Week #10 – Messy (with Cassie Rajewich) - Rise and Write with Grace & James

Week #10 – Messy (with Cassie Rajewich)

In Episode #10 we interviewed Cassie Rajewich — writer, speaker, financial coach, full-time momma and business builder who is teaching women to “live out their bravest stories!” Cassie willingly let us in on her “messy middle” and shared with us how she has learned to say no to having it all right here and right now — so she can have the things that matter most in the long run!

“Budget, Boundaries, and Business”

One of the things that stuck with me from our interview with Cassie is how she has learned to use the resources that she has at her disposal now. Cassie knows what it’s like to be in debt, to go bankrupt, and to rebuild everything again — and she’s learned the hard way to live within her means, not just with money but with her space, time, and energy as well.

Because it’s hard to fund dreams, to feel creative, or to be brave when you’re running low in any one of those areas!

And as a full-time momma of three babies under six, Cassie has learned how to move forward with her dreams while juggling competing priorities in an interruption-rich environment, even if it means putting something on the back burner for a bit.

The other thing that stuck was the importance of building those resources SO THAT you can reinvest in yourself and your dreams in the long run. Debt keeps us mired in the past. Balance keeps us present. But profit — profit in any area propels us into the future!

So how do we get there? Well…Cassie specializes in real talk when it comes to personal finance and business strategy, and it’s nothing she wouldn’t say to herself:

“I’d like to say it’s gonna be okay but it’s not gonna be okay unless you pull your s*** together. It won’t be okay if you don’t get a plan and you don’t get a strategy…You better dig in, girl.”

Are you ready to dig in?

In addition to money…we talked about motherhood, multi-tasking, and so much more:

00:00 – INTRODUCTION – we introduce Cassie; money coach, sales strategist, social media brand manager
1:00 – THE MESSY MIDDLE – Cassie talks us through her pivot from a focus on single moms to financial coaching for women in business “leverage their income and live out their bravest story.” (I just love that tagline!)
3:52 – LEVERAGE – Cassie reminds us that your biggest asset is your income; use it to build your business/life/story.
5:00 – The SPIRITUAL SIDE OF MONEY – Jim asks about the brave story part…what that means spiritually; Cassie shares a little of her story; money/business/building our identity/story.
7:44 – EMOTIONAL JOURNEY – Grace asks Cassie how she perceives the difference in herself between now and then; learned to value her earning ability and what her money can build (not buy)
10:00 – THE HARDEST PART – Grace asks Cassie what’s the hardest idea to convey to one of her coaching clients; “saying no to whatever your yes-es are.” The difficulting with hearing “no”, “wait”, “Not now.”
11:55 – THE PROCESS – Jim asks about what the process is beyond “get out of debt”; Cassie talks about the importance of trust.
14:30 – THE PIVOT – Jim asks Cassie what the biggest challenge in the pivot was; Cassie talks about imposter syndrome; finding a new voice; finding new authority.
17:30 – STRUCTURE – Jim asks Cassie how she structures her day; Cassie talks about how her previous corporate structure didn’t translate to her own business; flowing her energy in an interruption-rich environment; being kind/patience/gentle with her kids; I don’t want to wait until I’m 60 — so I need to love it all now.
21:00 – BOUNDARIES – Cassie talks about her decision to put her book on the back-burner while she builds her business; “you have permission to put this down.” We talk about the enneagram again and knowing our limits; you cannot go into the negative with your time.
23:50 – SEASONS – we ask Cassie about the hardest part of the season that she’s in; her time; and how she has to fight the urge to chase shiny objects
24:48 – HOW SHE FILLS HERSELF UP – Cassie talks about her mastermind group; fellowship; therapy; 5am prayer with her husband; quiet time; coffee; no pressure until 9am; and taking time in the morning
26:51 – METHOD FOR GOAL SETTING – calendar; 5-year planning; very specific checklist every day;
27:48 – WHEN DO YOU STOP – Cassie tells us that she doesn’t have a firm stop time; but when she starts feeling like it isn’t going well anymore she shuts it off and plays;
28:38 – ONE YEAR OUT – Cassie tells us where’d she’d like to be in one year; clients; book; live interactions with humans!
30:20 – MY FAVORITE QUESTION – Cassie tells us what she’d tell young Cassie: “I’d like to say it’s gonna be okay but it’s not gonna be okay unless you pull your SHIT together; it won’t be okay if you don’t get a plan and you don’t get a strategy; and ou don’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps; you better lock in…who do you want to be?” “You better dig in, girl.”
32:24 – BABY BOMB – As Cassie tells us where we can find her, her little one makes an appearance!
33:38 – WRAP UP – Immediate reflections from Jim and Grace; getting things done when we can get them done; doing what she can, day by day, doing what she can, stopping when she needs to stop, not waiting for the clean calendar or perfect time; investing in yourself and your growth;

What about you?

Want to add to the conversation? We would love to talk with you about your experiences with content creating, collaborating, and keeping fun company for the journey! Join us in our private Facebook group where we break these discussions down each week, share tools and techniques, and hold each other accountable to the work we have been called to create.

Because we know it’s hard…we want to talk about how!

Up next: Tune in to our Facebook page tomorrow when we talk with writer, speaker, full-time professor of psychology, and mindset coach Kendra Burrows! (You ladies have amazed me!)

Until then, set your alarm for whatever time YOU feel most creative and productive, and then…

Rise and Write!
Grace

About Our Guest:

As certified money coach and sales strategist, Cassie Rajewich imperfectly challenges Christian business women to make friends with their finances so they can leverage their income and live out their bravest stories. She currenlty lives in Southern California with her husband, four free-range daughters, and their dog Bailey.

Website: cassierajewich.com
IG: @cassierajewich
FB: @cassierajewich