Cynthia Sanchez Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Cynthia Sanchez
Cynthia Sanchez is today’s guest joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots business coaching podcast.
She was someone who I just knew was a person that I wanted to have on the show, as she has a story to tell that I found fascinating.
Like so many people in the world, Cynthia Sanchez had a career which she balanced.
Balanced with being a full-time mother and wife to her beloved family.
Everyday she went to work, as a full-time radiation oncology nurse, and every evening she came back and probably did the same kind of things as most Mothers.
She dealt with the dinner, the washing, and all the other things that us men try to get out of doing.
How The Dots Joined Up For Cynthia
But unlike many people with the same responsibilities, she didn’t just play safe and continue with her career until retirement, as deep down a fire burned brightly.
A fire to go out on her own, and create her own business…in the online world of Pinterest.
But how did Cynthia convince her family, that it was time for a change?
How did she gain the support of her husband to make such a bold move?
Well I don’t know but back in 2012, she walked into her medical career for the last time, and quite simply hasn’t looked back.
Although I’m going to ask her just that today, as the powerhouse of Pinterest, is ready to look back over her life to “Join Up Dots”…
Well let’s bring onto the show to start joining up dots, as we discuss the words of Steve Jobs with the one and only Cynthia Sanchez.
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics such as:
How the great Pat Flynn turned Cynthia into a podcaster with power and influence!
How not to worry about what others think!
Who she considers to be the best Doctor Who actor!
The transition she needed to go through to find her true self!
And lastly……
What it was like to present to an audience…when one of them was her husband!
How To Connect With Cynthia Sanchez
Return To The Top Of Cynthia Sanchez
If you enjoyed this episode of Join Up Dots then why not listen to some of our favourite podcast episodes such as JB Glossinger, Kenneth Kelly, Jessica Rhodes or the amazing Andrew Bryant
Or if you prefer just pop over to our podcast archive for thousands of amazing episodes to choose from.
Audio Transcription Of Cynthia Sanchez Interview
David Ralph [0:41]
Yes hello again out there in internet land all my merry band of listeners. How are you today? I hope you’re all right. I’m all right, because it’s Episode 14. So we have been live for two weeks now. No, no, honestly hold it back, hold it back. You’re too tired. I’m not working, I’m really not worth it. But um, today’s guest is worth it. Because this is someone who I just knew was a person that I wanted to have on the show. From the very beginning. And she has a storey to tell that I I simply found fascinating. Like so many people in the world, this lady had a career, which he balanced with being a full time mother and wife to her beloved family. Every day, she went to work as a full time radiation oncology nurse. And every evening she came back, and I’m kind of guessing here probably did the same kind of things as most mothers. she dealt with a dinner, the washing and all the other things that as men try to get out of doing. But unlike many people with the same responsibilities, she didn’t just play, Save and Continue with her career until retirement as deep down a fire, burn brightly, a fire to go out on her own and create her own business in the online world of Pinterest. But how did she convince her family that it was time for a change? How did you gain the support of a husband to make such a bold move? When I don’t know. But back in 2012, she walked into a medical centre here for the last time and quite simply hasn’t looked back, although I’m going to ask her to do just back today, as the powerhouse of Pinterest is ready to look back over her life to Join Up Dots. So welcome to the show. But lovely and talented. Cynthia Sanchez. How are you today? Cynthia?
Cynthia Sanchez [2:18]
I David I’m doing wonderful. I just love that introduction. I really liked it. Thank you
David Ralph [2:23]
know, you’re absolutely welcome. It has you know, I don’t want to sort of push that the womanly side onto it. But I imagine there was at that point of your transition, which we’re going to come in later, there was probably some reluctance in your heart that I’m in a career. I’m doing what I I trained to do. Why throw it up in the air? What would that be? Right?
Cynthia Sanchez [2:46]
Oh, my goodness. 101,000%. Right. Yes.
David Ralph [2:51]
So how did you sort of overcome those fears? Now normally, what I do on these kind of episodes is I talk a bit about your, you know, where you live, and all that kind of stuff. But this was some fundamental dots in your joining up the dots that I really thought we should cut to the chase and get to it straight away. So how did you overcome those fears? How did you build up to that point where you actually thought, yes, I think there’s a new career for me, which actually is probably a better thing than what I’m doing.
