Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast
where we dive into leadership, small business,
and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your
host and the proud owner of White Beauty Boutique,
a space created to empower women, build confidence,
and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're
an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone
just looking for a little inspiration, This is
your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired.
Join me as we share stories, strategies, and
a little bit of life's chaos while navigating
what it truly means to level up in starting a
business, relationship, and personal growth.
So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's
level up together. Today's guest is not only
one of my closest friends, she is one of the
most inspiring individuals I've ever had the
privilege of walking alongside. Mandy Moon is
a powerhouse, a brand consultant, a speaker,
and now a published author, among many other
titles. She's a connector of people, a creator
of meaningful strategies, and a leader with a
heart that runs deep. But what makes her extraordinary
isn't just the titles or the talent, it's the
soul behind it all. She's the kind of person
who walks in a room and instantly makes others
feel seen. She leads with empathy, sharp insight
and grounded strength that challenges you in
the best way to rise higher. I've witnessed her
build her career with intention pour into her
blended family with grace and bring people together
through her authenticity, clarity and purpose.
And today she's bringing all of that and more
to this conversation. We're diving into what
she calls the good girl detox, a raw and deeply
honest look at how we especially those who strive
and lead often confuse fear for ambition and
how to begin untangling our worth from our output.
I truly believe there will be many of you who
see your own story reflected in this one. Mandy
Moon and my friend, welcome to leveling up with
Lindsay. Wow, Lindsay, thank you for having me.
It was so kind. So before we dive in today's
topic, which I know is going to speak to so many,
I'd love for listeners to hear a little bit more
about who Mandy Moon is and your background.
Yeah, I guess it's just best to start from the
beginning, so the short and the long of it. Maybe
I'll say. So I think just like Lindsay, I think
you and I connected because from a really young
age, we were like little hustlers. Yeah, like
little, little hustlers as like little girls
selling things or doing things. And I think for
me, that was always a part of my identity is
kind of being a go -getter, being the smart one.
And that's just something that I've kept throughout
my childhood, my teenage years. I mean, again,
Lindsay is like one of my best friends. And in
our little friend group, we kind of always tease.
I was like the captain of my mock trial team
in high school. I was on this speech team, you
know, all of the little nerdy things. But for
me, it was always like, I need to do more, be
more, strive more, like just that kind of drive
to be the best that I could be, right? And I
carried that on through my teenage years and
my 20s until I had this kind of like burnout
moment. I'd say I was 25. Until then, I had kind
of climbed the ladder and checked off all these
boxes, all these things I wanted. to do. I wanted
to buy a house. I wanted to have a nice car and
have like the boy and the girl and the kids and
all of these things. And you know, I just remember
one day looking around and being like, I have
everything I ever wanted. Why the hell am I so
like, why am I so miserable? What's happening
here? And then it's just this cycle of, like,
fear, guilt, and shame. Like, I've sacrificed
so much to be here, and I should be grateful.
You know, all of this stuff literally just had
a mental breakdown and had to go through what
I now call the good girl detox, which we can
talk about in a bit, like, what that process
looks like. What I can say is when we met the
hustlers, the like born achievers that we're
going to be the best at everything we do, we're
going to just keep adding to our plate. For you
going through this journey, I can tell from even
our little best friend group absolutely inspired
each and every one of us to be more mindful.
And it's kind of taught us a little bit of self
-worth in that. Like you've definitely brought
it to light and there is nothing more inspiring
I think than this story because I think so many
of us get caught up in, you know, achievement
and taking things on. So that is good girl detox.
Your journey, that's what inspired this phrase.
Yes. Tell me more like getting out of that. Like
what stopped you down in your tracks to make
you mindful? Like I'm going to change this. Yeah.
Well, the good girl concept I think is something
that we as natural achievers have been conditioned
to be, right? For example, you know, growing
up, When you're a little girl, we're taught to
sit still, we're taught to be quiet, we're taught
to be nice, you know? And those are all labels
that we've kind of attached ourselves to. It's
like, okay, if I listen, then I'm a good girl
and then I get praise and I get, you know, my
worth from there. You know, if I sit still like
mom told me to do or like dad told me to do,
I will be a good girl, you know? I think that
that gets carried out throughout our lifetime.
You know, you start out that way as a little
child. And then all of a sudden it's like, okay,
whatever labels we attach ourselves to, I'm going
to give you just a real life example. I'm dealing
with right now, I have middle schoolers at home
and it's so crazy watching them try to find their
place at the lunch table. And even though as
a society or as a culture, I think we're trying
to move away from labels and more acceptance.
It's still in their middle school minds. Yeah.
they kind of process information they have to
boil it down and simplify so they see the table
with the nerds and the table with the jocks and
the table with the drama kids or whatever and
they're trying to find where they fit in in all
of that and for them they figure out okay well
this is where I think I want to be and it's a
little bit of trial and error but then it's like
where do they get that affirmation where are
they getting their good girl or good boy affirmation
you know from their actions and so for me for
example I was the smart one so I was always driven
to do things that the smart one would do because
I didn't know how else to behave. You know, I
didn't know when you're given a label, it's so
easy, right? To be like, okay, yes, this is what
I'm supposed to be doing. And again, for example,
my sister and I are very different growing up.
