Pathways with Amber Stitt

Focus on your Path: Lessons Learned with Ashish Nathu

March 14, 2023 Amber Stitt
Pathways with Amber Stitt
Focus on your Path: Lessons Learned with Ashish Nathu
Show Notes Transcript

In today's episode of #TheAmberStittShow we celebrate one of my friends, the host of #TheRichEquation, hosted by Ashish Nathu.

Ashish brings some much energy to life; whether through his family or business and he was a perfect guest to hit all categories of our 5 Steps.

In this episode, you will find Ashish's point of view on:

-How he focuses on Talents and Self-Awareness
-How he views money and being 'rich'
-How he sees the world of risk management
-How he utilizes systems and processes
-How he works within his local community and takes that globally

Ashish was one of the first to interview me on a podcast which was fun as he just had his 100th episode on his podcast too! You can find that episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-60-amber-stitt-learning-the-pathways-to-peak-performance/id1585002788?i=1000557243780

Please give him a follow and subscribe to The Rich Equation here on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rich-equation

You can also find him on social at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashishnathu/

Website: https://therichequationpodcast.com/

Sign up to the mailing list to receive special access and content here: https://therichequationpodcast.com/

Check out previous episodes of The Rich Equation Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rich-equation/id1585002788


Thank you for listening!

Opening Introduction  00:01
Hello, and welcome to The Amber Stitt Show. I am your host, Amber Stitt, and I am obsessed with helping people get their financial and personal lives in order. Every week, my guests and I explore the fundamentals and practices that will help you stay on top of your game in business, but also at home. I believe we all have different pathways we have to take to reach our peak performance so that we can live up to our peak potential. And this podcast is dedicated to helping you get there. I'm excited to share the insights and habits that my guests and I have cultivated throughout our lives. So we can help you on your journey towards a happy, successful and fulfilling life. Let's jump right into today's show. 

Amber Stitt  00:59
Hello, and welcome to the amber Stitt show. I am your host Amber Stitt, and today we have the host of The Rich Equation. Welcome, Ashish, thank you for being here.

 Ashish Nathu  01:09
Thanks, Amber. A pleasure to be here. Really excited about the conversation.

Amber Stitt  01:13
Well, do you remember about a year ago, when I was a guest on your podcast? Did you know that I was that was maybe my second guest interview ever? Did you know that?

Ashish Nathu  01:23
No. And you crushed it!

Amber Stitt  01:26
Well, you make it easy. So I was super excited that we had booked this time today, I didn't really look at the timeframe of what was happening. So I have something to celebrate. And I think you do, too. So I have just launched my one-year anniversary episode. So, what I did is I went back and I broke down five steps that we discussed on the Amber Stitt show. It's called the "Pathways of Peak Performance". So when I realized what this week was, and then I have you on my podcast, I mean, I learned how to be a guest and get over my kind of my nerves because I was on your podcast. Woo-hoo!

Ashish Nathu  02:04
Nothing is by accident. Happy anniversary!

Amber Stitt  02:06
And we met each other on social media. So many of you guys in the audience that just don't understand why we might connect with a friend on LinkedIn, or maybe have some engagement or just follow somebody that's interesting? You never know what kind of friendships can come about. But I want to take a pause and let the audience get to know you a little bit. And we'll let you talk a little bit about what you do. I don't want to call it a day job. But what do you do most of the time? 

Ashish Nathu  02:32
Sure. 

Amber Stitt  02:32
And I want to talk about your podcast. So I want to give the audience a little bit of background on you. 

Ashish Nathu  02:37
So I live in California, I'm married with two kids. So I have a three-year-old and a five-year-old - two daughters. You're right about social media because I am new to social media and still learning and still understanding but just amazed about how authentic you can build relationships on social media. And this is a case in point: one year later, we're still talking. People think social media can be really transactional. But I've built some amazing relationships through social media, and there are quality people out there. So just encourage people to connect and be authentic, but I grew up in Southern California. I am born and raised here. I went to school out in Boston, I came right back after the financial crisis. I have a finance and accounting background. And after the financial crisis, no one was really looking for finance jobs or things like that. It was really tight. So I fell into some family business. And I ended up starting a furniture company and we specialize in hotel furniture. And honestly, sort of ignorance is bliss when you're young and you don't know too much. And you don't overthink things. There were there was just this interesting opportunity to connect a few dots and just put your head down in and get to work really. And that was back in April 2010. So I'm about to have my 13th year anniversary. 