Cynthia Sanchez [3:18]
And it was a lot of soul searching quickly. And because it really did happen rather quickly. Things started changing with this blog that I started for fun, into something more serious. And it was through conversations, you know, with my husband, especially that it really led me to say, Yep, now is the time, now is the time to make that choice. And just go ahead and leave. There were things changing in the clinic that I was working at, at the time, and it was you know, there were things going on with my family, my kids, you know, getting older and things. So there was a lot of change going on. It’s like, well, what’s one more, you know, that’s kind of been our family motto, what’s one more and, and it did take a lot of thinking and it was scary, it was absolutely terrifying to to not go back to let them know that I wouldn’t be there anymore. But I knew if I didn’t take this chance, it could be a huge opportunity missed. So I just had to
David Ralph [4:09]
say so you’re laying in bed, the morning of handing your cards in, and you get up and have a shower and you have your breakfast and all that kind of stuff. Well, maybe you couldn’t have breakfast because I imagine ups turning a bit inside. You drive down to the down to the hospital, wherever you were was no point at that where you felt no, I can’t do it. I can’t do I can’t do it, or were you so tunnel vision at that stage. But it was going to happen, whatever.
Cynthia Sanchez [4:35]
Oh, that morning, I was so excited. I was so happy. I was so ready. Because you know, I gave him you know, quite a few weeks notice. So all that kind of you know, churning and anxiety kind of had a little, you know, few weeks to kind of wear out a little bit and just more of the optimism and the hope and you know, the ideal of you know, what could be coming in the future had more time to build up. So I was excited. I was ready. I couldn’t wait for that clock to you know, at that time I was leaving at 430 I couldn’t wait for that clock to chime for 30 I was because then that meant I was free to do everything that I wanted to do for myself for my business, and free to take care of my family how I wanted to take care of them when I wanted to take care of them. So I just couldn’t wait that day.
David Ralph [5:18]
Did you actually bring any of your friends your nurses into that fold before you actually sold them? you handed in your cards? Did you Did you talk to nurse Nellie or whatever her name would be to say? Do you realise this is what I’m going to be doing? Or did you keep it totally secret until you walked in the doors dropping? Oh my god, Cynthia’s leaving.
Cynthia Sanchez [5:39]
I know some of my co workers didn’t know what I was up to. They knew about the blog. Some of them even participated in it when it was just more of a fun kind of blog. And you know, so they kind of knew what I was up to, they didn’t really understand it. They didn’t really under even understand the concept of a blog, much less a podcast. And so it was it was kind of foreign to them. And they just thought I was doing doing something silly online. But then when they kind of got to see things change, and I started getting clients and the shift of the or the focus of the blog shifted to more of a business kind of aspect of Pinterest. And the kind of started to take notice what do you mean and then one of my co workers actually started her own personal blog. She has since I guess in the podcasting world, we call it call it pod fated I guess she blog faded. It didn’t last very long. Yeah, yeah. But but they definitely I, you know, they understood they they knew about it.
David Ralph [6:34]
So where did this come from? You going in, you know, as a child was your dream to be a nurse first of all? Or was that a sort of Join Up Dots being where you stumbled into it? What, what was the path, I actually
Cynthia Sanchez [6:48]
stumbled into it. And, you know, fortunately, my family and you know, my, my siblings, my parents, my my kids, we had all been very, very healthy, I really didn’t have much experience in the medical field world. And, you know, aside from, you know, oh, I broke a leg and you know, in and out of the emergency room. And that was it, you know, I really didn’t, you know, have much exposure to nurses, there are no medical professionals in my family. And so when I first went to college, I thought it’s kind of funny. And I wanted to major in marketing. And, you know, this was this was quite a few years ago, way before internet way before internet marketing and social media and that type of thing. And I got into my first accounting class, and I absolutely hated it. And I looked at you know, the the courses that I was gonna have to take after that. It’s like, you know what, I’m just going to sit in an office all day and figure out how to make other people money. This isn’t how I want to spend my life. And so I really looked at things and what I really wanted to do and what really made me happy. And the experiences that I had up to that point, you know, all of being 18 years old, not very many have to then, you know, it’s like what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to be a teacher, I love teaching I love you know, being around kids and seeing that light bulb go off. And so I thought I was going to be teacher and shifting, change my major teaching. And in the middle of college, I met my future husband in October of my sophomore year of college. And by the following June we were married. And following up. That was a very quick, very quick,
David Ralph [8:18]
how old were you? You were like 19?
Cynthia Sanchez [8:21]
Yes, yes, I was 19 years old. Yeah. And then soon after we got married, I got pregnant. And then soon after that, we had our first set of twins. The set of twins.