She was always like the pretty one or the one
with the attitude. And it sounds so bad saying
that now, but those are the labels. I think like
siblings just give themselves. Yeah. Yeah. Like
whatever, whatever feels right in the moment,
wherever you're getting that affirmation. And
so because Because we attached ourselves to those
labels, we behaved accordingly and we were getting
affirmation accordingly. And that sticks with
you into your adulthood. And if you're not aware
of where those driving forces come from, your
decision -making into adulthood is determined
by that without you being aware. So that's where
the good girl concept came to be. And the detox
of that is really just untangling and figuring
out where those labels came from, where those
driving forces are coming from. from where that
affirmation is coming from and rerouting that
to come from a more authentic and real place
instead of constantly trying to achieve that
good girl label, which again is not even for
most of us something we do while we're aware.
It just happens in the background. I've definitely
had my own come to Jesus, you know, listening
like just with our conversations and your journey.
It's crazy actually when you take it back. So
Mandy is also an incredible brand consultant
and she has asked me some really deep questions
through everything that I've brought to Weipiony
and myself as a leader and just like building
my confidence and strength, let's say. A couple
of questions you've asked from rooted to when
I was just a little girl. It makes me think of
this, you know, like why is achievement such
a thing for me? Where did this stem from? Why
am I trying to break out of this shell? And ultimately
what does success mean to me is a huge constant
question in my mind. Cause you get wrapped up
into so many different things, especially with
a new job, starting a business as a wife, as
a parent. And you kind of got to ask yourself,
because you get lost either in the noise or in
your to -do list, what does success mean to you?
So for, I don't know, it's just been very inspiring
this whole, the journey with you. And that last
part we can cut. I appreciate that, Lindsay.
That's so sweet. You okay, okay, so for me when
I had that big mental breakdown I was like something
needed to change like something needed to change
and for me My habits are always work harder right
when I'm like, okay, something's not working.
My natural instinct is to work harder So I read
every single self -help book I could find every
book on business I tried all kinds of things
meditating yoga like anything that I could do
to try to fix the problem But that's actually
the problem. It's like you think that you need
to do more and I think as a mirror American culture,
and especially like women in business, we've
been told that we just need to do more, right?
We need to do more, be more in order to be successful.
And I think that that has helped us in a lot
of ways. We've gotten to a certain point because
of our work ethic, because of our hustle. But
that can only take you so far before you burn
out, before you're like, this is not sustainable.
So I hit that point. I went through a crazy,
messy divorce. I quit my job. I tried to start
a business and I'm like spiraling. running around
like a crazy person, right? And I had to take
a step back and be like, okay, what really is,
just like you said, Lindsay, what is success
to me? And every self -help book that I ever
read was like, you need to find a mentor and
you need to just know yourself, right? Like,
okay, like how do I know myself? How do I figure
out what that even means? Where do I even begin?
I think that I have this image of myself, of
who I want to be and this image I've created
of like success, but that's how I got in trouble
to begin. You know, I'm like, OK, I need to have
this title. I need to own these things. I need
to be able to have this much in the bank. All
of this, to me, was how I previously defined
success. But if I had those things and my insides
were all, like, all over the place, clearly,
clearly, that's not sustainable. And I was like,
this sucks. This is actually not great. I don't
want that. So what do I want? And for me, therapy
was a breakthrough for me, like going to see
a therapist to talk about kind of the things
we said, like peeling back those layers and figuring
out where this all came from. Why do I have this
constant self -induced anxiety about all of the
things that I want to do? And for me, the driving
force was always like wanting to be good, wanting
to be a good girl, wanting to do what's right,
wanting to, you know, just be OK. And when I
said that, I was like, oh, be OK. What does that
mean for me? What does be okay mean? I think
I grew up in kind of a space of not stability,
right? There was like all of this up and down
and kind of unknown. And so being okay to me
looked like having a good job, having all of,
yeah, having stability. What I thought stability
would look like, but I realized that having those
things doesn't actually mean that you have that
internal piece, that internal stability. So I'm
like, okay, if I'm chasing piece, what does that
need to look like? And I think as women, we get
extreme messaging too. It's like, you need to
just say no and you need to create boundaries
and you need to like not do anything and you
need to make sure you put yourself first, which
I don't disagree with, but that looks like, I
love that. I love when you say extreme messages,
you just like shot me in the heart because they're
going with this journey of myself, listening,
talking as friends, giving advice, but receiving
advice. Sometimes it is really strong. And you're
like, you're right. I am being too much. No,
I'm not doing this. Okay. I'm supposed to, you
know, an extreme messaging. That is fantastic.
It really is. It's kind of taking, you know,
you take a step back from this high achievement
overworking. Let's not call it chaos, but then
I don't know. Some people are like, you know,
that is right. Like you need to stand up tall.
