Salome Schillack:

You're listening to Episode Number 81: How to Quit Quitting with Lauryn Bryght. And I'm so excited to introduce you to this very special human. I am a very committed student. When I sign up to learn from someone, I show up for every class. I have gotten up at 2:30 in the morning to be in Mastermind calls with people on the other side of the earth. That is how committed I am when I'm learning from someone, and Lauryn has that same commitment. She has been a student of mine for about six months now, and Lauryn shows up for every call twice a week, and she just... I just love watching her soak in everything that she learns. So I've asked her to come on this show and share with you all how to quit quitting, because if there's one thing Lauryn knows how to do it is how to have fun and embrace the journey. I hope you enjoy my interview with Lauryn.

Salome Schillack:

And if you want to become a student of mine as well, A-Lister is opening up for enrollment on the 13th of January. And if you want to make sure you get all the deets about A-Lister, A-Lister is the fastest way to grow an audience and make your first sale to that audience using Facebook and Instagram ads, then make sure you go to shineandsucceed.com/wait list and get your name on the wait list today. Let's jump into the episode.

Salome Schillack:

Giving up your time and freedom to make money is so 2009. Hi, I'm your host, Salome Schillack, and I help online course creators launch, grow and scale their businesses with Facebook and Instagram ads, so that they can make more money and have an even bigger impact in the world. If you're ready to be inspired to dream bigger, launch sooner and grow your online business faster, then tune in, because you are ready to shine and this is The Shine Show. Lauryn, thank you so much for being here with me.

Lauryn Bryght:

It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me, Salome.

Salome Schillack:

Oh, you're welcome. You are one of my absolute favorite students. Aside from the fact that we both love beautiful earrings...

Lauryn Bryght:

[crosstalk 00:02:27].

Salome Schillack:

I love that... you are one of the most committed students that I have seen. I think you've been on almost every call we've done inside the Launch Lounge for the last six months.

Lauryn Bryght:

I think you're right. I think I possibly have missed one. If I missed any, then one, and I may have even just been late for that one. I love them. You're amazing.

Salome Schillack:

Aw. Thank you. I love how hungry you are to learn, so I'm excited today to share with the audience on the podcast, on The Shine Show here, just a little bit about your journey, how it all started for you. You have an amazing mission and I want you to share about that and just the lessons that you've learned along the way. So let's begin by going back to the South Side of Chicago. Tell me all about that.

Lauryn Bryght:

Oh, that's going to make me cry. Yes, that's where I grew up, the South Side of Chicago. And lovely childhood I spent with my mother and my father for some years. And then, most years, only with my mother, but then I was like, "No, I think I want to live with my dad." So then I would go and live with my dad. I'm like, "No, I think I want to live with my mom." So I would go and live with my mom. So I have the privilege of growing up with both of my parents, although not in the same household with them together-

Salome Schillack:

[crosstalk 00:03:43].

Lauryn Bryght:

... but me with each of them. And I don't know. I don't think I could have asked for a better childhood.

Salome Schillack:

Is the South Side of Chicago, forget my ignorance, is that the same place Michelle Obama grew up in?

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

So hilarious story. SO funny that you mentioned that. Our addresses are exactly 100 digits apart.

Salome Schillack:

No.

Lauryn Bryght:

My address is 7326 South Euclid Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60649. Michelle Obama's address was 7426 Euclid Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60649.

Salome Schillack:

How cool is that?

Lauryn Bryght:

Can you even believe that?

Salome Schillack:

That is unreal.

Lauryn Bryght:

That is so super unreal. I did not know-

Salome Schillack:

And how far apart are you in age?

Lauryn Bryght:

One year. We're one year apart.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah, I was going to say-

Lauryn Bryght:

She went to... Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Salome Schillack:

[crosstalk 00:04:34].

Lauryn Bryght:

She went to the rival high school.

Salome Schillack:

You guys played in the same park.

Lauryn Bryght:

Well, yeah, essentially, but we never knew each other. I didn't know her. She didn't know me. And we went to the rival high school. I went to Kenwood Academy and she went to Whitney Young High School. Just again, all cities have rival high schools and that was hers and that was mine.

Salome Schillack:

How [crosstalk 00:04:54].

Lauryn Bryght:

Never knew each other. I am 100% certain that we knew many of the same people. And I remember thinking, I believe... I don't know if it's when her book Becoming came out that I saw her resume, but when I saw that that was her address, I was like, "What? We lived a block apart. Exactly one block apart." So bizarre.

Salome Schillack:

It's crazy. That is so cool. So cool. All right. So growing up, what did you dream of becoming and how did you go, because you went on a finance mission and now you're a health coach? So talk me through that journey.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. So I'm an only child and what I wanted to be was a mother of five children. And I wanted five children, because I felt like, as a family, if we went to an amusement park, they're usually in twos. And so, I wanted an odd number of children, so there would always be someone around to stay with the jackets, because there's always somebody...