David Ralph [8:34]
first set of twins. Yeah. How many twins have you got? We’ve got two sets, two sets of twins. And yes, boys and girls. Are they mixed twins or have
Unknown Speaker [8:43]
identical oldest
Cynthia Sanchez [8:44]
oldest sets fraternal girls, so they do not look alike at all. And then the younger set is boy and a girl. So also fraternal Of course.
David Ralph [8:51]
So So what is the odds in of having two sets of twins? It must be a lot higher,
Cynthia Sanchez [8:55]
a lot higher than I ever anticipated? Yeah. Yeah, the first set was a complete and total surprise, because they weren’t really twins and our families. And until I didn’t know, there were until after, you know, I found out I was having twins. And they said, Oh, yeah, great grandma, but she never had them, you know, the miscarriage, who knows way back when you know, and you know, and that’s not something you bring up over, you know, you know, a dinner or something. So we just didn’t know. And then, and, you know, we knew that there was somewhat of a risk that they would happen again. So we waited five years until we thought about maybe maybe trying for a son. But then we got the bonus girl too. So we’re happy.
David Ralph [9:34]
I’ve got five kids. And I would have thought that the actual having twins, everyone sort of says, Oh, it’s great to have twins, you get it out of the way all in one go. But going through it like I had for years and years and years and years, when you have one who’s keeping you awake all night, but you can get them down and grab a couple of hours. It must be terrible, really terrible to have one waking up when the other ones sleep and vice versa. You must have killed you did it?
Cynthia Sanchez [9:59]
It was exhausting. It was exhausting. You know, both times when they were you know newborn to about one or two, you really don’t remember much that part of those those periods of my life are a complete blur. Just because you are slow. So sleep deprived. Yeah. And, you know, fortunately, my husband and I, you know, we’re good tag team, we take turns, we’d help each other, you know, we got in this together, we’re getting through it together. And so and you know, we got lucky with our kids, and they would they would be nice enough for one to sleep through while the other one was eating, you know, and just, you know, kind of be patient and wait their turn most nights So, but it was it was exhausting. But it was it was absolutely wonderful at the same time. But the next ones that come through, you must have gone. Oh my god.
David Ralph [10:42]
You must even putting your most positive head on, Cynthia, you must have gone Yes. Oh, can’t we just have a one?
Cynthia Sanchez [10:50]
Yeah, it would be so much more fun. But um, yeah. When I found out I was pregnant with a second set, you know, my younger kids were just about to start school. And we’ve went to the as soon as I found out I was pregnant, we just moved to a new city just bought a new house that was perfect for a family of four and too small for anything else. And we said, okay, well, maybe one baby, maybe one baby will fit in here. So soon as I got pregnant, I called a doctor got an appointment right away, I need you to tell me there’s just one. I went in for my appointment, they did an ultrasound right away. And they saw that there were two I started crying, my husband started laughing hysterically. We just we didn’t there was no other way to react. We just knew it was coming. And you know, we were excited and thrilled and just hope for Happy, happy, healthy babies. But we knew what we were in for.
David Ralph [11:37]
Well, good on you. And it sounds like a lovely family unit that supports each other from from what you
Cynthia Sanchez [11:43]
said it’s definitely
David Ralph [11:44]
so when you decided get get get jumping back to it when you decided to actually, you know, be honest, pro it up your career into the air and see where it lands. The conversations that you had with your kids, how old were they at that time? Did they understand better? Hang on things are going to change fundamentally in the household?