Amber Stitt  04:04
Oh, cool.

Ashish Nathu  04:04
And so, we started a pretty, pretty aggressive growth strategy for hospitality furniture. We built two hospitality case good factories, one in LA and one in Indonesia. And then slowly grew that into a go-to market, well three go-to-market brands that now sell hotel furniture all across the US. And yeah, so we had we've had a really great journey. We have people all around the world, in Mexico and China and our headquarters is in LA Of course. So that's sort of my "quote" day job.

Amber Stitt  04:40
Yeah. But don't stop there. Haha, don't stop there. What else do you have time for?

Ashish Nathu  04:46
Well, that well, that's actually was, I think, a really important journey for me because back in, I don't know, I'd probably like four or five years ago now I started having what was the success that other people thought I should have, or I told myself that I should have. I mean, I was making good money, I was the leader of a decent-sized company, I had a lot of flexibility and freedom. And yet I was still the sort of unhappy, or unfulfilled, let's call it. I was married, I think I may have just had my first kid and I was sort of like looking myself in the mirror and, and I always have like a spring in my step, but I was like, "What am I springing for?" Right? And so I went on this like journey of what does it really mean to be successful? And this is sort of the foundation of my podcast, which is called The Rich Equation is what does it mean to be rich? And I'm fascinated with all aspects of life, like, how do we live a 10, out of 10, or a 10 out of 10, in every part of our life, not only just business, but also in our relationships, in our health as, as a parent, and I'm definitely not the 10 out of 10, I'm probably like, 3 out of 10 in some areas, but what's fun is the be the ability to, like, be curious and learn and, and constantly keep adapting and applying new, new processes, strategies to find what works for you in different seasons of your life and leaving it all on the table, you know, and so that's what our podcast is about. And we're starting to build a small community, but the best part about it is I get to have really stimulating and learning conversations with people like you. And it's like this never-ending well of knowledge and energy. And so just super blessed.

Amber Stitt  06:33
But you forgot to talk about something that's coming up. That's you're like, so close to this number that we're going to celebrate

Ashish Nathu  06:40
Today is our 100th episode. 

Amber Stitt  06:43
So by the time this episode drops on my podcast, it will have been your 100th episode. Yeah. So congrats on that. That is amazing. Yeah.

 Ashish Nathu  06:53
And I honestly, I have a really great team, AJ is like the pillar of our podcast and strategy. And, you know, I can't believe we've actually hit 100. You know, one of the things I learned really profoundly during these last couple years because I think that most successful people don't think so much about where they're at, they think more about just keep playing the game. Like, don't worry about winning and losing. Yeah, just stay in the game, stay playing. And I think through seasons of like ups and downs, and recessions, and all these things, it's really easy to and I'm really a big victim to this. Like when things are great, you think that all your magic and you did everything. And then when things are bad, it's like, you want to throw in the towel. But I think what I've studied recently is that the most successful people just keep playing. 

Amber Stitt  07:44
I feel like you have a ton of that on your podcast, if I listened in, I feel like you are running into so many different types of people in different stories. And so one thing I like about what you're mentioning is...okay, California, then you go off and you go into you go to Boston, yep, part of which we will dig into some of the steps of the Pathways of Peak Performance to really, I think you are a perfect person to kind of hit every category because I think you've been there. And I think we're not done. And so we'll get to that here in a little bit. But for people that, you know, sometimes we just don't know what the end result is supposed to be, as you said, you're playing this game. Maybe it's you know, I'm not an athlete, and I can't do that sports analogy, but it's like the long game or the short game, and golf is kind of like the opposite of that, but just kind of staying the course and not always needing some metric, or result. It can be very hard for analytical people. But sometimes it's just that purpose behind what we're doing and what makes you feel good. And if we're changing lives, I mean, that's just that always feels good. And so there's you can affect other people through maybe a podcast or whatever it might be for you. I think the listeners will kind of hear your story as we go. I mean, I thought maybe you jumped into a business that was already established a family business that already existed but that's not true, you started something completely different. And so when we have recessions that are these things that we need to bounce back with resilience from, maybe take a pause when something's really crummy. And maybe that's a way to pull an opportunity out of it and just pivot and there could be something else that that, you know, should happen because of that event. So I think you're living proof of that.