You need to say no in their face. And you're
like, but do I, I don't, there's a way to go
about it. I agree. It's in the extreme messaging
is confused. for us, because we're like, yes.
you need to be a good leader. You need to, just
all of the things that you said, you need to
be loud and proud, but also like, don't be too
much and don't, you know, all of that big Barbie
speech from the Barbie movie, I think that that's
what resonated. It resonated with a lot of women
because it's all of these messages, all of this
stuff that they say we're supposed to be, we're
supposed to do. And we don't really have a process
of figuring that out for ourselves. There's not
a consistent process of like, okay, if you follow
these steps, you're going to find peace, you
know? But for me, that's what the Good Growth
Detox is about. And I don't want to say like,
because you go through this detox, you're going
to just be immediately at peace and you're going
to be doing less or doing more. It's more about
understanding your motivations behind decision
making. So you can make really good sound, consistent
decisions for yourself and for the life that
you're building. I think it's consistent work.
Yes. It's a work in progress. Absolutely. It's
a journey. I think we've said that. I've said
journey in almost every darn episode that I've
recorded so far. But I love, it almost gave me
a sense of like relief when you talk about extreme
messaging because I'm like, okay, I have Lindsay
that's wired this way. I have Lindsay who is
like trying to be more open to the universe,
trying to like figure out my deeper values even
more, trying to like stand confidently in what
I bring to the table and who I am. And you have
people are like, you know, like we said, that
extreme messaging that kind of plays with their
head a little bit. You're like, okay, should
I beat this? Should I do this? Should I do this?
Whatever. But like, actually, it depends on,
I don't know, every phase of your life. Yes.
And it's constant little work. Yes. Consistent
work. And so the good girl detox for me is just
a... All it really boils down to is decision
-making filter. How am I going to make decisions
from now on? So you really have to, like we've
talked about, peel back the layers. I had to
go through a mental breakdown in order to decide
that it was time. I hope that people listening
don't have to wait till that point. You can just
decide. You can just start. It doesn't, again,
have to be this extreme life change. All it is
is just self -awareness during little decisions.
I'll just give an example of at work. You know,
I was working so hard. I had two kids. I worked
like crazy when I was back in corporate America,
which feels like a million years ago. It does.
It wasn't that long ago. It was. It really wasn't.
But I mean, I guess in the grand scheme of all
that has been done and accomplished, just like
moments, it was a long time ago. It really is.
It's a little bit of both, right? It's both.
But I had just had two kids and I had in my mind
that having kids is not going to affect the kind
of good worker that I am. I'm going to be a good
worker, right? And so I was bringing my kids
to the office. I was staying late. everything
I had to do in order to get this specific promotion
because I had in my mind that A, I deserve the
promotion, B, like this extra money and this
is going to help like my kids, you know, I had
every excuse, every excuse. If I would have...
step back and taking a look at what the job was
and what I was doing. If I were to ask myself,
does this job align with my personal values?
Am I adding value here in a way that makes me
at peace and happy? The answer would be no. It
was a bad fit, which is why no matter how hard
I worked, it just wasn't a good fit. It wasn't
right. It wasn't right. And so I think All I
really mean when I say the good girl detox is
when you're working so hard and striving so hard
for something is to take a step back and say,
what is really important to me? Is this action
aligning with that? And if not, how can we pivot
slightly? And sometimes it's not even a physical
action. Sometimes it's just your way of thinking.
For example, the laundry, the laundry. If I were
to ask myself, do I really want to be doing this?
The answer is always no. We have five kids. We
have an insane amount of laundry in our house.
I get snapchats every once in a while. I just
love that But so does doing this action align
with my values I could like make all kinds of
excuses for myself I could say like Tara was
saying just like no the kids have to do the laundry
Themselves or I could spiral and say oh my gosh
if I make the kids do this then I'm just gonna
have to All of the anxious worry things, but
for me I can say like my value is to really take
care of my kids. It's important for me that my
kids feel like taken care of. Can I do this action
without being resentful of it later? Like, can
I do this action? And what do I need to do in
order to be at peace with it? So for me, what
that looks like is every time I have a giant
ass pile of laundry and I'm like, I don't want
to do it. I think, all right, I'm going to take
15 minutes. I'm going to take 20 minutes. And
this is going to be an exercise of intention
and gratitude for each of the kids. So I take
all of their clothes. And I think good thoughts
when I'm folding their clothes. I hope Lainey
has an exciting day, an exciting week, and a
fulfilling future. So then I feel at least that,
what would we call it, Lindsay? That productive
part of us. We're doing something with intention,
and also things are getting done. I feel good
about it. We are 100 % the same in that regard.
We have this conversation. we do laundry like
twice a day at our house, but it's one thing
to have it all clean and whatever. It's another
thing to like put it back organized in your closet.
That to me, I'm like, I have so many clothes,
obviously owning a boutique, but I'm like, okay,
Lindsey. you are going to spend time on this.
And when you said, oh, I thought that's a great
idea. When you said speak like positivity to
your mind when you're doing this. And it was
like, actually, you know what I do? I put my
clothes away because I always like color code
or like I have a color coded, but then I have
it like blazers in one section. But where I'm
getting with this is I legitimately tell myself,
cause I hate that chore of like we already folded
it. We already did everything. Now I have to
organize and put it away. As I say, okay. You're
going to need a powerhouse outfit this week.
