180: The Art of Asking Questions with Caryn Gillen

Tomorrow is Election Day here in the US. No matter what the outcome is, we have to ask ourselves how we want to proceed. We have taken so much for granted that it’s time to stop making assumptions. Far beyond who the next US president is, the truth remains that how we do things matters. Let’s talk about this concept. Show Highlights:Getting to the end we want through force and violence is NOT the answer. (Dr. Robert Svoboda brings the truth forward in his Aghora Trilogy that “The ends don’t justify the means–the ends ARE the means.”)Think about how you want to achieve your goals.Negative qualities bring negative karma.Relate this to your business and the outcome you want.Lead your work from a place of ease and spaciousness that honors your body and mind.Our only option is to be MORE intentional.A new way is emerging around self-care, energy, and trusting yourself.Can you treat your life like an altar?Finding personal inspiration from a dear friendGetting to the next level requires change.My advice around taking a pause, listening to your intuition, and infusing more intention and care into what you’re doingThe question: What can you do to bring more intention and awareness into how you are doing things?Resources:Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility, and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots are available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist & training here.Get the 2025 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the Guidebook! 100% of the profits go to a school for underprivileged kids in Varanasi.Sign the 2K for Change Pledge, committing as a spirit-led entrepreneur to give $2000 to causes in 2024 in cash and/or services. Learn more and sign up HERE.Join the newsletter for my weekly Resonance Love Letters. Get these exclusive Friday emails with tips on your business, astrology explained, and behind-the-scenes of running a multi-six-figure business! Sign up here.Follow Paula on Instagram @weaveyourbliss for astrological insights, marketing tips, and behind-the-scenes looks at Weave Your Bliss. Paula loves connecting with you there - send her a DM!Will you do us a favor?If you love this episode, I ask you to 1) share it with a spirit-led entrepreneur you think could benefit, and 2) rate and review the podcast on your app of choice. Thank you!You can review it wherever you listen just by clicking here:RateThisPodcast.com/cosmicbusinessIt will only take 2 minutes!We are so grateful that you take the time to do that so others can easily find us.

Do you want to get better at asking questions? Do you want to learn more about having stellar sales calls with potential clients? Are you on the verge of making a big leap and need a pep talk from an expert? We are covering these topics and more in this episode about the difference between therapy and coaching. Join us to learn more!Caryn Gillen is a coach and strategist for coaches who helps them make their businesses as great as their coaching. After getting her master’s in counseling psychology and working as a therapist, she turned to coaching and found her sweet spot that’s fueled her passion for the past 15 years. Her coaching practice centers around her personal values of spaciousness, integrity, wholeheartedness, connection, and growth. Caryn lives and works in Eugene, Oregon. Show Highlights:Caryn’s story of discovering coaching and settling into this profession after a short stint as a therapistCaryn’s perspective on the difference between therapy and coachingThe process of coaching so you can hold space for someone and feel confident and trusting of yourself“Coaching IS questions. Coaches are professional question-askers.”Caryn’s favorite coaching questions come from “left field” and her intuition.The role of intuition in Caryn’s business, even in making difficult decisions and taking big leapsCaryn’s advice about finding your “number” and building toward that for safety and securityCultivating relationships to benefit your businessA look at Caryn’s astrology–and what it says about connection, success, and entrepreneurshipStellar sales calls that deliver results from a place of curiosityCaryn’s process of loving peopleA pep talk to coach yourself through a moment of “stuckness”“An exceptional life requires taking exceptional steps.”Making sense of human designThoughts on spaciousness, alignment, and purposeHear Caryn’s answers to rapid-fire questions about helpful advice, morning routine, what she’s reading right nowResources:Connect with Caryn GillenWebsite (Contact Caryn for The 30-Day Guide to Powerful Questions.) *Mentioned in this episode: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, On Our Best Behaviour: The Price Women Pay to Be Good  by Elise Loehnen, and The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. GerberConnect with PaulaGet 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility, and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots are available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist & training here.Get the 2025 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the...