 Ashish Nathu  09:23 
Yeah, I think all of that is true.

Amber Stitt  09:25
So since I've met you, gosh, since I've met you, I put together really the Pathways of Peak Performance were five steps that have been, I almost call it the collection of greatest hits over the last 10 years really experiences of mine, people I've met clients and so we focus on talents first, and that is the foundation. And I've already talked with you a little bit before about things in your life, people that you've met when I talk about focusing on talents, I think that if you understand who you are, and you have this awareness, and you give yourself some grace and almost have a laugh here and there because we have this DNA, we will say that is us. And we're not trying to fix what we're not we're really trying to develop who we are. And so if you say you're 3 out of 10, but you're okay with that because you can't be great at all things. That's what a team is for. If we look at focusing on talents in the last few years, as you mentioned, there were some changes. I mean, there were a lot of changes after Boston. 

 Ashish Nathu  10:17
Yes.

Amber Stitt  10:18
Is there anything that stands out to you, whether it's a book or people, I know that you have a community that you travel with now. What could you speak to that might help a person in the focus on talents to have a takeaway of, you know, maybe something will resonate with them that you've done? 

Ashish Nathu  10:34
Yeah, I think there are two things that have recently shown up for me that they haven't recently shown up, but like, they're hitting me in the face again, right? Yeah. I think that, and you said this, I think that we have to constantly keep looking at ourselves, and learning about what motivates us and why we do what we do. And so we'll call that self-awareness. We'll call that self-reflection, whatever, and you can meditate, you can journal, can talk to friends, but like this constant exploration of who I am, why do I do what I do, and what makes me tick? And the caveat to that is, I think that it's okay to change. Like, I think it's okay, to change something that you don't like, or make a decision and then change your mind. I think there's a lot of stigma around changing your mind. But like, you know, you learn something today, that's new knowledge, new information, new experience, if you don't change, you're being irresponsible. 

Amber Stitt  10:38
Sure. 

Ashish Nathu  10:41
But yesterday, you didn't have that information. And so what's wrong with changing your mind or changing your philosophy or changing the way you think about that? So I think that is something that is really easy for me to like, get lost in, and then get lost from. So you go into the segments of like, "Okay, I'm really routine," routine is a pillar of our equation because routine helps us stay present, it's helped us stay in this consistency and harmony, what makes us perform and what makes us be the best version of ourselves, the moment I get off my routine, I get distracted, I get off track, I get lost in things that are perhaps not as important. S0 it's simple things. You know, exercise, eating right, meditation, spending time with good quality people who challenge you are honest, doing good things - very simple. And people know when they're not doing good things. It's really fun. Like, you know, everyone knows, you know, you just maybe don't want to face it, or you don't want to realize it or deal with it. But you know, when you're not doing the things that are the best for you. 

 

Amber Stitt  12:42
Yep.

Ashish Nathu  12:43
And I think and then the other thing that I would say that is one of the skills that I've sort of honed in on is, I'm not afraid of being wrong. 

Amber Stitt  12:52
Yeah, I think that's great.

Ashish Nathu  12:53
I have a fear, a strong fear of failing. 

Amber Stitt  12:56
Sure. 

Ashish Nathu  12:57
I'm not necessarily afraid of being wrong, like making a wrong decision, or, you know, saying something and being incorrect. And I think that I've learned how to be misunderstood and feel comfortable with being misunderstood. But it allows me to express and allows me to make decisions more effectively, more efficiently, and explore ideas more effectively. And that's kind of how I process people process internally. I need to like, talk things out and make a mess of it before I find the answer. So, I don't know if that answers your question.

