay. You don't have to walk around and pretend to be happy all day. You have to feel. You have to allow yourself to feel. If you want to cry, you can cry. It's okay. I'm not going to be like, oh, my God, you're crying. Got to get around.

Chi Quita Mack [00:31:46]:
Yes.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:31:48]:
Being punished for having an emotion. And I think our generation is one of the first to actually realize and understand this because we were taught otherwise. And we were like, no, I don't want to end up with all of that trauma at the age that our parents are at and things. One of my favorite things I've ever heard about emotions is that emotion just means energy in motion. And when you think about it like that, they always passes. Tears, anger, all of the sadness, all of the feelings, they always pass. And the longer that we try to push them down, push them down, the more that they're going to just build up. And so I love the idea of thinking of it as, like, it's just going to pass through me and then it's going to be over, and I'm going to feel so much better on the other side.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:32:40]:
And I wish that I'd been taught that as a kid because, oh, my goodness, that would have saved me so much trouble.

Chi Quita Mack [00:32:46]:
Me, too. Me, too.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:32:49]:
Your kids are so lucky.

Chi Quita Mack [00:32:51]:
It's so funny now, because when you talk to older generations and they're like, you guys are so different now. You give your kids opinion, you allow them to have opinions. And I'm like, yeah, I kind of do.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:33:05]:
Yeah. Because we don't want our kids to be dealing with the trauma that we have to now deal with.

Chi Quita Mack [00:33:12]:
We're still trying to process what you did when we were ten. Okay.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:33:16]:
Yeah. And heal all the intergenerational trauma that also hasn't been dealt with. That's been passed down to us, too.

Chi Quita Mack [00:33:25]:
We got to break this cycle. This is craziness that's happening for sure. Oh, my God. So amazing. So amazing time. It's just crazy how everything is just evolving in such a way. I hope that with everything, I hope that I'm setting a good example. I do worry about that.

Chi Quita Mack [00:33:51]:
Even though I try my best to set a good example, I always worry that because of the pace of society and everything like that, I worry that mom's thoughts won't stay there, I guess. And I always worry, like, well, what if I'm doing all of this and I'm trying to instill the goodness, and then, I don't know, somehow they still have. I know they're going to have something, but I don't want it to be like, well, because my mom did this. I do worry about that. I do. With the times and things like that. It's, like, really scary. I don't know.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:34:28]:
Oh, my gosh. That's why I don't have kids. Responsibility.

Chi Quita Mack [00:34:32]:
You can borrow mine.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:34:35]:
That's a long commute.

Chi Quita Mack [00:34:37]:
But listen, I will come with them because I do want to come visit.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:34:43]:
Look, my sister and I have this thing that we always say to each other. And it really helps when you are thinking about, like, oh, my gosh, I do this because that's what my parents did or whatever. You're doing the best you can. And I think that if we could all give ourselves the grace and the compassion to remember, like, you're doing the best you can, and also remember that about everybody in our lives as well, that harm will be caused regardless of intention, because that's just. We're humans. We're messy. We're figuring it out. We're doing the best we can.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:35:17]:
And if we can have that reminder for ourselves and also for the people that we love, that doesn't mean that we're going to forgive every single thing and we're not going to be hurt by it. But that's really helped me on my journey to just remember I'm doing the best I can every day, and my parents did the best that they could. And yes, that has led to certain things, but also, how have I learned and grown from that as well? And I hope that that gives you some compassion for yourself, because from everything I see, you're amazing, and your kids are so lucky to have you. Thank you.

Chi Quita Mack [00:35:56]:
Yeah, I think the part when you're like, not just, we're doing the best that we can, but they did the best that they could, too. I think that's really important, and that's good. I'm going to have your little voice in my head saying that.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:36:11]:
You'Re telling my sister to design a t shirt so that we can just pass those out.