What can we expect in 2025? Today’s episode covers many details to help you think about and plan for the year ahead. Want to know more? Get your copy of the 2025 Astrology Guidebook by visiting our website. Show Highlights:The biggest astrological news of 2025: Saturn moves into Pisces in March and what this means2025 is a Piscean year with characteristics of endings, loss, opening to new spiritual realms, research, philanthropy, and exploration (and Saturn constricts all of these)An omen of instabilityIt’s time to cultivate your in-person, local support system and take care of yourself and your loved ones.Bright spots in 2025 around grace, material well-being, and social interactionsEclipses across the Ancestor Fortnight (again) will bring things to the surface to be purged.Auspicious dates for launches in 2025My advice for 2025: “Look at your inner world, double down on practices, deepen your trust in the karmic unfolding, care for yourself, strengthen your intuition, stay in deep alignment with your path and purpose, and trust your inner knowing.”Resources:Connect with PaulaGet 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility, and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots are available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist & training here.Get the 2025 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the Guidebook! 100% of the profits go to a school for underprivileged kids in Varanasi.Sign the 2K for Change Pledge, committing as a spirit-led entrepreneur to give $2000 to causes in 2024 in cash and/or services. Learn more and sign up HERE.Join the newsletter for my weekly Resonance Love Letters. Get these exclusive Friday emails with tips on your business, astrology explained, and behind-the-scenes of running a multi-six-figure business! Sign up here.Follow Paula on Instagram @weaveyourbliss for astrological insights, marketing tips, and behind-the-scenes looks at Weave Your Bliss. Paula loves connecting with you there - send her a DM!Will you do us a favor?If you love this episode, I ask you to 1) share it with a spirit-led entrepreneur you think could benefit, and 2) rate and review the podcast on your app of choice. Thank you!You can review it wherever you listen just by clicking here:RateThisPodcast.com/cosmicbusinessIt will only take 2 minutes!We are so grateful that you take the time to do that so others can easily find us.

I am excited to bring you this episode, which has been a long time coming. The tables are turned on me today as my coach, Liz Kimball, interviews me about my creative process, which requires vulnerability. I’m being open and candid about making space this summer to write my book. You’ll hear how I moved through blocks, made space to write, and developed a feminine perspective on business and creativity that is essential to mental health and success. I hope you enjoy this conversation!Liz Kimball is a creativity coach and catalyst dedicated to helping the next generation of women creators produce the meaningful, creative works of their lifetime. She is the creator of The Creative15, The Original Source Creativity Incubator, and the Expansion Project. Her work focuses on catalyzing individual and collective change through the magic of the creative process. Her work has been featured at TEDx, Oprah.com, The Female Quotient, and at universities and institutions nationwide. Show Highlights:Paula’s process and where she is right nowFulfilling a lifelong dream to be a writerFinding flow, showing up in content creation, and trusting your voiceDeciding what to write–and realizing we aren’t in control of the timeline“Breaking the mold” and existing “outside the box”Making sure shame is taken out of the room in the creative processIt’s okay to let yourself want what you want.Honoring the material by not editing while writing–”Let yourself BE in the wildness.”Reclaiming your power and energy by allowing the creative process to unfoldCurating your inputs, honoring your intuition, and pulling back from things that squelch creativityObstacles that came up in making the writing vision a realityFinding pleasure in the process—(THAT’S the ROI!)What Paula has learned about having spaciousness and maintaining balanceDon’t wait for the space to show up!Paula’s advice to someone who has heard the creative call but has not taken actionBeing aware of “retrieving” and “releasing” in the creative processResources:Connect with Liz Kimball:WebsiteInstagramConnect with PaulaJoin Paula for a free workshop, Empowering Your Sincere Desires, taking place this Weds from 12-1pm ET.Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility, and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots are available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist & training here.Get the 2025 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the Guidebook! 100% of the profits go to a school for underprivileged kids in Varanasi.Sign the 2K for Change Pledge, committing as a...