Amber Stitt  13:32
Oh, yeah, well, I think like even in medicine, or science, we do things until we have new information. And then we go, okay, yeah. And if you say, like, you want to change something, it's almost like you're looking at the data and going, "Okay, how do we improve on this", so not that we're little robots, but our bodies and our brains, we learn about like, "Atomic Habits", and some of those books will say, the positivity of some of the brain matter that can change with some of these thoughts. So if you are not liking something, pay attention to that, and then put a course of action in there, that might change it. And so focus on talents could really be if you're, if you're happier, I think that can translate into your relationships into your business. So when you're off, like you're saying, when there's when you're off, we got to figure out another way to get you back on track. So, you essentially have principles and a lot of our planning behind some of my strategic partners, we talk about principles being a third-party entity, it doesn't take you to know, we're not going to get dramatic, or personal, it's just these are the ways to stay on track and prioritize, and so on. So yeah, whatever the methods are for the person like I noticed all the books behind you, and it's like getting information. Some people like to read, I need a hardcopy book. Some people need to listen to a podcast or watch a video. So finding whatever can resonate with you on your learning style. There are really no excuses. We have so much available to us now. So that's really exciting too. But the wellness component I think you're on track with that when you feel good, you're gonna do better. And I know that when it comes to wellness, I think it's pretty unique that you do deeper dives into meditation. Can you speak about that a little bit before we go to the next focus area?

Ashish Nathu  15:12
I mean, like I, for whatever reason I am...I like to experiment. And experiment with all kinds of things. So like you just mentioned - the books. Like sometimes I like to read, and sometimes I like to audiobook. Sometimes, you know, sometimes I like to do this and sometimes I like to do that. Like, I don't mind experimenting with things. Besides drugs, probably to be honest, I'm not that I'm not very experimental with drugs, but with everything else I'm very experimental. Yeah, so we won't talk too much about that. But you know, me, I've been meditating, since I was sort of 10. But I don't think I really knew the benefits and impact and had the tool kit that I have now. And I feel like, you know, for people who have heard about meditating or wanting to meditate, meditating can just be what you want it to be. It doesn't have to be what one person says, I think meditation is a simple concept of just learning how to sit with yourself, and sit in stillness, sit in clarity, and sit still, sit in openness. And I think the uncomfortable part of things, is why we need to meditate. So if we're always anxious, and we don't want to meditate, that's why you should meditate, right? If you can't stop thinking all the time, if you can't calm your mind, and you can't get to the idea of I can't sit for 10 minutes. That's exactly why you should meditate. Because I think that the power of controlling that and owning that, instead of being a victim to that. It is where the magic comes in.

Amber Stitt  15:13
I feel like it's like you're simplifying. So you're saying if there's too much chaos, we'll call it maybe chaos in the head, or there's too much going on, you might need to separate yourself from technology, maybe people or just the mind is going overactive. We all have spoken about, you know, we can't sleep at night because of a project, or I'm nervous about something, anxiety, that probably means you need to give yourself some space, and be okay with the fact, or doing nothing. 

Ashish Nathu  17:18
Yes. 

Amber Stitt  17:18
And it's, that's very hard. So I can put the nothing time on the calendar, and then maybe I'll do it, right?

Ashish Nathu  17:29
I put nothing, I put it on my calendar.

Amber Stitt  17:32 
My naturopath says that actually, you need to be doing that, your brain needs that. So as we transition into focusing on money, this is probably an easy transition for you. Because I feel like I know what you're saying when it comes to this point where you're successful, and we see it with very successful people, or celebrities, or athletes, where they hit this peak of performance, and then they're still not happy. What gives? So when you started curating your podcasts and your message and who you wanted to have on there, I know that there's a little backstory where you're saying, you know, people and money and how they're comprehending what it is that makes them rich. Can you speak about that piece, or just really the foundation of your podcast?

Ashish Nathu  18:17
Well, I think I'm still exploring, I'm still learning. I think ultimately, it comes down to everybody's individual relationship with money. And I think there are two concepts here, there's we'll call it money as a material transactional thing that is really easy to be a slave to, let's say. If we can use it as a utility we can use as a tool, people have a relationship with this objective thing called money. And I'm still learning about my relationship, I still find things that I'm not happy about in terms of my relationship with, or for, money. And then there's this other component that we uncover, which is like real freedom and wealth, and time and abundance. And that is actually more of an energetic thing than it is about an objective thing. So like, you know, and there's a lot of different philosophies that I'm learning about with all of this, but like, what is freedom? And, this was one thing that I really explored in the last 100 episodes. Yeah, for me, personally, is this: What makes us feel free, right? So you could have a million dollars, but you could still not feel free, right? You could have a billion dollars, but you could still not feel free. You could be poor, and you can still not feel free. So where does freedom come from? It definitely doesn't come from money.