You're leveling up your leader. You know, like
I go through all this, like my outfits, I'm speaking
to them. Yeah, literally. But that's like, I'm
doing this because I'm going to have a better,
the best week. I'm going to come prepared. I'm
going to feel organized. I hate every second
of that. Oh, I hear you. And that's just, again,
a way to reset your mindset, a re -shift that
internal angst, because we very easily could
be like, I could be doing all this stuff for
my business right now, but I have to do laundry.
Like, no, what are your values? What are the
actions you're taking? How do they align with
the life you're trying to live? For me, that
was like a big, a little big one. I think it's
a little big one because I was going to ask you,
like, how did this good girl detox, this whole
theory shift the way you work, you know, impact
your home and everything. And you just said it
right there. It is a little thing. It is also
how you lead. I've noticed conversations in which
you've had for other business owners and even
the work that you do. And I've kind of heard
it there. And I think that's incredible. It's
very powerful. It's like little things, but it's
really big things. Oh, I appreciate that, Lindsay.
I think maybe it might be helpful to hear a little
bit more about the detox process. What does that
look like? So for me, first is you have to kind
of understand that you need help, right? Like
something needs to change and you want to make
the change. The other thing is that you don't
have to work yourself up about making this big
giant change. I think that's a step that makes
people not want to look at doing anything because
you're like, oh, it's going to be daunting to
make a change. Like, no, we just recognize that
we need to make a little change and it's to happen
and you want to start. And that's it. It doesn't
even have to be on a Monday or the first of the
month or the first of the year. It can start
on a Tuesday at two o 'clock. Or a Thursday at
who knows what. Yes, exactly. So there are three
steps, three easy steps. Okay, well maybe we're
gonna make a commercial after this. Alright,
so... I will say that they suck if I'm going
to be honest, if I'm going to be honest. But
again, you can take this as big or as little
as you want to, right? So step one is to, the
way that I like to say it is don't be afraid
of the dark. I think don't be afraid of your
darkness. I think as women, we are oftentimes
told like we need to be bright and sunny and
think positive. And if we just, think positively
enough, everything will work out. And not that
I disagree with that, but it kind of shames us
into not looking at the hard parts about ourselves.
And actually, even speaking to men, I was just
thinking about that for those who just kind of
put a huge blanket or cover over. their past
or their deepest things. You put on the strong
game face of work harder, move forward. Don't
show your emotions. It's uncovering. And being
okay with it. It's completely true for both men
and women. And it does look differently for everybody,
but... At least for me, I didn't want to admit
that I had any anything shameful like inside
of me, you know, especially because my brand
and my, you know, when people look at me, it's
like this bubbly energy. I didn't want to admit
that I have like shame or I am fear driven or
that some of my like achievements have been driven
by this fear of like, if I don't get this, then
I'm irrelevant or I suck or I'm not good enough
or like, oh, this is embarrassing, whatever.
So that's step one is don't be afraid of your
darkness, and really commit to taking a look
at your driving forces when you're going to make
a decision. And again, that can be as big or
as little as you want, like the laundry, right?
When we have icky feelings about the laundry,
can we take a step and be like, why am I feeling
this way about it? Take it, again, a step deeper
than, oh, it sucks. Laundry sucks. Where does
this stem from? Yeah, where is this stemming
from? Does this suck because I think that I could
be doing something else? that is more productive.
I think that was an issue for me. I have to be
doing all this housework and I could be being
a big business girl. That was the shameful part
in my head. I could be doing something that proves
to other people on the outside that I'm a hustler
and an achiever, but now I'm stuck doing little
kid laundry and that's horrible. Ew, shameful,
gross. That was like darkness inside of me that
I had to confront over something so small. Now,
when you take a look at a bigger picture when
you're thinking about making a business decision,
when you're thinking about how you're moving
in, in your business or in the world, like those
things come out and those consistent dark patterns,
you'll be able to recognize them now. Very true.
So that's step one. Two. Two. This is the worst
part. I'm gonna say. I'm like actually nervous
because I haven't heard like the step steps.
Like I've heard you talk about it, but I just
got like. Step two is you have to sit in it.
You have to sit in the icky. And you know what,
like. For people like me and Lindsey who are
just hustlers, we're like, okay, we are committing
to do this process. We want to grow. We want
to change. What it means then is you just get
in, get out, and change. It's just easy. You
recognize it, you do something, you take some
sort of action, and then you get better. That's
how we like to operate in the world, but if you
don't... Sit in it if you're not like sitting
and like feeling your feelings instead of just
doing and moving on You're not going to change
in the long run You might make some short -term
decision changes But your mindset and your driving
forces are not going to change unless you really
sit and understand yourself That makes a lot
of sense. It really does. This is a very bad
analogy, but even you know with like wellness
journeys Yes in general. Mm -hmm. You do have
to sit into why you're making decisions like
exercise decisions, eating decisions, whatever
that is, you're making decisions about like why,
good or bad. And then you really have to even
dig deep in your wellness journey. It kind of
goes along with everything because if you don't,
nothing is going to change and you're going to
say, I'll start on Monday or whatever that is.
the overall change that could occur, is it going
to happen? I agree. And I'm going to give you
an example of how I experienced this in real
time. When I was going through my messy divorce,
I had Lindsay, and I had you, and I had our friend
group. And my natural reaction is to, when things
get hard, is to find community, and to find support,
and to run, and to you guys to get through, which
I don't think is a bad thing. But when I'm talking
about sitting in it, I was deflecting. was going
to you guys and saying, this is what happened,
da, da, da. And you guys were being great friends
and being like, you don't deserve that. And then
that can't have that stuff on the podcast because
we're there for our girls. Yeah. And that's the
kind of like affirmation I was looking for. But
that's like pulling me out. That's like a quick
save. That's pulling me out of my darkness, which
is what friends are supposed to do. Right. That's
what friends do. But for me, I had to really
sit in it and understand for myself without that
outside distraction of really good friends. Honestly,
you know, really good friends being supportive,
but I had to understand myself, right? So for
me, that was therapy that was really like digging
deep into understanding my own decision making.