Salome Schillack:

That's the more funniest thing. So you're planning [crosstalk 00:05:57].

Lauryn Bryght:

There's always somebody that doesn't want to go on the ride, so I'm like, "Then I need to have an odd number of children, so someone can stay and watch the jackets."

Salome Schillack:

Oh, my goodness. Stay with the jackets. I love that.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah.

Salome Schillack:

That's very funny. So then what?

Lauryn Bryght:

So when I went away to college, I.... Well, actually before that, I wanted to be a doctor. So throughout high school, I was pursuing this, "Hey, I want to be a doctor." I didn't make a lot of money. "Okay, I want to be a doctor." So I had done some summer science programs. In fact, I went to college a semester early to attend the pre-freshman summer science program, which I went to Spelman College in Atlanta, which is a historically black college for women. And, as a part of that journey to become a doctor, I had to take Biology 101. I got a D in that course during the summer science program. I took it again freshman year and I got a D again. I'm like, "All right. Maybe being a doctor's not for me."

Salome Schillack:

That's funny. So that was the first time you realized maybe this is not going to pan out the way I wanted.

Lauryn Bryght:

Correct.

Salome Schillack:

And then?

Lauryn Bryght:

[inaudible 00:07:06].

Salome Schillack:

I want to stop you for a second. I just want to find out, Spelman College, so a college that's traditionally for black women.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

I want to ask you about that, because you know I grew up in South Africa.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

So is that normal to have a college for black women, because that sounds apartheid-y to me?

Lauryn Bryght:

Oh, that's an interesting perspective. So Spelman was established in 1881. In slavery times, blacks couldn't get any education. So there had to be a university specifically for black people-

Salome Schillack:

Wow. Okay.

Lauryn Bryght:

... otherwise, no education.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Okay. So that's a good thing for you guys, because where I grew up, that was a bad thing.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah, it's a hundred percent a good thing. It's an amazing thing. It's an awesome thing.

Salome Schillack:

Okay.

Lauryn Bryght:

It's brilliant. So since 1881, the college has been established for women. There's a men's college across the street, Morehouse College.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah, yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

But it's good.

Salome Schillack:

Well, I had to ask that, because I kind of went, "Wow. Is that discrimination to have just one place where the black women need to go? Why aren't the black women going everywhere else?"

Lauryn Bryght:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Salome Schillack:

Because of my background and my point of reference, but... Okay.

Lauryn Bryght:

So tell me a little bit more about that from your point of reference. You said that that would not have worked or tell me what that means.

Salome Schillack:

Well, I think from where I sit and from where I grew up, the segregation was the universities were reserved for white people. And I don't even think there was a university for black people, particularly, not black women, in South Africa. And then, when things changed, they just opened up all the universities so that black people could attend all universities. So that's probably why I was like, "Really? There's just one where the black women go?" So now, in South Africa, it's just open and it's just university. And it's open for black and white people and anyone of any race.

Lauryn Bryght:

Right.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. So that's why I thought... I was like, "Hang on. I need to clarify this with you."

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah. Yeah. So interesting, right? Because the universities in America also became open to black and white. Universities that are historically white universities started admitting all ethnic backgrounds, but prior to that, Spelman had been established.

Salome Schillack:

Right. Okay. As a [inaudible 00:09:31]-

Lauryn Bryght:

Morehouse was established for black men. And I don't know the year they were established, because I didn't go there, but it was around the same time. It was around the same time.

Salome Schillack:

Awesome.

Lauryn Bryght:

But, yes, so now it is very much a desired institution, one of the top universities in the country. And we're actually college.

Salome Schillack:

Yes. You guys call it college. We call it university.

Lauryn Bryght:

Well, it depends. So there's a college and there's a university. So Spelman College is a college and there's some technical distinction between the two that I don't know.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. I don't know either. All right. So you were not going to become a doctor. And then what?

Lauryn Bryght:

And then, I'm like, "Okay. Well, what am I good at?" And I'd always been really good at math, primarily because my mother is really smart and was really good at math. And so I had to learn how to do math in my head. And so I've just always just had a proclivity for numbers. So I'm like, "All right. Well, I could be a math major or I could be an econ major." Math just seemed so boring. I decided to go with econ. So I was an economics major.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. And that took you down a few other tracks.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah. That just led me down the path of financial services. My dad had been in banking for as long as I can remember, other than that one time, I know he worked for Peter Pan Peanut Butter Company. So we always had peanut butter in the house, so I could just eat-

Salome Schillack:

[crosstalk 00:10:50].

Lauryn Bryght:

... peanut butter with a spoon out of the jar. So good.

Salome Schillack:

And how did you go then from finances into health coaching where you are now?

Lauryn Bryght:

Okay. Right. Excellent. That's quite a chasm. Let me see. So I would say, when I lost 97 pounds myself and felt a kind of joy that I'd never known, I was like, "Oh. I want everyone to have it." I still do.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Well, I just want to say congratulations. I had to look up how much is 97 pounds, and it's 42 kilograms for those of us who use kilograms. That's like half a human.