We are diving into the topic of karma and politics with my guest, Dr. Robert Svoboda. You’ve heard him on the podcast numerous times, as we have covered many fascinating topics with him in the past, taking advantage of learning from his wisdom and expertise. We are taking a big-picture view of this political moment in time, along with the karma of being involved in a political system and the dilemma of why or why not to vote. You’ll hear our personal thoughts on current political threads as if you’re a fly on the wall in our conversation. This episode is an overview of how to stay sane in a time when Rahu is on the scene, and we’ll explain what that means. The biggest takeaway from this conversation is that we are in a time of unpredictability and ungrounding energy, and our responsibility is to navigate this season with grace, skill, and overriding respect as helpful spiritual practitioners. Join us to learn more!Show Highlights:Being in a period of Rahu: What does that mean? What are the basics we need to understand?Characteristics of people (including political candidates) who are manifesting RahuRemedies to stay calm, grounded, and steady in the middle of chaos and disruptionThe importance of voting as a civic responsibility–and a karmaBeing part of a political system, whether you like it or notThe collective and shared karma of the population getting the ruler we “deserve”Dr. Svoboda’s historical perspective of communities, governance, and democracyUnpacking “the ends” and “the means” relating to cause and effect concerning Israel and GazaReforming, rebuilding, and restructuring our political system must begin locally. Our responsibility to reduce harm and negativity within the political realm“Religion combined with politics creates a huge karmic mess.”What we can do to calm our nervous systems and care for ourselves during this timeUsing our knowledge of history to help us make good decisionsResources:Connect with PaulaGet 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility, and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots are available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist & training here.Get the 2025 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the Guidebook! 100% of the profits go to a school for underprivileged kids in Varanasi.Sign the 2K for Change Pledge, committing as a spirit-led entrepreneur to give $2000 to causes in 2024 in cash and/or services. Learn more and sign up HERE.Join the newsletter for my weekly Resonance Love Letters. Get these exclusive Friday emails with tips on your business, astrology explained, and behind-the-scenes of running a multi-six-figure business! Sign up here.Follow Paula on Instagram @weaveyourbliss for astrological insights, marketing tips, and behind-the-scenes looks at Weave Your...

Perfectionism shows up in your business, affecting much of what you do and don’t do. Most of these sneaky effects of perfectionism come in forms you probably don’t even realize. Let’s jump into this topic and discuss what you can do about pesky perfectionism.&nbsp;Show Highlights:Perfectionism: It’s insidious, and we’ve been indoctrinated!Flawlessness is an impossible standard.Saturn’s role in showing us where perfectionism stops our progress through doubt and dissatisfactionSaturn represents oppression, and the antidote is taking back your power to be of service in the world.13 ways you may be getting stuck in perfectionism:Taking too much time to create contentTrying to stuff too many ideas into your contentComparing yourself to others with self-criticismNot taking breaks or taking care of your bodyLacking or avoiding strategy by “throwing spaghetti at the wall”Not being real about your numbers or treating your business like a businessNot delegating or asking for helpNot experimenting&nbsp;Not collaboratingScarcity thinkingTrying to solve ALL of your client’s problemsProcrastinatingStaying in “the waiting room” too longTake time to reflect on these characteristics of perfectionism and journal how they apply to you and how you can move forward from perfectionism.Resources:Connect with PaulaJoin the Cosmic Business Lab, my year-long container to help you build a business that adds $10,000/month to your income working 4 days a week, all in alignment with your values. Sign up here.Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility, and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots are available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist &amp; training here.Ask me anything! I'll be sharing another special episode to answer your questions. Email them to [email protected] with the subject line “AMA.”Get the 2024 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the Guidebook! 100% of the profits go to a school for underprivileged kids in Varanasi.Sign the 2K for Change Pledge, committing as a spirit-led entrepreneur to give $2000 to causes in 2024 in cash and/or services. Learn more and sign up HERE.Help us with research so that we can create the tools to help you build giving into your business (this is also research for a book I'm writing!) Thank you.&nbsp;Join the newsletter for my weekly Resonance Love Letters. Get these exclusive Friday emails with tips on your business, astrology explained, and behind-the-scenes of running a multi-six-figure business! Sign up here.Follow Paula on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/weaveyourbliss/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Today’s episode takes a deeper look at community, connection, forgiveness, spirituality, and humanity. It’s a conversation guaranteed to make you think about your life, relationships, and the paradoxes that exist in our lives. Join us to learn more!Sah D’Simone is a spiritual revolutionary, mystic, artist, award-winning filmmaker, and the author of the international bestseller, Spiritually Sassy: 8 Radical Steps to Activate Your Innate Superpowers. Sah is well known for hosting the top-rated The Spiritually Sassy Show podcast and The Big Celebrity Detox on UK Channel 4 and for creating the Somatic Activated Healing (SAH) Method. In this episode, we talk about his latest book, Spiritually We, which looks at the role of friendship and connection on the spiritual path, how we can be better friends and much more.&nbsp;Show Highlights:Sah’s latest book and its focus on “feeling” the relationality of spiritualityThe impetus for writing THIS book right nowSah’s approach to a deeper concept of forgiveness, grief, and friendshipSah’s birth chart: input about community, creativity, and “making sense of the riddle of being human”The art of holding people in paradox allows friendship to flourishMissing paradox, being uncomfortable, and the mistake we make by defining a person with one wordUsing mindfulness in our inner world and the outer world by using truthOperating from an “I don’t know” and “just like me” perspective of other peopleThe process of ending a friendship and putting someone out of your lifeWhat the Dunbar research tells us about the people we knowSah’s experience in metabolizing grief over the loss of his mother&nbsp;“Listening to the whisper” while being pragmatic as an entrepreneurDoing work that aligns with your purposeHear Sah’s answers to questions about helpful advice, morning routine (and sleep!), and books he is reading/recommending.Resources:Connect with PaulaJoin the Cosmic Business Lab, my year-long container to help you build a business that adds $10,000/month to your income working 4 days a week, all in alignment with your values. Sign up here.Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 3 spots available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist &amp; training here.Ask me anything! I'll be sharing another special episode to answer your questions. Email them to [email protected] with the subject line “AMA.”Get the 2024 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that