And I still go to my girls for hype and for encouragement
when I need to. And we go to you. Yeah. But I
at least understand where that mindset is coming
from without external like quick fixes. I agree
with that. It's kind of like, here's another
analogy. I go to my mom for everything. My mom
is, I'm like, I giggle and you guys have heard.
heard the conversation with my mom, but I would
say, well, that was the most mom response because
she is so... on board, like my daughter, she's,
you know, awesome and amazing. And I'm like,
no, I want the truth. I want the truth. I need
the truth. And I need straightforward. Actually,
even with this podcast, I have a business consultant
and Mandy knows it's our business dad. Shout
out to business dad. Shout out to business dad.
He's going to listen to this. And he said, I'm
going to listen to this on a weekly basis and
I'm going to give you honest feedback. And I'm
like, yes, that is what I need. So I love good
friends. You have to sit in it. But like that
sometimes you have to separate yourself. because
you do need to like the reality of maybe something
that does need to change within you. Completely
love that. Yeah. I'm gonna give one more example
just in case because I really want this to land
with people. So while I was in process of getting
divorced, I moved me and my kids, we moved into
my parents' house, and my parents, like my dad
specifically, hated seeing us or me in pain.
He just hated it. And so his reaction was not
the same. my friend's reaction it was more like
anger it's like well you need to make sure you're
not doing this and did it and like you need to
make sure you're sticking up for yourself you
know so it came at me, like, I need to be doing
all of these things instead of I need to be really
processing or healing, you know? And so, again,
all of these well -intentioned people, they care
about you. They don't want you to sit in the
darkness, right? They don't want you to be hurting,
but sometimes you have to process that for a
long -term growth, long -term change. So that's
just another example. I try really hard not to
do that to my own kids, you know, because I hate
seeing them in pain or like, so instead of saying,
well, suck it up, you know, or whatever. It's
like, oh, yeah, that's really hard. You know,
when someone's going through something like that,
that like you're going through this, you talk
to if this resonates with you, how do you separate
yourself? Like when you say sit in it, like what
would you recommend? Like in my mind, it's a
process. It takes a little bit of time. and sometimes
a long, long time. For me, I'm like driving,
taking a long drive wherever that may be with
the music off, everything just really thinking
deep, I guess, do you think? Or what would you
say? I think that it really is specific to the
type of person that you are. If you're naturally
a gatherer, right? Like we are, we're naturally
going to our girls. It might be a good time to
physically separate yourself in your mind. If
you're more isolated normally, like you normally
process by yourself, maybe it's time to reach
out to somebody. incredible advice. You know,
you have to really think about what type of support
is best for you. And again, like, to me, my hype
team was the best, but it wasn't what I needed
to process and to heal. And I'm so grateful that
I have because many people don't. But it makes
sense. And it's a straightforward, honest journey
that you're speaking of. And I love that. I don't
have a set time. where I've like done my good
girl detox, I think it's been over a period of
time for sure. But one of the pivotal moments
when you talk about this is when I went to LA
by myself, big city, I'm a Minnesota small town
girl. I thought I was a city girl, by the way,
when I when I left high school. I'm out of here.
No, I love small town. I love small community.
Anyways, went to LA, you know, a little bit nervous.
a lot a bit nervous. I was in my hotel and I'd
go there for a longer period of time just because
of what needs to get done. I was there for four
to five days and Tara, one of our very best friends,
literally said, you probably need this you probably
and it was for other reasons but she's like you
probably need to be in the hotel by herself and
so funny she just went through her own her own
journey but literally i stopped dead in my tracks
and i was like she is 1000 % right yeah i'm surrounded
by people i love surrounding myself with people
every day i love people i love connection and
i know you do as well but in itself with what
I was kind of going through at the time was exactly
what I needed to process all the things that
were happening internally. It was actually, when
you talk about this, that was one of my big,
it wasn't the Solval. And those that week, it
was not the Solval. But oh my goodness that I
find out a lot about myself sitting for me in
a little bit of silence. That's amazing. I actually
had some tears by myself that like no one knows
and not a bad way. Not at all. But I also had
the greatest gratitude I think I've ever had
too. So yeah, that was pretty pivotal. That's
amazing. And see, the more you get to know yourself,
the more you can take those types of actions
because you know that that's good for you. If
you just would have never tried that or never
done it. You would just like sat in other things
sat in the noise like gone through that market
trip You know running a thousand miles an hour
my mind's full of the noise of like work life
everything blah blah blah blah blah and instead
I was sitting in a 30 ,000 foot view of my own
self I randomly was like social media someone's
got to know how much feelings I'm sitting in
right now and I never really explained that but
I took a video and I was like sitting on the
couch and by the way they upgraded my room at
the time and it was a huge suite yeah and I was
like solo and I was like sitting around I'm like
I feel like I'm not supposed to be here and then
I was like I feel like I'm supposed to be here
but I took a video and I literally should write
something in regards to that because it was it
literally was one of those moments that I was
like looking out of the city like I'm like, I
know I was meant for more. What does that look
like? What's holding me back? Why am I up against
myself? What are the things that are making me
feel uncomfortable? What are the things that
fulfill me? Why am I so full of gratitude? Who's
who is him? It was so many things. So that was
really up in my field. I like let it happen.