Amber Stitt  19:42
Yeah, it doesn't matter what your economic status is because we know just post-COVID more awareness was of mental illness and stress. And we've seen people talk about it more, thankfully. But there's something to be said about that. So we can't chase that material aspect. And sometimes, I don't know, sometimes it could take people time to go through some problems and obstacles to get to that point where you can really feel what it's like to not have that freedom. And then that kind of teaches us. And I think that's why you go back to your foundations and your principles, right? Because you can create this baseline of good. And when you go off track, because we're humans, then you know, how to get back on the train tracks, right?

Ashish Nathu  20:23
Yeah, I mean, and I'm no different. Like, I literally, want to share with the audience, like, I'm still trying to figure it out, I make mistakes. I'm like, oh, man, I'm being too greedy.  I'm behaving in a way that is looking for income. Is that in alignment with what I want, or not, right? Maybe there are times when you know, I do want to go chase something and feel worthy. And that, therefore, this is going to monetize that process or that strategy for me. And so I'm going to do it that way. But I have to create this awareness, not this dependency, right? And I think that I'm still learning, I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm still trying to...I don't think it's a number. I think a lot of people think about wealth, or richness, or financial freedom, or whatever, in terms of a number. I think that that is not it, at least in my experience.

Amber Stitt  21:15
I love that you say that because what we know over time, we talk about retirement, and that's a whole other topic, we won't dive into it when you're talking about financial freedom, is it true that I need to put in X to have X million by the time I retire. Is that really freedom? What you and I have seen, I think that you would say this is true, most people don't have savings, and when most people get to retirement, and then they're still in trouble. So if you're not chasing that dollar, but chasing the purpose and the value, while still being financially savvy, there's something there. So we really need to be focusing on that freedom aspect. I mean, that is huge. And it can be different for different people.

Ashish Nathu  21:55
And I think you, you hit it right on because I think a lot of people think about retirement, and they think about okay, I need to do whatever I can right now to build enough of a cushion or whatever they call it. So that when I'm 65, the team or my people can tell me that I now can be free. I now can live the life I've so hard worked for, but I can't I can barely climb a hill, I'm too old to travel. I'm too, you know, I can't spend that much time in nature. So like, what is all of this for?

Amber Stitt  22:27
The other part of this, too, part of my journey, focusing on talents and receiving information, working with people, people that are different than you, seeing an understanding that people are different, we want different people, that's what completes a really nice picture is that your spouse or partner is not going to see money the same way. And I feel like we have to be okay with that, and work together and not be upset with people that they don't read the words the same way and then build their goals the same way. And so I don't know if you've seen any truth to that with your interviews, or even in your business or with your family. 

Ashish Nathu  22:57
Oh yeah, for sure. I think everybody has their own relationship with money. And as you're exploring and creating more awareness in your relationships, everybody else is going to, like start to become more aware of their relationship. And it will not always be pretty, it will not always be so easy and clean and comfortable. Because these are deep-rooted narratives and explanations of why we behave and why we do what we do. And, some people are happy with that narrative. And God bless them. And so yeah, I mean, I see it, I see it everywhere I see multi-generational, I see within the spouses, I see how it passes on to kids, how people treat their parents when they get it. Yeah. So it's really fun to be able to, you know, I just would recommend people to just stay the observer. Always just keep observing and seeing and observing.

Amber Stitt  23:56
Yep. Yeah, I agree with that. So part of really just wanting to have that understanding, we need to pull that teamwork together and just have, again, some grace that people are going to just see things differently. But it doesn't mean you can't work together on it. And again, there are things, there's a new technology, and new developments to come. So we have to be able to you know, go along with that. And so like you said, keep learning, I think that's great. Focusing on risk is my next category. And so focusing on risk management can sound so corporate, and in my world, it can also include protection. Okay, for example, I was just in a call talking about the number of people in California, compared to the number of people that insure for earthquake insurance. It's like, what a tiny tiny percent out of like, what 40 million, or something, I forget if it was a state or a city we were focusing on? But like, that's a real risk, right? And so, but even coming out, and not even thinking about products, but like if you're thinking about the protection, transferring the risk away, I just start with going with the basics of keeping organized, what does that mean for you, whether it's for yourself individually, or business? Are there any tools or resources that help you, again, even as an employee under an employer, or a business owner, or a family member, I think we all need to try to bring that emergency plan kind of into the home so that if there is something that we're facing, we can handle it with resilience? Is there anything you'd want to share? What does risk mean to you?