Lauryn Bryght:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Salome Schillack:

That is amazing.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

So how did you do that?

Lauryn Bryght:

So I had done just about every diet out there. I mean, I've tried so many things. I've done the larger companies. And I'm not paid by anyone, so I'm not sure that I should even say brands. But everyone's familiar with Weight Watchers. I had tried intermittent fasting. I tried keto. I tried paleo. I've done Overeaters Anonymous. I've done Food Addicts. I mean, just anything. And I'll eat anything and everything, almost. So the program that ended up sticking where the weight stayed off... Because losing weight is one set of skills. Maintaining weight loss is a completely different set of skills. So the program where I lost and have maintained most of my weight was through program at a hospital in California, and it was called Doctors Answer.

Salome Schillack:

Okay.

Lauryn Bryght:

So the program has since gone out of business, because the physician that was leading it retired.

Salome Schillack:

Oh, okay.

Lauryn Bryght:

So it was an all-liquid diet, so every three hours I was having a shake. People were like, "You're doing shakes?" I'm like, "Yeah." I was never hungry. It was getting all the nutrition that I needed. It was fine. All the other eating, that's emotional eating. It's not necessary for sustenance. So that's a program that I did. So it was with the shakes. It also came with a psychology component, and I believe that was really helpful. So very similar to Weight Watchers and also the Overeaters Anonymous where you come together in community, this particular program had that as well. And so I think that allowed me to be comfortable with introspection and applying. Even when you hear back what some of your mistakes are, what some of your thoughts are, and then really is a way out of them, that everything we think is not true, I'm like, "Oh, okay. Well, let me think of this way." So I think, because I wanted so much to maintain in my weight loss... I actually have a story about why and I can tell if time permits.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Tell me. Why?

Lauryn Bryght:

Why? Okay. So the reason... I think the reason was that there is so much negative imagery around black women being overweight and so many other stereotypes about women in, just generally women, but I felt like... not but. So I felt like this is one stereotype that I don't have to have attached to me. And I control what I eat, how much of it or how little of it or what kinds of foods I select, and I just don't have to be subjected to that stereotype. I'm not changing the color of my skin. I'm not changing my hair. I'm not changing any of those other things, but I can change my physical appearance and that has benefits to it. Well, I'll just put it that way.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. What I'm curious about that is that's kind of what we call in coaching community, I'm moving away strategy. You saw something negative and you wanted to move away from that. But, I guess, what was the moving towards thing for you? What did you want? Because for you to lose all that weight and then to keep it off, you had to have a very strong desire, too.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. So one of the things, I mentioned earlier about my parents and that I grew up with both of them, although they lived under separate rooves, different rooves. And I do remember Of my father not being very kind at all to women who were overweight. And so, just growing up and hearing all the comments, the negativity, and this was before body shaming was not a good idea. I don't think it ever was, but certainly it wasn't about publicly like it is now. So there's a certain amount of, "Okay. Well, I'm a woman. I want to be attractive to a man, so I better not stay this fat person."

Lauryn Bryght:

And, actually, one of the reasons that I recall becoming fat is that I was always getting a lot of attention from men. And then, I remember getting really mad at my father for something and I'm like, "Okay. Well, I'll just gain weight, because then I know you won't like me. I'll just give [inaudible 00:15:33]."

Salome Schillack:

Whoa. What a realization. Hey.

Lauryn Bryght:

No. Yeah, it's amazing.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

It really... It's amazing, and it was very empowering, so it became... And then, I was still getting attention, Salome. It didn't make the men go away.

Salome Schillack:

That's funny.

Lauryn Bryght:

So, yes, the realization that my body size wasn't the deterrent to men being attracted to me, all men, I'm sure it's the case for some, I was left with, "Well, shoot. Okay. Well, I guess I might as well not be fat anymore, because that strategy didn't work. I had to learn how to use my words."

Salome Schillack:

What I love about that is how you decided to take your power back.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. A hundred percent.

Salome Schillack:

You stopped trying to avoid negative things by creating more negative things and instead, you said, "We'll hang on. Yeah, I got to use my words. I got to stand up for what I want and what I don't want and how I want to be treated."

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. And that leads to the answer to your question or furthering the answer to your question about what was I going towards, because that's exactly what I say to clients. I'm like, "You can't resist, resist, resist." That's like that concept of you have a beach ball and you're trying to resist, resist, pushing that ball under the water. And, at some point, it's going to pop. But if you're going towards something, then that's more joyful. That brings more comfort. That's more satisfying. That's more empowering, actually, to use your word. So, for me, it was just... I don't know if I can articulate that, Salome. I haven't really thought of it in that terms, in those terms, but thinking on the spot now, what would I say I'm going toward? I think just the joyful life. I'll be 56 in less than a week-

Salome Schillack:

Holy cow. 56?

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah.

Salome Schillack:

You don't look a day older than 35.