Yeah. And that was super important. That's amazing,
Lindsay. I love that for you. So number one to
don't be afraid of the dark. Number two, sit
in it. sit in the dark it's scary and it sucks
and sometimes you have to go it when I say alone
I also mean maybe with the help of a professional
like a therapist I agree I think everyone could
benefit oh I am a huge advocate I agree huge
huge advocate of therapy it's been I think if
anything could be the one thing that has helped
me it's that having somebody on the outside even
personally professionally for a bajillion different
reasons. Actually, someone had said to me, Lindsay,
the biggest CEO is the best business owners,
because you're trying to prove everything. So
on a professional level, they're like, stop.
Just so you know, the very best of the best have
someone they go talk to. to get you, because
there's just to process emotions. But anyways.
I mean, extreme athletes, everybody. Everybody
needs a coach. Everybody needs a coach. So number
three is the fun part for you and I, because
we like to take action. So number three is, I
say unleash. Now that you have faced your most
shameful things, you've faced all of that darkness
inside of you, you sat in it, and you really
feel it, and you understand it, now you have
that filter. You have that decision -making filter.
So when a project comes up and normal you would
be like, I have to do. this because if I don't
do this now I'm gonna lose this opportunity.
All of the anxiety of making the decision you
can step back and say hey like what is my driving
force behind wanting to do this? Is this fear?
Like is this fear? And you can feel it in your
body. I now only make decisions that I know will
bring me peace. Peace versus fear. The unleashed
part is the best because now you've created a
filter for yourself and you can really make decisions
moving forward to change your life. so that you
can live the life that you really actually want
to be living. And so for me, what that looked
like before is I was saying yes to everything,
I was doing everything, doing more. How do you
say no, this opportunity might not ever happen
again? But the life I've built for myself now
is like... does this have to happen right now?
Does this feel good right now? And a lot of the
times it's like, no, actually, it can wait. Or
this is not quite right yet. Not quite right
yet for one reason or another. And because of
that filter, I would say the last few years for
me, all of the right things are finding me. And
it's shocking. It's shocking. I'm like, oh, look
at me not having to hustle and like. kill myself
trying to do all the things and be everything
to everyone, but still all of the right things
are finding me. And I am just so excited for
all of the projects that we have in the works
and for all the things that are happening. Let's
say three years ago three years ago simple or
five. Yeah, what you wish I would think that
what you define success is a lot different today
as it was even then What does success mean to
Mandy now because I'm sure that looked a lot
different three five years ago Definitely longer
than that too, but going through this good girl
detox journey It's got to look a lot different
now than it did. Oh, yeah. Success for me, like,
you know, if I think of 15 -year -old Mandy and
what she would assume that 36 -year -old Mandy
would be doing, I think she would be shocked
to see my life. I have five kids. She'd be like,
what are you doing, girl? What? What happened?
You know, what are you doing? Success for me
was always like the title, the achievement, the
power, the traveling, almost like the glam of
being strong, independent woman, you know? That
was kind of what success was for me. And now
that I've gone through this detox and I'm asking
myself, like, what really is important to me?
What is the life I want to live? What is the
legacy I want to leave? Like, what is the story
that I want people to remember about me and my
influence on them and in their own world? For
me, it really is this idea of authentic connection,
I really knew myself. And I took consistent action,
like predictable action, like Mandy knows exactly
who she is, and she's going to act accordingly.
And that can be depended on. You know, that is,
I think, what success looks like to me is that
I'm consistently acting in a way that feels peaceful,
that feels right to me. And I can just be loud
and proud and transparent about all of those.
Feelings and actions and that's my day to day
because that to me feels the most peaceful Whenever
I'm acting or behaving in a way that I'm like,
that's not right Like that is when I know that
I need to take a deeper look. Oh, what's happening?
Yeah that angst That's another thing is what
at the height of my like external ladder climbing,
right? I had all of the check boxes, right? Check
check check all of this stuff. My inside was
like You know that feeling that like tense yeah,
just anxious popping excedrin migraine all the
time You know just trying to get through but
today every day. Maybe that's an exaggeration
most days I can end the day feeling peaceful.
This was a good part of my journey. Like your
buzzword. This is a good part of my journey.
I know I've used that a lot today. That piece
is so healthy. That's the one thing I think everyone's
had their own journeys and for mine own personal.
I am not... living in that angst, living in that
tense, living in that hustle, living in the sleep.