Ashish Nathu  25:20
That's great. I love this pillar. I think the risk has a negative connotation, the way that you kind of were just explaining it, but it doesn't have to. Risk comes from a lot of different perspectives. And the way we see it in the world, if we go to Disneyland, there is risk management everywhere. But it doesn't show up as risk management, it shows up as a process. It shows up as culture, it shows up as people, and it shows up as energy. So they risk managing in every interaction with every single client, right, the way they sweep the floors, the way they decorate things, the way they do safety checks, the way they hold the lines, the way they do their shows, like whatever. I'm just kind of going off the cuff here, right? But it doesn't have to look and feel and touch like risk. It can be just as equivalent. As part of the experience, I think the process is huge. I think processes in the way we manage our money the processes in which we treat the people in our family, how we think about our budget accounts, or whatever, right? All these processes we put into our life, if you don't have processes, that's when you have risk. 

Amber Stitt  26:45
Yeah, I love that. And that's where I just want people to take action, but then why do people hide, or shy away from it? Neuroscientists have been working with a team of friends of mine, and they're saying that thinking of something bad, you know, we talk about energy. So, if you think of something bad, you're trying to protect against that awful thing. Some people just go, I don't even think about it, or it's going to happen. But we know things can happen outside of our control. So part of my messaging is okay, let's, as you said, build the systems and processes, and it's got to start in your home. So really, if there's a fire drill, I mean, we had something with bad medical labs. I tell the story sometimes in presentations where my husband had these labs come in. And we thought we were driving to Mayo Clinic in Arizona. And it could be a really bad day and a pretty rough couple of months. But it was the wrong set of labs! I don't know who these labs belong to. But we retested and he was fine. But during that moment of two hours waiting for the retest to come through, we did not cause more stress, because we had all of our systems in the household policies, emergency contacts, business information, and everything in a spot that we can find without each other around. We have folders online, basically. But we just had to worry about the here and now, and not all the other things.

 Ashish Nathu  27:58
You talked about this actually on my podcast, and I'm going to reiterate it because what you're talking about, I think more people should actually listen and do this, like put together a binder for if something were to happen to somebody in the house, either husband, wife, or father, daughter, whatever. If something were to happen, is there a book that everyone can go to, to know what to do? Where are all the accounts? Who do I need to call? Who are my emergency contacts? Like almost like a 911 book?

Amber Stitt  28:29
Yes, like back when I grew up, I'm a 1980s baby, we'd have the cupboard and inside the cupboard with a list of the emergency contacts for the neighborhood. Hey, Mom, if you're babysitting, who do I know, if I know who to call? We don't even have a simple spreadsheet online that we can all look at from our devices. And I will say this in presentations when I travel, and I'll be leaving, I remember going to the airport and seeing some of the attendees and they were 60 years old saying, "Amber, I don't even have that. And I do financial planning for clients!". Okay, we got some work to do. But once you do it and kind of audit the system like mic check, it's done. And you just can add a couple of new things here and there. But it feels so good when it's completed. And I just want that for people because it helps us get over some of the rough stuff that comes our way.

 29:15

Yeah, I think this concept of risk means when we have like open energy loops, so like by us not having our financial stuff in a binder, I think to me, that's an open energy loop and I'm gonna have to pay the consequences for later.

Amber Stitt  29:32
And that could be drastic, and we won't go into those awful stories today as we are going to be uplifting. So, the next focus area is focusing on marketing and technology. And so some people go well, does that really apply to me? But going back to step one, what do you enjoy? Do you enjoy marketing? Okay, if you don't, what apps are the technology that can help you be more of an efficient person? I didn't know if you have anything that is usable today to share but just, almost as if there's a takeaway, we just talked about a binder, so maybe something online that the family can share. But is there anything that you are just like, "Oh, my gosh, you have got to do it!"?