Lauryn Bryght:

Well, thank you. Kisses and love to you, my friend.

Salome Schillack:

Wow.

Lauryn Bryght:

Kisses and love.

Salome Schillack:

I can't believe it. Okay. So you'll be 56. Congratulations. When? Next week?

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah, yeah. On-

Salome Schillack:

Happy Birthday.

Lauryn Bryght:

On Tuesday. Thank you. Yay. Happy Birthday.

Salome Schillack:

On Tuesday? Yay. We get to talk the day after your birthday. We get to hang out. The day before your birthday, we get to hang out.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. But I think it's on my birthday in America. I'm not sure.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure either. But yay and happy birthday.

Lauryn Bryght:

Birthday aura whenever we talk next.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. It's birthday week. We'll have birthday week.

Lauryn Bryght:

I just realized that I wanted to be able to function in society. I did not want any medication. I didn't want to take blood pressure medication. That runs in my family. Diabetes runs in my family. My father died from that, complications of kidney failure, heart disease, all that stuff. My grandparents, high blood pressure. My mother, breast cancer. I'm like, "Okay." So that's still is more a running away from, but it still is running towards longevity, running towards healthiness. I don't have any children. I'm an only child. I am single. So if I'm going to live in this world, I've got to be able to do most things myself. I can hire it out. Yes, I have friends. I have sorority sisters, all that stuff. But to the extent that I can live independently, the extent to which I can live independently, is largely dependent on my health. I happen to know that. So that is what I'm running towards, a healthy life, a productive life, that I can do on my own without medication or aid from others.

Salome Schillack:

I love that. I love that. Is your dad's diabetes, is that a driving factor behind you becoming a A1C diabetes coach?

Lauryn Bryght:

Oh, hundred percent. A hundred percent. So I wish that I knew then what I know now about helping people with diabetes, with prediabetes. I've been looking back... It's been almost five years ago that my dad died. It will actually be six in January. And looking back on that, I want to say I don't think that he suffered, but I'm his baby girl. So if he was suffering, I wasn't going to know about it. But now that I see the signs, I know more, I'm like, "Oh, my God. My poor daddy." He suffered so much on his own, just the emotional, the depression, just the sadness that I just know that he was keeping inside of him.

Lauryn Bryght:

And so, I want to help people who are pre-diabetic, because I think there's a greater sense of motivation there. I do have it on my heart to do a men's group, but I've said that I won't talk about that until February, even though I just mentioned it right now. Because I think that groups that are women only, groups that are men only, there's a different kind of sharing and support and comfort that comes with that. So I'm getting... I'm cutting my teeth, I think that's a term with, with my women's group.

Salome Schillack:

I love it. I love it. So you lost the weight. You became a health coach. And now you've specialized in helping pre-diabetics turn the diabetes around?

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. Reducing their A1C level. And that's largely a weight issue. So really, I help people with mindset and meal prep, and those are the two key things. We've got to work on how you're thinking about yourself, how you're thinking about food, how you're thinking about life and how you're using food, and then, meal prep. You got to be willing to get in the kitchen or on the grill, as you may have seen on my Facebook page-

Salome Schillack:

I was just going to say, "Don't ever go to Lauryn's feed if you're hungry." There's some delicious stuff cooking on the grill all the time. It's beautiful.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. For sure. So, like I said, the A1C and people reducing their A1C level can be done through diet. And, again, we're talking about type 2 diabetes here, not type 1... specifically, type 2 diabetes in most cases. Now we already know I'm not a doctor and I got to a D in biology, so let's just... I'm not giving medical advice here, but I am saying that yes, I support that community. There's a special place in my heart for the pre-diabetic community to help them reduce their A1C level. And some people have said, "Well, that's just about everybody that's overweight." I'm like, "Yeah, not everybody that's overweight has a high A1C level, but that I have not met many, if any, people who have a high A1C level, who are not also overweight."

Salome Schillack:

Yeah, yeah. I don't know if you know. I used to be a pharmaceutical rep, and I used to sell Lantus. And so, just like you, I'm no doctor, but I've had enough conversations with enough doctors about enough patients to know that patients can turn it around and the way to turn it around is through losing weight.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. And getting rid of the shame. Getting rid of the... And having patience with themselves. I talked to someone today who just really had lost a half a pound, but just was like, "Okay, this isn't working." I'm like, "Well, how come it's not working?" "Well, because I only lost half a pound." I'm like, "But that's the goal is to lose weight. Well, how much should..." "Well, I think should be losing two or three pounds." "Well, okay. That's a mindset issue." So I help people with that as well, that you have-

Salome Schillack:

I love that reframe. That is a really good reframe.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah. Thank you. It's mindset. You have to work with what you got. And if your [inaudible] says we're only losing this at a half a pound rate, then hallelujah.