I’m back after a summer hiatus, and I have much to share with you about how I spent these two months, mostly focused on writing my book. I’ve had the chance to connect more fully with our farm, harvesting, preserving, and canning food. I even experimented with making pickles, drying herbs, and creating herb blends. Many great guests and conversations are coming up for you on the podcast, and I can’t wait to share them with you!We are in the middle of huge astrological events! The ancestor fortnight and eclipse tomorrow are monumental in the way they align. I want to talk about their impact and what you can do during this time. Join me to learn more!Show Highlights:Two powerful cosmic phenomena are combining to make this fall a very intense and transformative moment:Details about the first eclipse: tomorrow, Sept. 17 at 10:34 pm EasternThere are signs of ending and loss, and this is a bad time to make aesthetic decisions. We should focus more on spiritual practices.Details about the second eclipse: Oct. 2 at 2:48 pm EasternThere are signs of working with your hands, manipulation and making things happen. This is THE single most inauspicious day of the year, which makes it a lay-low day. This is a good time to honor our ancestors. For your business, steer clear of important conversations and doing business; stay behind the scenes and work on systems and processes.&nbsp;A recap of important dos and don’ts for now through Sept. 18 and Sept. 17-Oct. 2This is a great time for extra self-care, less screen time, eating easily digestible foods, and getting extra rest.This is a great time for reflection on “what has been” in honoring the ancestors and performing rituals to call them forward.How I use the ritual of offering incense and sweets to a body of water on behalf of my ancestors to reduce karmic friction and disturbancesFocusing on our personal well-being can benefit our businesses by putting us in the best shape possible to be in a good flow to move forward!Resources:Connect with PaulaJoin the Cosmic Business Lab, my year-long container to help you build a business that adds $10,000/month to your income working 4 days a week, all in alignment with your values. Sign up here.Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist &amp; training here.Ask me anything! I'll be sharing another special episode to answer your questions. Email them to [email protected] with the subject line “AMA.”Get the 2024 Astrology Guidebook and receive all my hand-picked lay-low and auspicious days for the year, plus major transits and auspicious dates from the Indian calendar that you can drop right into your Google calendar. We have added exciting, new features in the latest version of the Guidebook! 100% of the profits go to a school for underprivileged kids in Varanasi.Sign the 2K for Change Pledge, committing as a spirit-led entrepreneur to give $2000 to causes in 2024 in cash and/or services. Learn more and sign up HERE.<a...