Chi Quita Mack [00:36:17]:
Can I trademark this, please? Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So, at your tenure, where do you see yourself in the next. I'm not going to say ten years. I'm going to say, like, five. Where do you see your business going now?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:36:36]:
Look, it's really interesting because I know, and I know you're building an empire, and I love, love that for you. My favorite thing about the last ten years has been the journey that I've been on, the people that I've got to meet in this time, the things that I've learned, the things that I've learned about myself, probably even more so than learning the business stuff. And I have kind of, in the last year or so, it has just become this deep, deep passion of mine to really empower, inspire people who love the idea of having this cozy business. So I know you're building an empire. I know lots of people out there are thinking about this legacy for the kids and this big empire kind of business, and I'm kind of like, what about the people that don't want that? And so even though I've been doing this for so long now, and I did take a hiatus in between where I completely burnt out and that was where all a big part of my rediscovery happened. I love the idea of just this kind of sustainable, solopreneur cozy business, which is what I talk about all the time now. And it's like not everybody wants to have the big corporation and managing a team and doing all of these things. Some people are going to start a business and maybe not impact a million lives, but maybe impact 100 really deeply and still feel fulfilled and still make enough money to be able to live a good life and do everything they want because they're just not looking to manage a team and do all of these things that we kind of have associated with what a successful business looks like.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:38:19]:
And so 510 years down the track, I kind of still see myself just playing and finding joy in the work that I'm doing, creating, because it's my favorite thing, creating this community that I love so much and is such a big part of it and growing it in a way that doesn't feel like that speed that you were mentioning before, where it's like this rapid overnight success growth, but it just be this beautiful, slow, sustainable business that just means that I can go, hey, I normally don't do calls on a Monday, but I really want to talk to Chiquita this know be able to do that and it be just so chill and on my own terms. And I've tried having VAs and things before, and I just don't work consistently enough to be able to maintain that without feeling like I'm letting everybody down. And so it's just become this really important thing for me that I don't need an empire. That's not what I'm personally wanting to create. I love the idea of my cozy business showing up for my people and my clients and being able to then turn off the computer for two days. My business is still running. And it not be this thing where I'm just constantly putting out fires and things. That's just not me.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:39:45]:
It's not why I created a business. So I don't know. I haven't really thought. I can't think that long term because I suddenly go like, oh, I want to do this, and then I go and do that. But yeah, we'll see, won't we? Hopefully we'll be able to connect again in five years and we're stuck.

Chi Quita Mack [00:40:01]:
Trust me, I will hunt you down.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:40:05]:
You'll be like, who are you again? I'm so famous and my empire. I've forgotten all the little people.

Chi Quita Mack [00:40:12]:
That's not true.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:40:14]:
I know you would never.

Chi Quita Mack [00:40:18]:
I have big dreams, but I will never forget who has helped me build way too wonderful what I'm trying to build. And you have definitely, like I said in the beginning, you have been such a big part of my journey. Even with the podcast and even before the podcast, you inspire me and everything you put out there is real and I can always relate. So I'll never forget any of the.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:40:42]:
People that have joke helped me.

Chi Quita Mack [00:40:44]:
No, seriously though, but any of the people that has helped me, I just feel like you guys all have a big part of my heart and hopefully one day we can meet in prison.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:40:54]:
I really hope so. And honestly, I feel the exact same way about you. I watch what you're doing and the amazing impact you're having. I love the way that you bring your kids into it. And it just feels like even though you have these huge dreams and aspirations and you're working towards those and they're so incredible, there's like a warmth and a coziness to what you're doing as well. That is just so much joy and family and community. And I just am in awe of everything that you do. I really am.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:41:29]:
And I see you giving back so much. And again, I think that's something that's really not as big in the online business space as I wish that it was. And honestly, I'm also so inspired by you. I can't wait to connect in five years and see where we both are. It's going to be amazing.

Chi Quita Mack [00:41:46]:
Going to be awesome. I'm so excited and I don't know, my community has always been so important to me to give back. Even when I didn't have it to give back, I would still give back. It's just always been that. And my mom used to always say, like, I don't know what it is about you, but every time we'd be in the car, she's like, every time we're in the car, there's always someone on the side road that's cars broke down or something. I'm like, mom, can you please call and make sure they're okay? It never happens. She'll tell you stories like how I've always been wanting to help and just with the new venture of what I'm. It's going to happen.

Chi Quita Mack [00:42:24]:
It's just going to take time.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:42:25]:
Oh, it is. I know.