Salome Schillack:

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I just want to draw the very obvious parallel here between what you just said and between me teaching people Facebook ads that's, literally, people run an ad, they don't get the result they want and they go, "This doesn't work. I'm quitting." And I go, "No, no. But you've only done it once. You have to do it over and over and over and over again to get to the place where it does work." It has to not work for a long time before it works. Not for a long time, but you have to test things and see if it works until you get there. So I love that. Thank you for sharing that. So how did you then... Because you were doing this offline, right? Yes. How did you-

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

... transition to doing it online?

Lauryn Bryght:

So the offline was just friends and sorority sisters just talking to people, because they saw my success and me just trying to encourage them. It's like, "Okay. I'm nothing special. You can do it, too. You can do this and I can help you." And then, I had this amazing opportunity to speak on the stage a women's conference. It was a Christian women's conference in Alabama, and one of the participants there, or one of the attendees, is a health coach. And so, I was talking about my journey at the women's conference. And so, this particular person came up to me and told me, "Hey, I'm a health..." Introduced herself as a health coach, like, "Hi [inaudible 00:24:28]." I was like, "Oh, my gosh. Really? I have to talk to you." So we talked and I became a health coach with her.

Lauryn Bryght:

And that program is largely online as well. This is about three and a half years ago. So because Facebook was around... And this is before the algorithm. This was back when organic reach was a thing and people were able to grow their businesses. So that was all online. And then, I love online. I've always loved it, since I could, since there was the internet. I mean, I don't know. I wasn't the first one to use the internet, but we've already established that I'm not a spring chicken. And I attribute that to my mother. So my mother used to teach data processing and computer programming, and so I've just always been in that space. Even though, just as a side note, when I was a sophomore in college, she resigned from that job or retired and went to vet school, became a large animal veterinarian and then the Associate Dean at Tuskegee University Vet School. How cool is that?

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. And a woman to be a large animal vet, too, is also quite unusual. And I'm sure a black woman who's a large animal vet would have been... She'd a been a unicorn.

Lauryn Bryght:

All so true. All so true. People wonder where I get my humph, my oomph, or whatever you call it, and I'm like, "Just look at my momma." I come by it naturally, so I'm so thankful-

Salome Schillack:

That's awesome.

Lauryn Bryght:

... for her and my daddy as well. Anyway, yeah, so the whole technology thing was just very appealing to me. And then, I don't want to say then COVID hit, but there was a period of time when I was till growing my business as a health coach where I'm like, "Okay. I'm not getting in people's DMs. That's not me." I couldn't do that type of marketing, because that's just not my personality. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm an introvert just like you and I just, I'm like, "No." I can get up and talk in front of thousands and thousands of people, no problem, but this do this idle chitchat, I just, I can't do it.

Salome Schillack:

I feel you.

Lauryn Bryght:

Thank you. So I'm like, "No, mam. No, thank you." And so, through that experience, I became introduced to Rachel Hollis.

Salome Schillack:

Yes.

Lauryn Bryght:

And Rachel had a coaching program and she did the... This is right after the introduction of her book tour for Girl, Wash Your Face.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

And she had a coaching program, a life coaching and a business coaching program. I took that. And through that program, I met Amy Porterfield. And through that, I met you, Salome. And through that, I've also met Stu McLaren. And so, I'm just like, "Okay. This is awesome. This is [inaudible 00:27:20]." So that's how it went online. COVID hit somewhere in there, the beginning of this year, and has just really, really kind of shifted me and just settled me, I should say, more into the online space.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Would you say COVID was a large contributing factor to you stepping up online?

Lauryn Bryght:

Oh, hundred percent.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

I met Amy... I took Amy Porterfield's class last year, her Digital Course Academy, and also joined her membership. So at the beginning of the year, she did an amazing job helping us with mindset, helping us pivot. I don't think I knew the word pivot before the beginning of this year and I learned it from Amy Porterfield.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

So I remember her saying, I remember this very distinctly, "What is something that you know right now that people need that you can talk to them about and help them with in your sleep. That's what you should be doing."

Salome Schillack:

Yes.

Lauryn Bryght:

And I'm like, "I can help people stop emotionally eating. That's my jam. I can do that all day every day and twice on Sunday."

Salome Schillack:

That's awesome.

Lauryn Bryght:

So that's what I decided to do was a membership to help people overcome emotional eating. Well, I wrote out the whole schedule and just the modules, the bonuses, everything, the curriculum. And then, I was like, "Oh. This is a little bit more like a course than a membership." And then, I met Stu and took TRIBE and joined TRIBE membership. I'm like a membership junkie right now.

Salome Schillack:

Oh, you and me both, girl. You and me both.

Lauryn Bryght:

Best thing ever.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

So, yes, COVID has been good for my online business. The resources, the people, that already have been in this space, how they have opened up their hearts and their minds to those of us who are here willing to learn has just a hundred percent given my business the boost that it needed, given me the... Because I didn't learn any of this university or college.

Salome Schillack:

It didn't even exist. Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

It didn't exist. And I've got an MBA. I have an MBA from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. This wasn't around back when I got my MBA.