Cynthia Sanchez [12:04]
Yeah, well, actually, I’ve had a couple of those conversations with my kids. You know, when when we kind of started down that path of me having kids, I was still going to college to become a teacher. Well, then the kids came along, my husband had to go back in the day we we moved a lot, I was not able to finish my degree at that time. So I knew I wanted to finish my degree. But since we had moved so much, I was pretty much going to have to start over no matter which school I started up at again. And really thought about it, do I want to be a teacher? Is that what I really want. And in the process, I had been in and out of the hospital, having children and having a couple of sick kids who required a lot of care. And I saw that, you know, there were really good nurses. And there were some really bad nurses. And it made a huge difference on how I felt as a parent and as you know, a patient and sometimes, and you know the difference it made for me personally to have a really great nurse or a really bad nurse. And it’s like, that’s what I wanted to do. So I like the science behind it. I like the teaching so much of nursing is to. So it kind of brought it all together my geeky nerdy science II side and the teaching side. And so I had to have that conversation with my kids. Because I went back to nursing school full time, I took classes here and there to work up to my nursing degree. But went back to nursing school full time when my oldest kids were, I guess about 1213. And my youngest ones were you know, six, or seven, or eight, I guess in that age, so they were old enough to understand and I had to go back to school full time. And so I would go to their school activities with books on my lap and reading and studying leave, you know, at the crack of dawn for clinical rotations and back and forth. So they understand stood and got to see me go through this experience of completing my education. So when I came back, you know, six years later and said, you know, guess what, kids want changing things up again. They’re like, okay, here goes mom again. But then they got to watch me go through this experience. And I think it’s actually been a good thing for them to witness a good thing for them to see me go through these, these struggles. And these, these, you know, changes and these adventures, you know, and pushing myself, they’re, they’re my biggest support system, have you
David Ralph [14:05]
changed as a, as a person from going into Pinterest and stuff, when you look back on the person that you will notice time, are you because I’m imagine with like the public speaking and everything that comes out of being an online presence, you must fundamentally change in dramatic ways.
Cynthia Sanchez [14:24]
Oh, my goodness, yes, so much, so much. Confidence is, you know, just 100 times more I would say because, you know, kind of the way I was raised, I was you know, and I was a pretty shy kid growing up really shy into until when I had my kids I think and then I had to be the voice for them. And I had to you know, protect them and, you know, take care of them I was I was kind of just kind of let things happen really passive. And and you know, the you know, being a mom definitely changes that for you because you got to protect your kids, you know, stand up for your family. And then I had to stand up for my patients. Sometimes I had to be the voice for my patients when they couldn’t speak for themselves, or you know, what was best or, you know, depending on you know, what role I was playing at the hospital, I had to, you know, kind of sometimes confront doctors sometimes confront family members, you know, and and really, you know, do what was best for them and, you know, help people to understand why or what that situation was. So the nursing aspect definitely did help with the confidence. But when I had to take everything on my own shoulders, and this is still a you know, kind of a learning process. For me, I have not been doing this that long. So I’m still getting out there and figuring out how to be, I guess more confident and change my my personality a little bit from being that shy, passive person into being somebody that’s, you know, okay, and having a great time speaking in front of hundreds of people, and I’m really enjoying it, you know, I kind of had to put that fear aside really quickly and just get in and embrace it.
David Ralph [15:48]
Because it is quite a different journey that I’ve done. I’ve come from a training environment. So I’ve been used for 2030 years of standing up in front of people and public speaking. And so whenever I was a best man at a wedding, or you know, father the bride up in a couple of times, I would just get up and do it. And it was no skin off my nose, you know, it was no sweat, I just sort of open my mouth and it all comes out. But coming on the other side of the mic has been a totally different ball game, because it’s just a different skill and you try to be your natural self, but you need to kind of move the equaliser a bit and bring up certain parts of your character which aren’t very normal life. So we’ve you going from the nursing, you must have been playing with that graphic equaliser a lot until you found a person that you fought Yes, this is more competent, but is more close to my unique self. Would that be true?
Cynthia Sanchez [16:45]
That would be very true. It’s like Yeah, I love how you said it you have to play with the equaliser just a little bit. You know, I you know, when I when I get on the podcast, when I’m recording these shows, I’m like me plus point two five plus point five. Yeah, I know just to get that into he asked him to come across you know the mic, because if I’m just if I were to relax and sit back and start talking like I would if you know you were here and we were having a cup of coffee, it would be more like this. And coming across the microphone, that’s just that’s just not good enough, you kind of have to have a little bit more energy and a little bit more fun with it. Even though this is a really good conversation, you know that we’re having this isn’t a formal interview. It just it I don’t know the microphone, I find the same thing with video cameras, it just kind of knocks you down just a little bit. So you have to be you plus just a smidge to get that energy across.
David Ralph [17:33]
Yeah, I agree with that. Totally. And that’s a good learning curve for anyone out there. fake it until you make it just kind of pertain but you are going to be someone and generally after a while, it just becomes natural, even if it wasn’t at the beginning.
Cynthia Sanchez [17:48]
Mm hmm. Definitely. Especially at the beginning, I had you know, and it’s I had to figure out and I’m still figuring out how much is too much. How much is not enough, you know, and that type of thing. So it’s it’s a process.