This is the last of our summer hiatus episodes, and I hope you’ve enjoyed revisiting some of our favorites. Today’s replay comes from October 2022 when David Nichtern joined the podcast. In this episode, we talk about the crazy ride of serial entrepreneurship and how creativity and spirituality add extra layers of richness to the journey. Don’t miss this conversation with David!David Nichtern is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the early students of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who came to the US in 1970. David is a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings that integrate meditation into a larger health and well-being context, including Goldman Sachs, Sturdy Meditation, Creative Live, and more. He has been featured in media outlets such as the NY Times, FOX News, and Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel movie. David hosts a podcast based on his book, Creativity, Spirituality, and Making a Buck. A highly regarded composer, David composed the song “Midnight at the Oasis,” which you have probably heard, and he has composed scores for Christopher Guest’s film, The Big Picture. He has also produced multiple records and periodically tours with Grammy-nominated kirtan performer Krishna Das. Adding to his impressive accomplishments, David has played with Stevie Wonder, Jerry Garcia, Lana Del Rey, Maria Muldaur, Paul Simon, and many others.&nbsp;**Please see Resources below for sign-up links for the Cosmic Business Lab and the Cosmic Business Mastermind.&nbsp;Show Highlights:&nbsp;David’s lifelong love affair with music, inspired and nurtured by his familyLearning improvisation from his Uncle Irv—and the important cornerstone that making music could be his livelihoodThe magical place where creativity and spirituality meet–and how these worlds collided in David’s lifeThe hit song, “Midnight at the Oasis” opened many doors for David and brought him success.Mixing spirituality into his music world through yoga, retreats, and his teacherDavid’s astrology aligns perfectly with his life story.Managing his ideas and intuition as a serial entrepreneur with the philosophy “to join heaven and earth”David’s motivation to write his book–and what he hopes people take away from itDavid’s advice about money for spiritual peopleReflections on the most meaningful lessons David has learned from his teachersSpiritual practice helps in entrepreneurship and salesDavid’s answers to rapid-fire questions about helpful advice, grounding habits, favorite hot beverage, last meal on earth, morning routine, an inspiring person, something people might not know about him, what he’s reading/recommending, and what’s bringing him joy right nowResources:Connect with PaulaJoin the Cosmic Business Lab, my year-long container to help you build a business that adds $10,000/month to your income working 4 days a week, all in alignment with your values. Sign up here.Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist &amp; training here.Ask me...

We are down to the last two summer hiatus episodes before we return with new ones. As we’ve done all summer, today’s episode is a replay of a great episode from a few months ago. It’s packed with helpful information that you can use as I’m joined by my online business manager (OBM), Ksenia Derouin. We are discussing the role of an OBM and how she has stepped in with solid support in hiring my executive assistant. If you are a business owner looking to hire in the near future, this episode will prepare you to hire your next rockstar team member. I cannot say enough about the life-changing hire of an OBM for my business, and I can only hope that your next hire brings to you what Ksenia has brought to my business!Ksenia Derouin is more than a business strategist and online business manager. She is a dedicated ally for small business owners, working moms, wellness entrepreneurs, and creative minds. She has a heart for helping others realize their dreams. She combines over 10 years of entrepreneurial savvy with a friendly, approachable style. Her goals are to make things simpler and more joyful for business owners as she teaches them to streamline their operations and set up systems that really work to grow a business that’s profitable AND flexible. She is the go-to person for building a business that thrives on your terms and blends professional growth with well-being.&nbsp;Please see Resources below for sign-up links for the Cosmic Business Lab and the Cosmic Business Mastermind.&nbsp;Show Highlights:What is an OBM, and how do you know if you need one?The difference between the roles of a VA (virtual assistant) and an OBM (online business managerConsiderations to measure your readiness to hire an OBMSteps taken by Paula and Ksenia as they started in the EA (executive assistant) hiring process: clarify the role and how it will grow, use tools like ChatGPT to help in writing, post the job to social media and your newsletter community, sort through applicants’ forms and videos, and use a systematic approach to narrow down and rate applicantsLooking for alignment and harmony when considering applicants—and considering what their astrology showsKsenia’s thoughts about what to look for in the hiring processWhat makes a good OBMKsenia’s path that brought her where she is todayKsenia’s changing relationship to productivity over time as she’s learned to prioritize her life and take better care of herselfKsenia’s recommendations about up-leveling the operating systems in your businessWhy it’s important to know yourself, your body, your cycles, etc.Hear Ksenia’s answers to rapid-fire questions about helpful advice, morning routine, and what she’s reading/recommending.&nbsp;Resources:Connect with PaulaJoin the Cosmic Business Lab, my year-long container to help you build a business that adds $10,000/month to your income working 4 days a week, all in alignment with your values. Sign up here.Get 1:1 astrological support to align with your purpose, assess compatibility and find auspicious timing for launches and sales in a day-long. Can potentially be in person. Only 5 spots available in the fall. More info here.Get your free Heal Your Money Karma checklist &amp; training here.Ask me anything! I'll be sharing another special episode to answer your questions. Email them to [email protected] with the subject line “AMA.”<a...