Salome Schillack:

No.

Lauryn Bryght:

And it was good.

Salome Schillack:

They didn't teach you how to create a Facebook post on MBA.

Lauryn Bryght:

No, mam. They do not. Not at all. But the business mind was there. So my first job as an entrepreneur was also in South... As a child growing up on the South Side of Chicago where it snows in the winter, I would go around to people's homes and ask them if they wanted their sidewalks shoveled. So that was my first job as an entrepreneur, shoveling [inaudible 00:30:03].

Salome Schillack:

Very cool. That's very good. Know what I did? I drew pictures and I sold my pictures to the neighbors.

Lauryn Bryght:

I love it.

Salome Schillack:

I was like a professional artist-

Lauryn Bryght:

I love it.

Salome Schillack:

... selling my pictures.

Lauryn Bryght:

That's great.

Salome Schillack:

Tell me about what has been a surprising struggle in building your online business, a challenge? My best friend used the word struggle. Surprising challenge you didn't foresee.

Lauryn Bryght:

The one thing that has been the hardest struggle, most surprising, whichever word we want to use, is that knowledge of something and understanding of something does not mean accomplishment.

Salome Schillack:

Ah.

Lauryn Bryght:

It's very clear intellectually to me what a Facebook ad is, what a landing page is, but the 10,005 steps from idea to implementation, no one tells you that.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

And it has just been a lesson in patience and humility that there is a process that you have gone through to get where you are, that Stu has gone through... Stu and you and Amy and Rachel, you all are my people... and Corrine. Oh, my god. I would be so remiss if I didn't mention my girl Corrine Crabtree. Woot woot.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. After I listen to her talk for a while, I find my own accent starts to sound... I start talking like I have a Southern accent.

Lauryn Bryght:

I know. I know. It's amazing. I mean, she drops some knowledge, too. I just [inaudible] her today, as a matter of fact. And so, I know all five of you have at, one point or another, experienced the frustration of wanting to sit down at your computer and work on something and then that website is down or the internet is slow or you didn't realize you were going to need such and such or your platform is down for maintenance or something. I'm like, "Okay. This is part of it. I'm not unicorn entrepreneur that this is the only person that this has happened to." So that has been the most surprising thing, that there are so many steps required to accomplish a task.

Lauryn Bryght:

It's not like school, you you're like, "Okay. I need you to write a term paper." You're like, "Okay, great." Back in the day, go to the library, go the card catalog, get your books out, write it and your paper's done. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It does not happen that way. So that's been the most surprising thing, that my patience has needed to grow. You didn't ask that question, but what have I learned is that I've had to have patience with myself and understanding that it is all part of the process and some of this stuff you don't learn until you're in it.

Lauryn Bryght:

So we mentioned Stu. Stu was on live earlier today in his membership and talked about you just have to recognize that you may not have all the answers or you may have laid out it perfectly and when you get close to the end, you're going to have a new awareness that's going to require you to pivot and you have to be willing to pivot and not go for convenience, but you have to still be willing to go for quality. So that's been the most surprising thing is that it's so new. There's no handbook. I can't go to the handbook and get all the answers. They are within me and that they will make themselves known when it is the right time. And so, my faith in God helps me understand that as well.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Oh, man. That is so good. And that understanding and that attitude that you have towards it, that is what I've had the privilege of watching the last six months and just seeing you go, "Yeah. I'm just gonna be patient here and I'm going to implement and I'm going to see what happens." And I just feel like that is exactly what sets you apart. So thank you for sharing.

Lauryn Bryght:

Thank yo so much for that.

Salome Schillack:

Is there something in how you grew up or in being an entrepreneur for a while, why is it that you understand that patience and that you understand that you're not a unicorn and technology's not conspiring against you, it's just simply a matter of taking steps and having it become clear to you? Do you feel like there's something you learnt before you came to this that helped you or is that just your personality, or yeah? Speak to that for me.

Lauryn Bryght:

Wow. So I'm going to say that my pre-online business personality was one of a perfectionist.

Salome Schillack:

Right.

Lauryn Bryght:

So I won't say that I have come to this point naturally. I have learned it from the likes of you and the others, because the mindset is so important. I will say that I've learned it from my weight loss journey and that... I've had my periods of time of yo-yoing. I'm very thankful that I have in that one to two percent of people that lose a massive amount of weight and are able to keep it off. I mean, it's been five or six or eight years. I don't even remember how long anymore. Yeah, I fluctuate 20 pounds-ish here and there. And I'm okay with that, because, largely, I'm fine. You know, I'm fine. [crosstalk 00:35:17].

Salome Schillack:

Because you love your body.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. At this point, it's a vanity play. I mean, I still got a couple pairs of skinny jeans that I cannot get in that I used to be able to get into.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

I'm like, "[inaudible 00:35:27]. I got to get those skinny jeans. I want to..." So that makes it harder, certainly, to stay on plan, because my health reasons are fine. I just went to the doctor yesterday. My blood pressure's fine. My A1C is fine. My cholesterol's fine. Everything's fine, fine, fine, fine, fine. So, at this point, it's just a vanity play, and that's okay. That's okay, because body positivity, love your body, means different things to different people.