Like, you know, I remember getting, if I got
six hours sleep, it was a wind for like a year
straight there doing boutique and my executive
career. And it's a really unhealthy. So not only
is it good for you in general, but like actual
health, I just think to myself, like there was
the year of last year, 2024, living in an intense
state, not knowing what the economy was going
to do, what the world was going to do, all the
things. I just thought, Like, you can't live
like this. It doesn't feel good. It's not great.
But also, your health is going to plummet tremendously.
That looks in so many different ways for different
people. But all I know is I want to get rid of
these eye bags. So I was like, I need to sleep.
I want to move forward. So anyways, definitely
finding peace in your day. It's really important
for many reasons. I think what's important to
say is when you, you know, you hustler women
out there. who can relate to what Lindsay and
I are saying. I think when ambitious women hear
the word peace, I think they get scared and they
think like, you're trying to tell me to slow
down and to not chase my dreams and to not go
for it and to not do, and that's not what peace
means at all. Just because you're living in peace
doesn't mean you're not like quote unquote hustling,
right? It's just through a different. filter.
Now you're, you're understanding why you're taking
the actions that you're taking. It's fitting
into a bigger long -term plan. It's not just
the chaos of like, if I don't do this right now,
it's never going to happen. Oh my gosh. Bullseye.
So, I mean, I think Lindsay and I can both say
like for me, my life has not slowed down, right?
I was still like running and moving, but it just
feels practice. Yeah. Oh my gosh. All the, every
single kid has their own thing. It's just. Wonderful,
right? Wonderful and crazy at the same time.
So just because we're talking about peace doesn't
mean we're talking about, what is the mediocrity?
Just because we're talking about peace doesn't
mean we're talking about just being boring and
lame and mediocre. Amanda that. And actually,
if you would have said that too, hustle in deep.
Well, six years ago, let's say when I started
this business, I would have got scared from that.
You're right. Now it's finding peace and that
brings you peace and joy and Zen. My good girl
detox labels that I had to shed for myself is
just because I'm not stressed. If I'm not stressed,
that means I'm not working hard enough. That
was like a label I had to get rid of. Stress
does not equal a pat on the back. Stress is not
a badge of honor. It's not meaning that you're
doing the right thing, which I think as a teenager
especially, I believed that. If I'm not stressed,
I'm not pushing myself hard enough. And that's
just untrue. That is so good. So I have to bring
it now to something that I think has been, the
universe has had this in the making for so long
without you ever knowing that this is in your
cards or in your future or anything like that.
But I have a book in front of me right now, and
it's called the Tater Tot tradition. And it is
one of the most incredible things I think that
Mandy has put together to date. But you said
You have five kids. Yes, in our blended family.
In your blended family. And you put a children's
book together about this. It has been one of
the most special things to witness. My dear friend,
I just see you glow different, happier. You have
found someone like your absolute match and just
like how you guys go to sports together and the
kids love each other. You deserve it. But then
you go and freaking write a children's book about
it. It's amazing. So just give us a glimpse into
the life of Mandy with five kids. Well, yes.
Well, I will say the story in and of itself is
actually a part of my own good girl detox, right?
So I've had in my mind that I want to write this
big serious professional book about you know
what I've been speaking about and consulting
about and I put so much pressure on myself to
get this book out right but my life is had all
these twists and turns and all these unexpected
experiences and every single time I think that
I'm close to having the the right book right
my perspective changes and I'm like So I put
so much pressure on myself to write this big,
fancy, important book. And I was like, I need
to release the pressure. I need to just go through
the process of writing something and seeing what
that's like. I always learn best through doing
anyway. And so I literally just wrote the story
of how Me, Xander, and Lainey, my two kids, met
Ben and Henrik Stella Scarlett, his three kids,
for the very first time. It was about Ben making
tater tot hot dish for dinner. The most Minnesota
thing ever. And so I just wrote the story. It
literally took me an hour to write it, because
it's true. It's the true story. It's how it happened.
And I've told this story to friends and family
a million times. I hired an illustrator and went
through the process. And I really honestly just
thought it was going to be a family project.
But it kind of blew up a little bit. It hit number
13. on the best seller list for family and relationships,
which I was like, oh! So shocking. So I'm very
excited about it. The kids are excited about
it. It's fun having our story out there and having
the kids be super proud and not embarrassed of
it, you know, honestly. But yeah, I mean, there
were a lot of dynamics to blending our family
together. But honestly, I don't think that we
could. It's truly best case scenario. The kids
are at a really good age. They all really liked
each other right away. It was just a matter of
figuring out logistics and that sort of thing.
But we are very, honestly, very lucky. It's been
really special to watch. kids to in their connection
right away and their connection to Ben and vice
versa. The process that your kids going, like
what you involve them in, let's put it that way.
With this is so neat. Like you guys, if you open
the beginning of the book, she's got signatures
from each of the kiddos. They did their book
signing. Is that how it went? Yes. Yes. So I
mean, character signings or whatever. And so
we are planning on some local in -person events
and all of the kids are very involved in coming
and signing on the things. But they were, yes,
very, very involved throughout the whole process.
