The Human Side of Growing a Wellness Business with Kara Dellinger

Hey Mark. Hey Katie. Hey you want to do a podcast? Yeah. Sweet okay. Welcome to the "Unforget Yourself" show where we use the power of Lou and the proof of science to help you identify your blind spots and get over your own bullshit so that you can do the fucking thing you actually want to do. Absolutely. I'm Mark. And I'm Katie. And we're the founders of "Unforget Yourself" and the creators of the "Unforget Yourself" system. Look, being a business owner is tough with vulnerability and with humour we'll be sharing with you the real stories behind the success of those brave and crazy enough to start their own business and to show you that you're not alone. Not from the accidental entrepreneur to the laser-focused CEO. We have honest conversations about how they get to where they are today. We talk about the challenges that they faced and what they're currently dealing with in real time on the roller coaster. Long the way we want to show you that it's you. You are the most important asset in your business. Yeah you are. So let's cut the bullshit and start the show. Enjoy. Okay, hello everyone and welcome to the show. Now just a quick interruption to your normally scheduled episode. If you wish more people knew you, trusted you and actually reached out wanting to work with you, this is for you. Most experts try to post more, shout louder or chase attention. But the truth is clients don't come from content. Clients come from real connections. And that's why we built the profitable podcast system. We'll help you create your own simple relationship-driven podcast that brings the right people into your world, build trust fast and turns amazing conversations into clients, content and opportunities and all without you becoming a marketer or an influencer. So you don't need a big audience. You just need the right people hearing your voice, feeling your energy and thinking, okay, I get you. I trust you. I need to work with you. So if you want a proven way that actually grows your business, not just your to-do list, head over to profitablepodcast.com and we'll show you how this will work for you. And now onto your scheduled podcast episode. So today we have this, Cara DeLinger, the founder of Well Strategy Studio, a boutique marketing advisory that helps wellness studio owners grow sustainably without feeling like they're always starting from scratch. Through clear, practical marketing systems, Cara supports studios to improve visibility, clarify their messaging and turn first-time visitors into loyal repeat clients without relying on discounts or constant urgency. Now, Cara's journey of building a business that prioritises time, autonomy and wellbeing demonstrates how sustainable growth comes from discerning strong boundaries and align their decision-making with what truly matters. And while helping mission-driven wellness founders, growth businesses that both support their clients and their own lives, she's redefining what it means to market with integrity in the wellness space. Cara, welcome to the show. I thank you so much for having me. Well, thank you so much for joining us. So to kick us off, can you expand like a touch more on where you are today with your business and who is it that you love to work with? Yeah, so I actually just rebranded recently. So I'm in that startup phase where we have to be very patient. I know we all love that phase. And I am serving wellness, business owners and founders because they are doing such great work to help their communities feel their best. And so I love helping entrepreneurs want just being able to live their lives and not having to market their business, what feels like 24/7, while also helping them reach more of their community. So hopefully the world will just start feeling better. Yeah, I mean, the passion for this, I know it comes from personal experience because this is not just helping those studio owners. It's helping them reach more people and then in turn, your ripple effects becomes so much bigger. So I think we'll cover this rebrand and how this came about a bit later. But I want to know, from your perspective, those business owners, why do they reach out to you? What is it that they're looking for? Right. There usually there's like one of two buckets at their end. One is they are seeing that what they are used to doing is no longer working. Or they feel like they are doing everything and anything and it's just not bringing in the results they want to see. And so they're coming to me being like, I just want something that works, but I also want to have a life. And so that's where I come in. I'm like, let's make this something where you can just have marketing that's on autopilot. And you're not like, it's February, let's hurry up and get Valentine's Day thing together. What you can totally do, but you don't have to rely on like each month having something new in front of your clients all the time. Just give me a piece of mind. That sounds exhausting. And also it leaves values. If every marketing is a promotion that's like hold on, there is there is some problems there. So with the way that you've actually narrowed down to, you know the person you work with, you know the kind of studio, you know this in as well as environments. So they have different problems and challenges than other business owners. So tell me about these people. What you talk about alignments and being authentic, which thing