David Ralph [17:58]
Do you do like the like yourself on podcast, when you listen? Did you listen back to yourself? Because I’ll be honest, and this is a little bit guilty secret. I listened to myself a lot. And and I actually say to my wife, I don’t know if I should be enjoying this. But I actually have been listening back to the episodes, because it’s still early days. And we’re sort of going into sort of the unknown. But I’ve been listening back thinking have I improved from episode one to Episode Five to Episode 10? And a few of the shows, I actually forget it’s me. And I’m just kind of listening to the content. And because when you recording it, you’re so engrossed in the kind of technicalities and trying to think of the next question to pose especially in this format, I’ve got no questions written down, it always does sort of, as it comes out, that sometimes you don’t actually hear but but the deep meaning but the guest is coming out with and you do actually have to sit back and listen to it, but I can’t I’ll be honest, I like listening to myself, which is, which is a crazy thing to say Really?
Cynthia Sanchez [19:00]
I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I I like I’m 60 episodes in. So every now and then I will go back and listen to episode parts of episodes, you know, one into and then maybe 10 and just say yeah, I am improving. Yes, I like this. No, I don’t like that. Unfortunately, my editing skills and my technical skills aren’t quite as advanced as you are. So I do go back and I edit you know, somewhat getting in the music and the intros and the outros. And so I do re Listen, but I find the exact same thing is you you don’t get to listen as much when you’re recording them as when you go back. But yeah, I do. I don’t listen to I mean, I when I’m editing, I listened to each and every one but listening to them in their entirety. I don’t do that very often. Do it.
David Ralph [19:43]
Do it. Like in bed with your headphones in listening to yourself. There’s nothing better than fear.
Cynthia Sanchez [19:50]
Yeah, I get to self critical I’m still there. I’m my worst critic. I’m awful. I’m awful to myself, and I gotta start being better. But it’s like, oh, you shouldn’t have said I’m you say this too much. You say that too much. So I just got to do it and enjoy it. course you do. course you do.
David Ralph [20:04]
Now, one of the things you know, the avatar of this show is really to inspire people out there who are in situations maybe Jobs, but they don’t like, but I can’t see where to go. And they can’t see the big picture. Because quite frankly been not looking in the right direction. Now with yourself when you first said I’m going to go into this online world you can’t possibly imagine. But you would end up speaking in front of hundreds doing a podcast and all those kind of things that come with it. What was the very first thing that actually put your interest and Paul Yes, I’d like to do this, even if it was just a hobby at that time.
Cynthia Sanchez [20:43]
It was actually a podcast, my family and I have, you know, enjoyed listening to podcast for years. And when you have four kids, it’s really hard to be in the car. And you know, I live in Texas. So there’s a lot of driving that happens around here. It’s a big state. And there’s everything is far away from me, you know from anything else. And so when you have four kids, sometimes the only thing that they would ever agree on is a podcast, they like listening to the storeys or they like you know, hearing you know, the they get into whatever the topic was of that show. So one day I was in the iTunes Store looking for something different to listen to and ventured over into, I think just a featured section or maybe just the business section. And in Pat Flynn’s podcast was there staring at me. He’s always
Unknown Speaker [21:26]
lean, isn’t it? You know,
Unknown Speaker [21:29]
so much.
Cynthia Sanchez [21:31]
Yeah. And he was like, What the heck is a Smart Passive Income? You know, I have, you know, four kids that are getting ready to go to college, what am I going to do? You know, we you know, let’s just see what it is, you know, it’s going to be one of those get rich, quick things. And, yeah, now I’m not gonna like it. But let’s give it a shot. And I just got hooked. And I found that early January 20. Oh, my gosh, what year was that? 2012. Yeah. And then, by the end of January 2012, I had my blog up. And it was just at that time, yeah, just a hobby. I didn’t understand WordPress, I didn’t understand how to, you know, the HTML and CSS and widgets and plugins. And you know, it was completely a foreign language to me at that point. So it’s like, well, let’s start something for fun. And then maybe I’ll get a good idea after I figured out the technical side of things of how I can bring my nursing career into an online business. You know, how I can bring what I do for my patients into an online business, and I’m still looking for that perfect match for that, because I’m always going to be a nurse You know, that’s, that’s me. And but the idea that I had to start for fun was about Pinterest. At that point, Pinterest had taken over my life like nothing else had online. So I started writing kind of similar to what you you kind of advocate for people just to get off their backsides and do something. My motto and the the tagline from my side is don’t just pin it, do it. It’s all these these great things that you can discover and find through Pinterest, you know, it made me discover and brought me to things online that I would have never found before. If I had not used Pinterest. I changed you know, our family’s menu, we were buying different things. We were going different places all because of Pinterest. So that’s how that blog started. And then it just kind of turned into a business on its own almost, which then led me to the speaking and the podcast and all these crazy things.