Ashish Nathu  30:09
Well, I'll make it super simple for people. Like, I live by my calendar. And like, everything that I want to do I hold myself accountable to do, is in my calendar, and it's all color coded. And it has like, meditate, get the kids ready for school, you know, date nights, meetings, get this done, get that done. I mean, without getting too complicated people to underutilize how they use their time. And the calendar is a technology that makes it simple. You don't have to remember anything. I mean, my wife knows, and everybody in my world knows, like, if it's not in his calendar, it ain't happening, right? So very few, maybe there are consequences to that. I don't quite know, yet. But there are things that are planned on my calendar, you know, almost a year out. And it just keeps structure and allows me to do what I want to do when I want to do it. And then audit your calendar.

Amber Stitt  31:07 
Oh, what do you mean by that?

Ashish Nathu  31:08
Meaning, like, what did you do that you shouldn't have done? What did you do that was a waste of time, or that didn't give you energy? Or, you know, things like that. So audit how you use your time, I think, because we don't use a calendar, we're not really intentional about how we use our time. And by using the calendar and then learning about okay, this was a waste, this was not, I was inefficient here, I can become more productive. And then like silent time, we talked about earlier, like, do nothing time.

Amber Stitt  31:37
Yeah. And that one, it's almost like I can pay to go to Pilates. And if I don't show up, they'll charge me. So I don't know how we can penalize ourselves. Maybe we have to have like a cookie jar. If you don't do the quiet time, you have to put money in there. But I guess you win regardless. I mean, we have to take it more seriously. I know that my husband and I before worked together, we did Google Calendar share. And so it would be like, okay, we could know what to do on the weekends if there was some free time to connect with friends. Or, if the kids need to go somewhere. It just makes it super simple. And you just get in the habit of inviting. It's kind of weird, "Hey, honey, yes, we're going to happy hour and put that on the calendar". But I think it does help. And then you can see whether are you weighted down by certain things. And what should we, kind of like you said, "audit", so I do like that, and it's probably underutilized. But I will say, I do like having a hard copy, a kind of paper, a small one, and my friends make fun of me. But sometimes when I'm out at an event, and we're looking, I like to see everything just quickly, and they say, "Amber, you need to start using your online calendar" and I'm like, "trust me, my online calendar is there". But sometimes I like that paper, old school, but um, you know, maybe that's Gen X, I do a combo. So focusing on community, you've been doing some unique things with your tribe of people, and you just got back from a trip, I don't know if you want to talk about that a little bit. But focusing on community, when I first developed this category, it was really around the time of COVID. And people's businesses were shutting down. And it's like, how do you keep the lights on if you're virtual, or if you're in an in-person business? How do you just keep that momentum going? And so it's really going back to a community of maybe friends, you're a partner that you can maybe refer a client to, if times are tough, and you're out of town, you're sick maternity leave. But then there's this mentor/mentorship component, mentee opportunities. And so for you, you're involved in a few things, and you have a community on your podcast, as well. But do you want to speak a little bit about your community and how that kind of fills your community pillar?


Ashish Nathu  33:45
Yeah, I think this quote, hit me really hard last year in the quote is: "Happiness is only real when shared." And I think for a long time we, as entrepreneurs, there's a phrase that people say all the time about, "it's lonely at the top", but actually, it's not really lonely, there are just fewer people that are willing to live that lifestyle. And so by creating a community, it's actually helped me big time, lives the fullness of life without getting wrapped up in stories that don't serve me. So for me, community means people that are vibrating at an energetic level that is similar, or close to yours, and it doesn't have to be the same hopefully, it's better to learn because we're all vibrating and so it pulls you up. And it's a community where you're able to live your most authentic real self and learn and experience life and make mistakes and be safe in all of your stupidity. Because we all make stupid mistakes, and we all do stupid things. And we have all these flare-ups and that's just how life is, but the community allows you to stay in an echo chamber where you can continuously move forward. In The Rich Equation, we started building, obviously, we have a podcast following, and that's kind of our community. Although, as you know, you don't get as many great like, the information is really poor. So you don't exactly know all the humans that are listening to it. So you have to funnel them into your community. And then we started doing these curated experiences, we call them epic men's trips, where we take 10 or 12 guys on a really curated adventure, and we go deep together, often they're strangers, and we build a community that way. And it allows people that are living life to get real, really fast, and to have fun and experience all of these different emotions, right? Joy, sadness, fear, anxiety, all of it in a really short amount of time, really, authentically. And we've been able to build some really great long-term lifetime type of relationships that are just amazing and beautiful. And I think, in that, in that authentic community, like, all the magic happens, right? Not only are you friends, but you also live life together, I have this phrase that I'm using a lot, I want to find people in my life that I want to live life together. So what does that mean? Right? In our communities what does that mean? Do you want to raise kids together, you want to run businesses together, you want to build wealth together, you want to travel together, want to make mistakes together? And that does it, and not everybody fits in that category?