is so important because with marketing, there are so many things out there. Everything works, but we have to find the right thing for us. So how do you help your business find the right thing for them because they probably tried everything spaghetti at the wall, their burnt out. And then it's like, oh, here we go. Here's someone else saying you can get more clients when your approach is different. So tell me more about this. Right. So I first start with identifying what it is that is preventing what they want to happen. So maybe it's they're getting a lot of new clients, but they're not getting a lot of those clients coming back or maybe they have a lot of loyal clients who are always coming into their studio, but they're not getting new clients in the door. So it starts with identifying what are those gaps? What are the goals that you have that aren't currently happening? And then diagnosing from there, I feel like a lot of marketing is very just do this strategy and it will work. And there's not a lot of customization. And I see a lot of business owners being burnt out and being like, just being told what to do and being told just trusted and it will work. And so I'm really big on doing customization and saying, I get you want to be on every single platform, but not every platform is where your audience is. I get you want to be doing this, this and this, but what really makes sense for you in your audience? That way to say that I get that you want to do this. Chance up. They don't want to. They got one of your social media. They just want to serve their clients. So again, they're pretty told you need to do this. You just be omnipresent on every single platform. But that can be an awful lot of work. And maybe you can talk to this point, the resentment, the resentment when things don't work. You're putting in so much effort, not seeing the results. That can kill businesses. It can kill your passion for it. So turn back maybe your clients that have hit that points. What's it like in their world? Yeah. I mean, especially right now, we live in a world where you're just getting hit with information all the time. And so they're so overwhelmed just seeing you should be doing this. You shouldn't be doing that. And so they're exhausted from that. And it's confusing. So you're like, who do I listen to? And we're seeing contradictory information as well. And so I really try to systemize everything. So that way it runs for you. And it's also, it's on autopilot, but because it's on autopilot, you can also go in. And if you're like, I don't feel like this is what I want to be doing anymore. Maybe I want to change it up. Like it's meant to work for you, but it's also meant for you to customize and use as you want. Because like you said, there's so much out there. And they don't want to be doing it all. And they shouldn't have to. Yeah. Okay. You said by love language, they're systems. I'm like, yes, we need a good system, automations, that keep us on track. Because we can't build a business based on memory or continue to repeat the same tasks. Right. So we'll come onto that. But also with that, the contradictory information, I think in this day and age, there's all these hacks. And in society, we want the hacks, whether it's business, financial relationships, health, just how do I take the magic pill and get this results? When in business, it can be smooth, it can be easier, but also it does take time, especially when you need to identify what's to gap, what's the goals. Okay. From that point, now we can find the right way and exclude the others. So have you had to manage your clients expectations around? They've been told, I mean, they can buy a 27 league bag of it and get all the clients they want. No, you can't. That's not going to happen. So how do you manage their expectations? I think is the, is a key point. Yeah. I mean, some come to me and I'm like you need to do less and being told to do less one part of them is a little relieved, but then part of them is also scared because they're like, well, if I don't like, if I do less, I won't get these results. And but again, it comes back to we got to do it where your audience is. We got to focus on that output. Not don't just be outputting to output. Do it strategically, make it really reach them. And then I also have clients who are like, word, we've just been doing this for so long that when I say, okay, let's add this, let's add on these systems, it can become a little overwhelming because it's a we're used to doing this. But they're always open to it. I mean, they wouldn't be coming to me if they, you know, we're like, no, we're sticking in our ways. And so there is hesitation when you're being told to do more or do less. But ultimately, you know, we all just want to help people feel better. And that's what we're here for. I love that. I think that's put up a t-shirt. Do let strategically. It's like, yes, you can be so much more efficient and effective by doing the right thing. And as entrepreneurs, we either try and solve the wrong problem or we do way too much. But we're trying hard. We're trying our best with what we know. So tell me more about that doing less because that must be what you get over that hill. Like, okay, forget what you think, you know, to do the right things and do them well. That's genius. Um, one is like, take to this. Tell me what do you love to see happen in your clients business unless studios? Yeah. One, I get to love to see the business