David Ralph [23:19]
So imagine I’m a complete idiot, Cynthia, what is a Pinterest?
Cynthia Sanchez [23:25]
Pinterest is a visual bookmarking system. So you have your internet browser. And Cindy, I’ve got to stop you there.
David Ralph [23:31]
Yeah. You said you seem to go with the fact that I am an idiot quite quickly. There was no imagination there.
Cynthia Sanchez [23:42]
Well, I you know, I didn’t hear that part. I just thought, you know, just just keep on going. And I and you said Pinterest and explain it to me. So I had to go into teacher mode. And that’s fine. You,
David Ralph [23:52]
you tell us.
Cynthia Sanchez [23:54]
So it’s a visual bookmarking system. So if you’re familiar with your internet browsers, you know, you can bookmark things that you want to go back to. And it gives you this long list of sites that you could go back and look at right? Well, Pinterest does it visually. And you can organise pictures that you have pinned or collected from online sources, you know, websites, blogs, that type of thing into boards on your Pinterest account. So then when you go to those boards on your Pinterest account, you’d click on the picture, and it takes you back to where you found it from. And Pinterest is very open very public. So if I follow you on Pinterest, kind of like you know, we follow each other on Twitter or Facebook or something like that, I can see what you have pinned, I can choose to follow all your boards or some of your boards. So let’s say you have a board about podcasting. That’s obviously an interest to me. And so when you pin a great article, or you know a source to buy my next microphone, or whatever the case may be on your podcasting Pinterest board, I can then repin it from you onto my board. Now I have that link in that image on my board than that I can then go back to and you know, either buy the new microphone or read the article or whatever the case may be. So with with Pinterest,
David Ralph [25:00]
cuz I must admit, I haven’t really looked at it that, well, when you’re doing anything on the online marketing world. And when you’re doing anything like this, you kind of start thinking, right, all I need to do is do some interviews, and then you suddenly realise, Oh, God, I need a Twitter account, I need a Facebook account, I need social media, and all those things that I’ll be honest with you, as soon as I can afford a virtual assistant, they are gone. I’m going to have people take over those and and do those kind of things. Because it’s just not really me. But I’m which which which level? Would you say that a listener out there? Who’s got this great idea for a business? And is commuting to work every day thinking? I should try this, but I don’t know how to. Is it Pinterest that they should start first? Or is it Facebook? Or is it Twitter with your experience of online marketing? Which one should they focus in for maximum effect? First of all?
Cynthia Sanchez [25:52]
I’m going to give you an awful, awful answer. It depends I hate that answer. But it really does depend on what kind of business they have. If they have you know a really a business that has a strong visual base to it, that they can take pictures of their products or if they’re willing to be creative, and create pictures or images to share online of their services or of their you know, to promote their ebook or whatever kind of online business they have our physical businesses they want to, you know, start then Pinterest for sure. Just because it’s reaching its accessibility is so great. You know, Facebook, we keep on hearing it keeps on getting knocked back and back and back. You know, you have to pay, you have to pay for ads, you have to figure out the ads, you have to set up your ads, it’s pretty, you know, it’s getting more and more complex and a little bit more difficult to reach an audience there. I still think Facebook is very valuable. But as far as just getting started that that could be a little bit of a challenge. Unless you you happen to know somebody who was a huge influencer, that can give you a leg up and get started on Facebook. You know, same thing with Twitter, it’s it’s, you know, Twitter’s a little bit more easy. You know, you don’t have to have those images. It’s a lot of text. So if you can just write 140 characters and you know, get in there and start participating conversations, it’s just a little bit more time intensive, I think it is, if you have the visuals, if you’re willing to do the visuals, then then Pinterest is definitely a good place to start. It’s not as complex, you don’t have to pay there is no paid advertising yet. So it kind of is a little bit easier than those other two platforms and that way.
David Ralph [27:21]
Are you surprised how much you know, listening to you rattle that off? When you join up the dots and you look back over your life. And we’re going to play Steve Jobs speech in a moment because it is the sort of the moment of the show, really. But when you sit there and you can just say what you’ve just said, Do you actually think, my God, I’ve been on a journey for the last two years? Or has it been something that really is about 10 years, but he’s just come to the fore?