Chi Quita Mack [00:42:28]:
But with the scholarship program that I want to start, which I will start. I just want to be able to impact not a lot of kids at one time. I want my impact to be meaningful. So the program I want to have, I don't want a max of like ten kids max. That's it. But I want to be able. Each kid that comes to my program, I want to be able to offer them at least a five k scholarship. That is my goal.

Chi Quita Mack [00:42:55]:
And I'm like, I don't know. I did the math, how much I need, how am I going to do this? And we're going to do it. We're going to figure it out and we're going to help these moms take the financial burden off to get their kids a jump start in school and education. And so I just feel like that is just all so important. Like, you have to be able to give back to your community. There's a lot of people that need help and they're not going to admit it either. And you have to do it in a way that does not degrade them and it makes them feel good and warm. One of the compliments I always get, every year we do the Thanksgiving baskets and they always tell me, like, I can literally look at what you give out and I can tell you put time and love into it.

Chi Quita Mack [00:43:39]:
And I do. I'm very strict. I'm not strict about a lot of things, but I'm very strict about this. And you're going to be like, oh, my God. I accept whatever I get, however I push that. I would like it to be name brand. There's a reason why name brand Foods brands only big baskets, pretty bows in there neatly, everything, because it's already hard to admit that you need help. Last thing you need is someone rolling up to you, giving you something in a trash bag.

Chi Quita Mack [00:44:11]:
You know what I mean?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:44:13]:
Absolutely.

Chi Quita Mack [00:44:13]:
Here you go. So it's like, no, you're going to get this big, giant basket with a pretty bow on it, with a big turkey in it, and it's going to be so beautiful. And this is for your family. And I just feel like they don't feel as bad and they're actually excited about it. So, yeah, I definitely take the time and effort into giving back to my community. Last year I had every family was in here. We were folding 200 boxes.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:44:39]:
You're amazing.

Chi Quita Mack [00:44:41]:
I love that. Very important.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:44:46]:
And to be able to do that as you're building something means that it's always going to be in the foundation of what you're doing. And that is just so inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

Chi Quita Mack [00:44:57]:
Yeah, so much.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:45:00]:
So inspired.

Chi Quita Mack [00:45:02]:
When I talk to you, I'm like, I get so excited.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:45:08]:
Me too. This is an amazing way to start the week, always.

Chi Quita Mack [00:45:13]:
I know you're Monday and I'm like, I don't want to go to work tomorrow Monday. Not at all. So do you have anything, I know you're hitting your teenager. Do you have anything you want to share with the audience? Anything that you have going on right now, Bill, that you want to get out?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:45:32]:
What's going on right now? So I'm just about to launch. This has been one of those things. It's so funny that we've talked so much about this today that about six months ago, when I put everything on hiatus was so that I could build this really low accessible, low entry point membership about building community and nurturing community. So I'm going to definitely have to get you to come in and be a guest teacher because I know that you're just going to have so much to offer in that it's called the cozy Community creator Hub and it's just about to launch. It is like $7 a month, like super affordable because I genuinely believe that I see a lot of people who are in business, who are just starting out, who haven't got an audience yet, and they're like, well, I'm posting on Instagram. Where are my people? Where are my clients? And unfortunately, Instagram in 2024, that is just not necessarily going to be how that works. So different, so noisy there. And the AI stuff where people can just generate so much more content than ever before is going to really, I think, have an even bigger impact, which then makes that entry point and the staying with it because you have to kind of keep up or feel like you have to keep up with that so much harder that this year I really wanted to focus on, okay, let's stop worrying about posting on Instagram and building 100,000 followers and getting however many subscribers and actually focus on creating a tight knit community.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:46:58]:
I don't know if you've ever read the 1000 true fans article. No, I can't remember who it is written by. I really should remember that. But it's basically like, you don't have to have a million followers. You need to have 1000 people who give you $100 a year. And then you have. Right. That's not even that much money and it's not that many people.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:47:22]:
And so that is kind of what we're focusing on is like, let's stop trying to worry about spending all this busy work doing social media posts that nobody even sees a lot of the time, even if you have a big following, the organic reach these days is so low. So I wanted to create this community where people could actually focus on. I'm going to create this tight knit community and then I'm going to share from the inside out. So this is what's happening in the group this week. This is a new training that's just dropped. This is a conversation that we had. And so instead of trying to create content for Instagram and send an email to your list and create Facebook group content, and then, oh, I've got to post on TikTok and I've got to do a reel and I've got to do all these things and my podcast and all of this actually focusing on showing up for your community, having these amazing conversations, and then being able to repurpose your content from there and kind of spread that wider. So that's what's kind of coming.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:48:20]:
It's one of those things like your course that you mentioned where it's like, oh, my gosh, I thought this was going to be done in a month and it has taken six months of changing things and adding new bits in, but it's nearly ready to go. So I'm super excited about that at the moment.