owners just like have a life again. They're not spinning their free time scrolling Instagram, being like, okay, list person's time need to do this. I need a hop on that trend. They're not doing that anymore. They are living their lives. They are able to get back to caring for their clients. And that's why they start their business. And so I want to get them back to that and not having to be worrying about what the world is telling them to do. And if they're doing it right wrong, like, I got you go live your life. Take care of your clients. Don't worry about that anymore. So with the with your clients, I know this is a very, this is a very personal journey for you as well. Because well, yes, I know you love to help these business owners to grow to buy back their time to be able to put things into practice to actually make it sustainable. Um, you go one step further because you're like, you also care about them. But through your through your journey, this wellness experience for you, I mean, it changed your life. It really helped you. So now you're kind of the middle person to like, hold on. If I can help these people grow more and more people are going to seek that get the help that they actually, that actually is going to help them their life. So tell me about your, the passion behind it. Why this is so important to you. Yeah. So I have been working for nearly a decade. We'll be hitting a decade later this year. And I was just on the grind to like learn and guess my experiences I could. And so wellness was like not a priority for me during that time at all. And then like slowly over time, my body was just letting me know like you got to start taking care of me. I got to be a priority at some point. And I just had this awakening of like, okay, this has to be a priority for a minute. I can't take care of others. I can't take care of my business if I'm not taking care of myself. And so I just went all in on wellness. It's one, it's like just something that I'm personally interested in. And so I just wanted to interesting. And then it also helped me live better and healthier. And so it just became my whole life. And I was those clients who were like, this is life changing. Like why is not everyone in the sauna every day? Why isn't everyone not doing this? And so that just kind of led me to being like, I've been those people who have seen how helpful these services are. How can I help more people find all these benefits that I have found? Yes. Was that maybe the shift that you had? So you were into into marketing sales, helping people with business growth and development. And that's like hold on. I just want to help these people. If I could just help these people to grow because your experience was that was that a slow burn? It was that like a moment of, oh yeah, that's it. That's what I'm doing. What was it like for you? Yeah. It was kind of like an instant thing. I was working in the personal injury space doing marketing for the longest time. Very grateful for my experience, but it's a heavy industry to be in. And I was just like not taking care of myself. I was in this very heavy industry. And one day I was like, I just want to like feel better. And I want to my work to feel more positive. And I want at the end of the day to feel like I am really making a difference. And I'm helping people. And so that all clicked for me and overlapped. I'm like, wait, I'm doing these wellness things. I love it. I find it really interesting. I already am connected to these wellness business owners because I'm going to their businesses all the time. And it was just this aha moment of like, yeah, let's put this all together. Okay, I love that. So I want work to feel more positive because we could all go down that rabbit hole and we were like, hold on, what am I doing? This is, this is okay. But I mean, I, there was years ago with my agency back in the UK, we had this one client who really helped people to feel good about themselves. And when a person came in, they helped their clients to be seen. It was more photographic. Agency, but they had a experience behind it. And made people feel so good. People were crying every single session. It was in a good way and it was beautiful. Yeah. I remember sadly like, I want to fucking do that. There's something in that. There's like really that's, that's beautiful. And that got my mind thinking at time. And as you just said there, I want to feel more positive. And it's not a long shot to be like, hold on. You can make some slight tweaks and changes and really step into feeling. Yeah. So alignment, it's like a good chiropractor. It's not to be like big change. It can be like small alignment shifts. That goes in there. That goes in there. Oh, where you go. That's you. What was like for you once you felt this and you saw, oh, yeah, this is, this feels good. You started to see the shift work with those people. What was I like for you behind the scenes as the, as the business owner? Yeah. It has just been so great because I'm working with people who, they are also so focused on wellness and being taken care of. And so being someone who's very like I tried my that priority for myself and working with people like that is just so refreshing because yes, we're here for business. Yes, I want to get you more revenue. You know, it is business. But at the same time, like, I want them to do well. They want me to do well because we're in the industry of wellness. We want everyone to just be well, be