Cynthia Sanchez [27:47]
And I think it’s a journey of 40 plus years old?
Oh, my gosh, yes. way past that. But yeah.
Yeah, it’s it’s I, you know, when you approached when you, you know, sent me the message about being on the show and explain what it was about, I really, really, it just brought a smile to my face, I’m not sure if you remember a show, and this is really going to show my age, I think it was back in the early 90s, that it was on maybe late 80s. I forget it’s called. It was a show called Connexions or and it was like a PBS show or like a public television show. And he just kind of connected the dots, all these important, important events in history is like that’s, you know, you can do that with your own life, you know, and you know, so I absolutely love you know what you’re doing here, because I think it is all those series of events that bring you to where you are now. And you have choices along the way to make to you know, is it going to be going left or going right? And you know, then you look back and you can see Oh, yeah, I took left, and it’s a good thing I took a lot. Because if I took right, maybe it goes somewhere else, you know,
David Ralph [28:46]
because one of the things that’s been coming out of all the conversations that we’ve been having is, even if it’s a dark moment in your life that has pushed you into a certain environment, when you look back those dark moments could be bright points, they could be the light, but has actually changed your life for the better. And you can’t really see, you know, as Steve Jobs said, and I’m going to play it now, actually, but you can’t really see what are the good things? What are the bad things? What are the right decisions? What are the wrong decisions, you just need to trust, don’t you you need to trust that whatever is going to happen, is going to happen for the right reason. And by trusting yourself. There’s a good chance that things aren’t going to turn out right.
Cynthia Sanchez [29:26]
Now, I agree. I agree. I mean, there’s of course extreme situations where you know, if you chose, you know, obviously the bad choice, well, then yeah, it’s not going to turn out that great. But if you you know, you stay true to who you are your beliefs, your morals, ethics, all that good stuff. Chances are, it’s going to be okay.
David Ralph [29:41]
So let’s listen to Steve back in 2005. This is what he got up and spoke to a group of graduates just about leaving University, about his life. And the whole speech went on for about 15 minutes. This is just a small section of it. But it really is the the powerhouse of the whole speech thing. And this is the iPhone on a daily basis. This is Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs [30:02]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [30:37]
Now I listen to that literally every day and I never get bored with listening to it. I remember the very first time that ever came into my life. And it has the same effect now as he did then it’s it’s truly simple words, isn’t it? But absolutely spot on.
Cynthia Sanchez [30:56]
Definitely, yeah. He just said something really powerful there.
David Ralph [31:00]
Do you think that he was sitting there shovelling in conflicts in his mouth when he was writing it? Oh, God, I gotta do a speech later? Or do you think he was actually writing it thinking? This is going to be one of the most profound things that anyone has said over the last 20 years? I would love the conflict scenario. I’ll be honest,
Cynthia Sanchez [31:18]
yeah. That would be a little bit more funny. But I think it’s somewhere in the middle. You know, I think Steve was kind of a serious kind of guy, you know, and I think he took whatever he did seriously, you know, and creatively and thoughtfully. But so I think it’s maybe somewhere in the middle.
David Ralph [31:36]
Weetabix. What about Weetabix in? There you go? My, you know, Bitcoin flakes, I’m going to get in there somehow. So So what, what are your key dots? Cynthia, when you look back, because from listening to you now, the thing that struck me was, when you said one of the first things I wanted to do was being online marketer, but you came to it before the internet, really. And now we’ve got so many opportunities because of the power of the computer in front of us. But you also wanted to be a teacher. And so in a way, you’ve come full circle and you you’ve joined up those dots, and you become an online teacher. What were the actual key points? Was it sort of big dots in your life where you went, yes, this is actually a stepping stone that I need to take or was it just stumble, stumble, stumble all the way along.