Salome Schillack:

Yes.

Lauryn Bryght:

And I posted that on my page recently. I'm like, "Healthy looks different on every body. It looks different and you get to decide what that is for you." And so, that's what I teach my members and it's like, "It's your goal and whatever diet you want to do, you do that. I'm here to help you and support you." We provide community. We help with accountability. I'm going to teach you some meal prep. It's super easy to do. I mean, it doesn't have to be boiled chicken and steamed broccoli, because that's nasty. Nobody wants to eat [crosstalk 00:36:20].

Salome Schillack:

I see the parallel here. I see that what you learnt in the weight loss journey is that there's no winning line, you've won or you've lost. There's only the journey. And that's the attitude that you bring to your business as well is that there's no win or lose, there's just learning. There's just where you're at today, and as long as you're taking a step to move towards tomorrow, then you're going.

Lauryn Bryght:

So I will add one more person to my roster of mentors though [crosstalk] and that is Brooke Castillo. I know you know her.

Salome Schillack:

Yes. You and I just learn from all the same people. We just hang out in the same bubble everywhere. Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

And it is an amazing bubble. So I would say through my work in her program, which I came to her... I'm pretty sure Amy mentioned her once. That was her coach and [inaudible 00:37:13], "I'm going to Google her and check her out." So I remember on a cross-country trip driving to Alabama to California, I listened to all of Brooke's episodes that were available at the time. It was like, "Oh, okay-

Salome Schillack:

[crosstalk 00:37:24]. Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

... this is cool." So I would say that the mindset piece of who I am now comes largely from being a student of hers and being in, she doesn't call it a membership, but certainly being in the life coach school.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. I can hundred percent side the same thing. I am not the same person, because I am in the life coach school and I implement what Brooke teaches. She's amazing. Yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

It's so hard though when I talk to other people. It's getting harder. And I remember reading this when I first joined Scholars, it's like, "You're going to want to try to coach other people. You're going to want to do it. Don't do it." And I'm like, "I can't help it." I'm like, "Oh, right. She said we're not supposed to do that." Because without the foundation, I pop in with my little, "Okay, just do this, this rethink" and people are like, "Girl, no. That doesn't make any sense to me."

Lauryn Bryght:

But when you are practicing it, when it does become second nature to you, and the same as the weight loss, I'm like, there's so much joy in this. It's joy that you did not know you could tap into. It's the joy of getting in and out of the car without pain. Getting in and out of bed. Going to the bathroom. Putting on your shoes, your boots. Squatting down with zero pain. You hear that, but then when you experience... It's going into a store and people rushing to help you. That never happened when I was almost 250 pounds. What is this all about here, people? What are you even doing? So that has been mind opening. That has been really mind-blowing, the difference in just general customer service. And I'm like, "Wow."

Salome Schillack:

That's incredible. And I love that that is the gift that you give your students. That's the gift that you give the people. That's your mission to make that difference. And because you felt it so strongly. And those of us that haven't lost large amounts of weight, that does not exist to us, but in your world, that is such a real thing and for your ideal customer, that is... For you to be able to build that picture for them and lead the way and show them what is possible and what can be possible, that is so powerful.

Lauryn Bryght:

Thank you.

Salome Schillack:

So what would you say to anyone else who is starting their journey to building an online business? What would be your best advice?

Lauryn Bryght:

Best advice: Don't quit.

Salome Schillack:

Yes.

Lauryn Bryght:

Don't quit. Quit quitting. Same thing I tell my students, my members. Don't quit. Quit quitting. #quitquitting. And patience. Have patience. I suppose that would be my best advice. Have patience. Give yourself grace. That's two pieces of advice. Ask for help. If you can't pay for help, get free help. Google is not going out of business. It's not. It just is not. And I cannot stress enough the importance of community, being around people who are in pursuit of dreams as well. It's so meaningful to hear someone else's story or someone needing coaching or advice and you're like, "Are they in my head? How did they get in my head? That's exactly my story."

Salome Schillack:

Wow.

Lauryn Bryght:

I just heard a story today about that. I'm like, "That's me." We were talking about doing a launch. Why the procrastination? Why the this, the that? I'm like, "I was just thinking that." So community. Have patience with yourself, be in community and ask for help.

Salome Schillack:

That is amazing. That is awesome. And I could not have said it any better myself. The patience piece, I just want to emphasize the patience piece. If somebody told me it was going to take me six years to get where I am now, I wouldn't have started. If I knew it was going to take me six years to get here, because I wanted to be here in six months.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes. Because you're smart-

Salome Schillack:

But-

Lauryn Bryght:

And you're like, "Oh, I can do this."