living well. And so it's so nice to just, you know, we're really supportive of each other. Yeah, I mean, it sounds like you and your clients, you're on the same side of the table. It's like you two together against, okay, the challenges, visibility, financial clients, keeping those clients, it's building that, that business. So for the right people, I think you said it earlier, the wrong people that aren't fun to work with. You've stopped taking those people on because we'll make mistakes. We'll take those clients on and realize you can barely help yourself. How can I help you? Exactly. So to be able to serve those right clients that are fun to work with, that you enjoy, that have an impact, that you have an impact through them, that's, that's the positive that you were looking for, right? Yeah, I was, the big part of this was I want to be intentional about who I work with. And that's part of that thing of like, I just want to feel positive at the end of the work day. I want to wake up and be excited to work. I don't want to wake up and be like, another day. And so having that autonomy to say, this is who I work with, this is who I serve. And we have this combined combination for this common goal is just overwhelming. Yeah. What was I to go through your, the latest rebrand because with that, sometimes it can be, it can be so beautiful to see this all come together. And I was like, yeah, that's what I was trying to do for all those years. Or that's to speak to that person in a way that you've, that you've, you've now found that that clarity. What was that journal like for you? Because for some people, some people love it. Some people hate it. Some say it's sort of necessary evil. I'm a bit more creative. And I love when these things just line up. And it's like, yeah, that, that feels like home. That feels good. What was that rebrand like for you? Yeah. I'm also creative. I'm huge on strategies, obviously. And so it's fun to like rebuild and create, Persona has a messaging and all that. Like I find that like so fun. But I'm also impatient. And I'm like, I just want this to exist already. I just want to be doing the work. I want to be helping people. And, but I also wanted to be strategic and not just, okay, this exists and throw it out there. I wanted to really map it out, make it make sense, make it clear. And so, it was fun, but I also found it hard to be patient because, you know, we're business owners, we just want our businesses to be out there and thriving. And so when it's not in that place, it's really hard. And so, I just remind myself, you know, we are on a floating rock in space. Nothing is that serious. Take your business seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. It will get where it needs to go. - Yeah, I'll come, so that's what Michael Singer says all the time. Zoom out, like you want to rock floating through space. This, this is not that important. So to be able to remove that resistance, that feeling to it is like, ah, that frees this up. But also, there's a, I love the parallel here because you help your clients with the right strategies, doing less, doing the right things, but also having that, having that patience, having that understanding. So you're having to go through this at a different level in a different place with having the patience, seeing this come together, seeing it line up. So what's it like to hold those two elements as true? You're teaching and guiding people, and you're actually going through it yourself at the same time. - Right. I mean, I love it. I think as entrepreneurs, we want to be doing the most all the time. And that's why we're doing this. - Not because. - And so, yeah. And so I like doing both. I like that. I am my own client, and I have to take care of myself in my business just as much as I have to take care of theirs. And it is a good reminder, 'cause like when I have to tell them, like, be patient, let the system be built, let's implement it, watch it take off. It's not going to be an instant result because I want you to have long lasting results. I don't want to give you a spike that will just fall off in a month. And so every time I have to tell them that, it kind of feels like I'm telling myself that because I am also my own client. And so it just kind of like keeps me reminded and keeps me in check as well. - Yeah. And spoiler, this I can change. Every single level you get. So there still shows up. It's just in a different way and different form, but it does sort of, it just does keep on going. But once we have this, we have the memory, the understanding, maybe the tools and tactics, I think experience counts. So actually talk to that. So experience, you've had a lot of experience within the wellness industry and then with marketing as well. So put all of these things together. What, if you look back now, it may seem like a very meandering road of how you sort of got here, but you can now see how these, oh, I needed that. I needed that and that was so important. It's like you put things into your backpack or your toolbox. What's it like looking back now and seeing how everything, everything helps you to get to this point, does that make sense? - Yeah. I mean, I think when we're in the thick of it, we don't realize we're being led. And so it's so nice to look back and be like, it all made sense, it all worked together. And even though I wasn't taking care of myself for the longest time because marketing was so important to me, I'm like, yes, I could have been healthier. I could have been taking care of myself better, but I'm where I am now in marketing because of that. So I'm not saying, sacrifice yourself or like don't take care of yourself to get where you want to be, but be grateful and mindful of how you're spending your time because it all takes you to where you're supposed to go. - Yeah, that is so funny. Don't put yourself at risk, just have the experience. But to realize, oh yeah, I put myself last, whether it's physically, mentally, emotionally, and to be in that place and see that, 'cause awareness, that's always the first step. To have that awareness, but okay, I've had the experience, I'd rather not have had it, but to see how it played out, it all changed. 