Chi Quita Mack [00:48:36]:
I know it's going to be awesome. I know it's going to be awesome because yes, that is probably the best way to go. It's focus on a small bit and push it out.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:48:46]:
I don't have the energy. I wouldn't even know what to do with a million followers.

Chi Quita Mack [00:48:52]:
That's a lot of I would cry repurpose, I think is so important. Like just teaching them that repurposing because I definitely do. The post is an email. It's all the same.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:49:05]:
Yeah.

Chi Quita Mack [00:49:06]:
And it's easy.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:49:07]:
Not everyone's going to see it on everything, right? They're in a different headspace when they're scrolling on Instagram versus when they're reading their emails. They're in a different headspace when they see it as a carousel or a reel versus like a full blog post or a podcast episode. And also, not everyone follows you everywhere as well. And so, yeah, let's minimize how much output and actually let more people see one thing than having ten things out there that only a few people see. And then it just kind of goes and collects dust in the online black hole.

Chi Quita Mack [00:49:48]:
You're so awesome. Thank you so much for being a part of all. Listen, you all understand the beauty and you podcast would not be a podcast without her. I did not know what to do. I needed help, so I reached out and I said, can you help me, please? And she has literally taught me everything that I know.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:50:10]:
I know you were already doing it, but thank you. Thank you. I will receive that grace and also know that you're a superwoman and you did all of the hard work.

Chi Quita Mack [00:50:26]:
I didn't know nothing. I didn't know what to use, what platform to use, how to put nothing. Zero. And here I am. I look like a pro. But that's because.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:50:40]:
I also love that. I think we connected in a random podcasting Facebook group, and I think this is the one relationship or connection that I've had from that space that has just withstood. And I'm so, so grateful for that because what an absolute joy.

Chi Quita Mack [00:51:00]:
It's like that one time. It's like, here we are years later. And so I love it. I love it. Yeah. I don't talk to anybody in that group. Now that I think about it, I'm like, I don't even.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:51:12]:
Just you.

Chi Quita Mack [00:51:14]:
So it happened for a reason.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:51:17]:
Exactly. Serendipity.

Chi Quita Mack [00:51:19]:
I do believe that we were meant to be.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:51:23]:
Absolutely. I'm so grateful for that because I have loved connecting with you. Every time we get to catch up, it's such a joy. And then I just see you on Instagram, and I'm just endlessly in awe of all the incredible things that you're doing. It's just such a joy.

Chi Quita Mack [00:51:42]:
Thank you so much. Can you tell the beautiful audience where they can find you and to keep up with your new adventures that are coming out?

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:51:52]:
Sure. Thank you. So if you're listening to this on a podcasting platform, you can catch up on some old episodes of my emerge and expand podcast, which Quita was a guest on in the first season, and that is coming back soon. That's just super easy because you're already in the podcasting platform. You can go check it out straight from here and on pretty much every social media platform you can find me at. Miss Underscore kms. That's probably the two easiest ways to find me right now. Yay.

Chi Quita Mack [00:52:21]:
So again, thank you so much for being a part of my journey. I know this is not the last time we'll be catching up, either one or the other. I'm going to be in your space, or you're going to be back in my space. We're just going to keep it going.

Katherine Mackenzie-Smith [00:52:33]:
Love that. Thank you so much for having me as well. It's been so much fun, as always, of course.

Chi Quita Mack [00:52:40]:
All right, you guys, thank you for tuning in to the beauty and you podcast. Until next time, thank you for joining.

Jacqueline G. [00:52:45]:
Us on this week's episode of the Beauty and you podcast. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe. Visit us@thechiquitamack or join us on Instagram @thechiquitamack for your daily motivation and inspiration. Tell a friend to tell a friend. Until next time.