Salome Schillack:

And I am. I'm ambitious and I'm competitive and I show up and I'm just going to outperform everyone really quickly. And then, business is just like, "Aha ha." It's like this little, "Well, okay. Joke's on you, girl. Joke's on you."

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah. Yeah.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. But I wouldn't change it. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing, because all of the lessons I've had to learn have turned me into a better human and is the thing that is making me good at what I'm doing now. So that's awesome.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yes.

Salome Schillack:

That's awesome.

Lauryn Bryght:

It reminds me, in the Christian community, we talk about we make plans and then God laughs

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

I feel like I should be making my million dollars in top-line revenue right now, because what? I've got a Bachelor's degree. I've got an MBA. I've got all this business experience. I'm smart. I'm this. I'm that. I [inaudible 00:42:16]. I have a great story. But, yeah, no. Not so much. Not yet, little one. Not yet.

Salome Schillack:

Yeah. Yeah. Isn't it true that it says he's more interested in your character, right, than...

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah.

Salome Schillack:

That's awesome.

Lauryn Bryght:

And as we become, there is joy in the journey and we have to find joy along the way. And the getting rid of that perfectionism thing, that probably was the best thing I could have done for myself.

Salome Schillack:

Oh, yeah.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah. It's like, "Okay. Well I made some progress." No, I didn't have a beautiful one month runway to my Black Friday. Black Friday is the day after tomorrow. Do you think I have a landing page yet? No, I don't. And guess what? I'm okay with that. I'm just going to do a Facebook post and that's what we're doing this year.

Salome Schillack:

And that's awesome. That's great. And do you know what I love about that is you say, "Quit quitting." I think there's a lot of micro quits before there's a macro quit. This Black Friday thing, for example, you have a choice. Either you can whip something up by tomorrow and at least make the offer and get a result or you can quit and say, "Well, I don't have it up yet, so I'm just not going to do anything." But that's kind of a micro quit and eventually those are going to add up. So I love that. All right.

Salome Schillack:

So where can people learn more about you and who are you looking for? If someone's listening to this and they go, "That's me. I need more Lauryn in my life," who are they and where can they learn about you?

Lauryn Bryght:

That' is a fabulous question. All right. How would I answer it? Well, the easy answer is where they can find me and I will just answer that and say laurynbryte.com and like-

Salome Schillack:

That's Lauryn with a Y.

Lauryn Bryght:

Right. So, like you, we have to spell it. So it's Lauryn with a Y and it's Bryght with a Y. So it's L-A-U-R-Y like yellow-N B-R-Y like yellow-G-H-T.com or you can find me on Facebook. I'm Lauryn Bryght everywhere. So I'm on @laurynbryght on Insta-

Salome Schillack:

And we'll link up to all of your links in the show notes anyway.

Lauryn Bryght:

Okay. Perfect. So someone who's listening, if they're like, "Oh, my gosh, Lauryn. Thank you so much. You're here," the kind of people that are the best in my membership are those who really would like to go from their current state of health to their desired state of health. Maybe you've tried all the diets out there. Maybe you don't have a supportive community. Maybe you don't even believe in yourself. You have tried and failed so many times and you're just like, "Okay. Never mind" But you just still have that desire. So I want someone who has the willingness to raise their hand and say, "Yes. I do still want this and I am willing, just be willing, to try and stand up for myself." That's who I want. Those are the people I want.

Salome Schillack:

I love it. I know there are many, many, many people like that out there right now. So I am trusting that they will find you. Lauryn, thank you so much. Thank you for your generosity and thank you for your commitment and thank you for showing up as a leader in my community. And just thank you for always sharing joy and happiness and just for bringing your beautiful smile.

Lauryn Bryght:

Thank you so much, Salome. It was so great to talk to you. I enjoy this so much. I wish we were across the table from each other, so we could-

Salome Schillack:

I know.

Lauryn Bryght:

... drink beers, whatever our desired beverage was. It's been a joy to be with you today and in your membership. I appreciate your willingness to share and openness and just knowledge.

Salome Schillack:

You're welcome. You're so welcome. I love it. I love seeing your faces when the penny drops. That's my... I get high on it.

Lauryn Bryght:

Yeah.

Salome Schillack:

All right. Well, thank you very much.

Lauryn Bryght:

You're welcome. Thank you very much. Have a great day.

Salome Schillack:

So there you have it. That is how you quit quitting. And remember, you can sign up for the wait list for A-Lister, the fastest way to build a lucrative audience and start selling your knowledge so that you can make a bigger impact and create more time and financial freedom for yourself. And to get on the wait list so you can find out everything about when the doors open on the 13th of January, you got to go to shineanducceed.com/wait list to get your name on there so we can let you know about all the good stuff. And then, you can become a student of mine just like Lauryn and you'll get to hang out and spend more time with Lauryn so that she can teach you even more about quit quitting. All right, my friends, have a lovely week and I'll see you again next week. Bye.

Salome Schillack:

Thank you so much for listening. If you had fun, please come back next week and remember to hit that subscribe button, so you never miss a thing.