'Cause out of that, it's possible that if you'd have felt healthy and taken care of yourself and working an industry that you didn't really love that much, it's possible that you may have stayed there because you still feel good, life's going well. Maybe that inkling of something's not right will be offset by the wellbeing you feel for yourself. For your family, for outside of work. So, we haven't got crystal ball, but it's so interesting to see how these things can change. I think your clients as well, for the way that you come in, the way that you help and see things in a different way, where would they be if they didn't have the help and support from someone who's like, a big support of the industry, right? - Right, they would be just being bogged down with everything that is coming at them and so many are like, "Well, chat is telling me to do this, "the internet's telling me to do that. "I don't know what's right, I don't know what's wrong." And overwhelmed. Like, we're already overwhelmed as humans, as entrepreneurs. Like, you don't need more stress in your life. It's the last thing we all need. And so, I really try to come in and be like, this is noise, this is what is real. And let's block out that noise. That's so right, because yeah, chatty is, it's a great resource, but it's not always the best strategist for where you are. So, - Exactly. - All right, so let's just look forward. Let's end this in a big, beautiful bow on this episode. If you look forward, what is it that you're most excited about? Like, where's all this going for you? - Yeah. My goal would be, honestly, to travel the world, learn about wellness and different parts of the world and see what they're doing. And then tie that back into the work I'm doing and get to expand all the different modalities that I work with through my clients and just be, hopefully a voice in the wellness industry for a long time and keep helping people find what helps them live their best life. - Nice. And if you had one piece of advice that you can give to someone, I don't care whether it was like, you heard it last week or it was like 10 years ago, if something comes to mind that's like, the one thing you need to hear at the right time, what comes to mind? - Take your work seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. I see this a lot with business owners who are more of like the face of their brand or they want to be a voice in their modality of wellness, but they're like, I don't want it to be me. That's too personal. I can put my business out there, that's fine, but putting myself out there seems like too much. And I always just tell them, don't take yourself so seriously. Again, we're on a floating rock in space, 500 years from now, no one will remember us. And so don't take yourself too seriously, but take the work seriously. Yeah, I love that. Well, that's the whole essence of this, you wrap it up beautifully. That's the essence of what you do, taking this work seriously. It's the essence of why you start of it. It's the essence of why you do this. So, but Cara, I wish you all the success as you continue to grow and help more and more wellness studios because it's fantastic. So thank you for sharing your amazing work and what it's like for you behind the scenes. - Thank you so much. It was an honored chat with you today. - You're welcome. And look, those people that like, oh my gosh, they want to know more about you and the incredible work. How do they find you? How do they reach out? - Yeah, they can go to wellstragisstudio.com. Can follow me on Instagram, @ Cara Dalinger. I also share all of my work stuff there. So yeah, and then my email is just everywhere. So like, you can reach me easily. - Fantastic. Well, everyone, if you're curious or think it sounds amazing, go and check it out. Reach out, start the conversation, say, Mark, send you and have some fun with it. But Cara, again, look, thank you so much for this. It's been, you dropped some great nuggets, great advice and it was fun. So thank you very much. - Thank you. - You're welcome. Hey, Katie. - Yeah, Mark. - Wanna do an outro? - Sure do. - Sweet. Hey, thank you so so much for listening and making it to the end. - Yay, you. - So what happens next? We ask them the things that podcast we're supposed to ask at the end of an episode. - Can you please rate, review, download? - Subscribe. - Mm. - Yeah. - But why is it important? - Because that's how our podcast gets noticed. - It's how people find us. - It is and we want all their earballs. - All the earballs, all over place. - We do, nice. - Yeah, so please do all those things. We'll be ever so grateful. - And then more people here, your beautiful voice. - Or yours. Oh yeah. See you next time. Bye.