Amber Stitt  36:24
Well, let's, let's pause there. I mean, you mentioned something about making sure you're around the right people. And sometimes it's unfortunate if people that have maybe grown up with you don't really belong in the same part of the chapter of your life, potentially. And it's not to be mean about it. It's just that sometimes if they're not moving forward in a direction, like you're saying, vibrating at a higher frequency, it might not be good for you. And we might need to move on and persevere and find people that have that energy. And I've seen some of that in my own life. And it's kind of awkward when you're like, oh, wow, I am not connecting the same way with these people. But then it's like, what is the opposite? I mean, I am creating all these relationships, and you mentioned businesses, what I want people to know is like, even if you meet people and they're not even in your home state...I mean, look at what you've done, you've met people from all over, all over the world, and potential business opportunities that are brewing, we are at this point. It's kind of a global event. Now. I mean, look at the businesses you have of a global nature, but you can meet people from all over and you can still live, how did you say that? 

Ashish Nathu  37:29
Live together. 

Amber Stitt  37:31

Yes, live together. But it doesn't necessarily always mean they have to be in person with you. Right. And that's what's been really cool about the last I would say four or five years is introverts can do their thing, either online, or for a limited time by going and seeing their friends, either local, or flying to them. Extroverts can go to town, and the people in the middle, you build your calendar kind of with what fulfills you, and how you are making your own money. But it's so amazing, we have so many options now. So many options.

Ashish Nathu  38:01
I think that the idea that we do have so many options can also be a little debilitating. So like, just take action, do something, do it, and then learn that "oh, that's not what I want to do", then do try something else don't get lost in all the optionality. Because we have so many options, and you can connect with so many people nowadays. And it should not be used as an excuse to do nothing. Yeah, like, do something and then learn, and then adapt, and then try again.

Amber Stitt  38:02 
Well, for any of the audience members that need to find a tribe. We're happy to help point you in the right direction coast to coast. So I think that's a perfect place to land. What do you think?

Ashish Nathu  38:39
I love it. I love it. Congratulations on everything you're doing, girl. I love it. I'm proud of you. Such a great thing you're doing. I don't think people realize that. This is all about community. Like you're not making any money by doing this podcast, it's about giving and serving and building trust.

Amber Stitt  39:00
Putting yourself out there. I mean, how do you feel as a public speaker per se, you personally? Are you the kind of person that could just hop on a video and just naturally have the knack? Is that your style? Knack in terms of public speaking. Do you love to be in front of people talking? Is that your thing? Well, and the reason I'm saying this to a lot of people, if they're asked to be on a podcast, some people get so nervous. I've been there, I think you've probably been there. But once you try it, it's not so bad. And so what I want to close with though, is that really, you can try different things as we've mentioned, but when you're seeing people out there actually doing the work, it takes a little practice and we've all kind of had to stumble and kind of trial and error. And larger audiences are hard for me and I'm a "Chatty Cathy" and I can just go "whoop" and forget my thoughts. That's where a conversation is a little bit easier. So I just want people to know that there's more vulnerability happening here. But just give it a try. Give something new a try and just see where it takes you. And so finding your community, there are ways to find that support and motivation. But yeah, build out that community. I think it's really important and it has been for me, so congrats, on your 100th episode. I can't wait to hear it. So. All right. Thank you so much for being here.

Ashish Nathu  39:15
No, not in big public settings. Like, if I know my crowd I am, I guess if I know my crowd, and I want to pour into them, I have no problem. I keep going. But if it's...yeah, I'm not like a public speaker type of guy. Thank you so much. And again, congratulations, it was an absolute pleasure.

Amber Stitt  40:31
Awesome. Have a good one. 

Ashish Nathu  40:33
You too.

Closing Outro  40:36
Thank you for joining us on today's episode of The Amber Stitt Show. For more information about the podcast, books, articles, and more, please visit me at amberstitt.com. Until next week, enjoy your journey at home and at work. Thank you for listening!