I wanted to make sure I was representing them
and their feelings properly throughout the process,
because I just wrote it from my perspective and
from what I assumed they were going through when
we decided to blend our families together. So
to get the affirmation from them that they were
like, yes, this is exactly how we felt. And it's
been really special. And of course, they had
all of their opinions about the characters. Henrik
specifically asked me if he could make his biceps
bigger. Oh, I love that. Okay. What about Laney?
Did Laney have any input? Oh, she just wanted
to make sure that she was in pink and that her
stuffed pig was included in the story, which,
which it definitely is when you can't go anywhere
without or do anything without Laney and her
stuffed pig. So incredible. So incredible. Your
families came together through this entire achievement
journey to the good girl detox. Yes, I would
say definitely. And what I will say about, you
know, the hardships of a blended family, there's
a lot, there's a lot of parenting and kids and
chaos and all of this stuff. But for me, going
through this detox and meeting a partner like
Ben, that has been very transformative for me
as well. Ben is naturally calm, cool, collected,
right? He's naturally very calm in the chaos.
He's a firefighter, so even his job is unknown
and chaos all the time. His personality is just
really fit for that. But he's also a dreamer
as well. And we also both very much value time
together and family. So watching him navigate
all of that and him just really be true to himself
and his values. That was very inspiring for me.
I'm like I admire that and I want to embody that
in my own decision -making. So yes, I mean not
only the kids have been such an instrumental
part of my growth in being the mom I want to
be, the person I want to be, but also watching
a partner like Ben. I admire these qualities
and I want to adopt them and that's been just
great for my personal peace and building the
life I want to live. I love that. Well, what
I will say is Mandy has been an incredible inspiration
and actually incredibly for myself and incredibly
pivotal for me as a leader. I went through a
big transition of going from my executive career
to flying on my own in the business world, but
coming together as far as confidence and walking
on my own and holding true to my own values and
whatnot. So I will say this is so special for
me and I hope we have more conversations together
behind the microphone. I just asked that now.
I'm just going to plug that now because I absolutely
love talking with Mandy, of course, as a friend
on a personal level, but she is one of or is
my favorite when it comes to business talk, leadership
talk. We both get so involved. But one thing
I did want to do is because Mandy is so special
to me and to others, I reached out to two of
our other very best friends and I asked them
two questions. And I thought this would be really
awesome to end this. episode, like who Mandy
is to us and what she means to us. Oh my gosh,
why am I scared? I know a normal Mandy, old Mandy
would never get emotional and she'd probably
be like, what the heck? And now, no, I'm just
kidding. You don't need to get emotional. But
so I was like, number one, quick, let's throw
this in there. How would you describe Mandy?
And actually I was going to even like put my
own separate thing into words. I think with the
intro and everything, I think I've talked about
a little bit. And so how do you describe Mandy?
She's the kind of person who lights up every
room she walks into. un -curismatic and effortlessly
magnetic. Mandy has a presence that draws people
in. She's bold in the best way, never afraid
to speak her mind and chase what she wants. Behind
that radiant energy, she's a fiercely hardworking
soul who leads with passion and with heart. Mandy
is the ultimate hype girl. I've never met anyone
who shows so much support to all of her family
and friends. She's the one who always shows up.
She wants everyone to win and goes out of her
way to help make it happen. She's driven. reliable
and an amazing human. That is so sweet. But I'm
not done yet. Oh God. So what does Mandy mean
to you? Mandy is one of my closest friends. We've
been through a lot of ups and downs together
and I trust her with anything and everything.
She's one of those rare humans I can sit in silence
with and feel 100 % comfortable around. I love
her and seeing her so happy with her family life
makes me so, so happy. She deserves the world.
She's been a constant through so many seasons
of life from navigating motherhood to standing
strong. as co -workers in a fierce, male -dominated
world. Together we've tackled the rollercoaster
of self -employment and embraced the chaos of
becoming our own bosses in our own unique ways.
Through it all, Mandy has been one of my greatest
supporters, my ultimate hype girl, my steady
anchor, and someone I can lean on in celebration
and in the storms. Her presence in my life is
powerful, grounding, and deeply appreciated.
So here's what I'm gonna wrap up with that Everyone
needs to find themselves a man and if you don't
have that in your life How can they find you
know truly on social media and all of that? I
hope that you will Follow you have so much going
on with family right now, but I hope that you
follow Mandy as a freaking power horse of a leader.
I personally know there is a lot in the works
right now. There's a lot in the work. There's
a huge future, big move that is coming. Stay
tuned. But if anybody wants Mandy, wants to see,
wants to follow, wants to hear what you have
going on, wants to be inspired and motivated,
where can they find you? Yes, I am most active
on Instagram. So at Mandy Moon Consulting or
you can Facebook friend me because I'm a millennial.
Yeah, amen to that. You're going crazy with LinkedIn
right now, and I'm like, I have to. On the LinkedIn.
On the LinkedIn. And where can they find your
book? Right now, you can go to BarnesAndNoble
.com or on Amazon. A tater tot tradition, a blended
family story by M. Moon can find it. So it's
very special. I'm very excited about it. Thank
you for being here. Thank you for having me.
Thank you for listening. If you found this information
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and every day an opportunity to level up. Until
next time, keep dreaming, keep striving, and
keep making a difference.