Cynthia Sanchez [32:23]
And I think it was just maturing, and I don’t know, this is kind of a weird way to say it is awakening, or just opening up my eyes. And, you know, and that came through having my children and watching them grow up. And, you know, I think one of the benefits are that has happened for me having my children so early and so young, is that I get to really appreciate what they are experiencing, and then kind of take that and think about that and respect my own life. You know, when I when I decided to go back to nursing school, my my older daughters were just about to start High School. And that is a very emotional, crazy time, you know, and you can see all the things that weigh on their mind. And as their parent you can see, it’s like, that’s silly, it’s not going to matter, you know, it’s not going to matter in six months for them. But for them, it’s everything in the world. And, you know, I kind of realised that I had done that with my own life, you know, what people expected me to do, where people expected me to go to school, how people expected me to work, what kind of job I should have, what kind of house I should live. And I, you know, I always was always wanting to meet societies and you know, extended families, parents, you know, expectations of me and what they thought was right, or acceptable. Yeah. And that’s exactly what my kids were trying to do in middle school, they were trying so hard to fit in, but still keep their identity that they’re just going through all this crazy internal conflict. It’s like, Whoa, that’s silly. Because, you know, five years from now, you’re never going to see any of these people again, it doesn’t matter what they think of you right now. And you know, of course, I didn’t, you know, so I had to keep put that in perspective for my own life. And it’s like, well, I love my family, and I know they love me, but does the choice of me doing this? Or that or going to school? Or going back to work or being stay at home? Mom? What does it? What does that affect their life? What impact does that have on them? None. That’s all my life. You know, I know that they have certain expectations and hopes for me because they love me. But I can’t live my life to please them. And I think I had done that a very, very long time. And then it was, you know, seeing my kids go through all these things that he’s like, No, no, you got it, you got to appreciate now and then also having the job that I did, you know, as an oncology nurse later on. And as a labour and delivery nurse even before that, I got to see the beginnings and the ends of a lot of different lives, and how short and how precious and how valuable that is. You just don’t know how much longer you have. And you don’t know what could happen tomorrow with yourself or with a family member. So make everything fit count today and go for those adventures, have fun, enjoy this life, it doesn’t have to be hard or miserable we are. So I, I feel that I am so fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to live where I do to have the life that I have, you know, I could have been, you know, the we’re in the middle of a jungle and you know, starving every day. And I’m not I live here and have all these amazing opportunities. And I think it would be just kind of wasteful for me not to take advantage of them.
David Ralph [35:08]
But you have to become aware, don’t you the very first thing you said there was, I became aware, and so many people aren’t aware because they are, you know, they’re doing contentment zone, they go to work, they do a job, they get paid. And they look forward for the weekends just so that they don’t have to go to work before they start again on Monday. And life isn’t too bad, but they do something about it. And it’s not too good that they celebrate, they just float along. And I I realised and I do you know I keep on saying is we’re doing a puppet show our podcast every single day, I am going to repeat myself. And so if anyone’s listening to every single show, they’re going to hear this a lot. But my life changed when I had a new manager come into my office who was a union and I didn’t see eye to eye with this person. And I’ve been doing my job for 20 years. And this person suddenly came in and was telling me how to do my job. And it just didn’t sit well with me. And it was a really dark point in my life. And it was at that moment, it was that dark.in my life that I suddenly become aware of because I suddenly thought, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be more experienced at doing something when anyone else I know in this company. But then somebody comes in and tells me what to do. He just didn’t sit comfortable with me. And it was that moment where it’s like the eyelids open suddenly, and I started looking around. And the best place to look, you could look out the window, but you’re only going to see the buses and stuff that go past, go on the computer, look on the computer, look at blogs, and look at how people earning a living and and just read. And if you do enough in something is going to click and then once that clicks and you start thinking about it and you start thinking about it, then you can start making your own life. And I promise you listeners when you’re out there, it might seem the craziest thing to do the throw it up in Yeah, and I wouldn’t suggest you to do that in any shape or form. But it’s you can start spending maybe an hour every night, getting up half hour early and building something. So you’ve got a natural transition away. Once you have that nine to five, and you can lay in the park on a Sunday afternoon because it’s just a lovely day because you know, okay, I’ll do my work again in the evening. It’s just liberating. Isn’t it simple, it’s liberating, liberating.
Cynthia Sanchez [37:22]
Exactly, that’s the perfect word to describe it. You know, and and like you said, some people are just just okay with going through the nine to five and you know, living for the weekend and that type of thing. And, and I think it’s just a different personality, and not that it’s right or wrong to do what we’ve done or what they do. It’s just every, every person is different. And some people are more like us that want to do these, these types of things. And other people are okay with just getting through and you know, living their lives of work and weekends. And you know, that that’s perfectly enough for them. And they’re happy with that. And I say there needs to be people like that, you know, my husband is like that my husband, you know, he’s still in the corporate world. And, you know, he enjoys it, and he likes he likes, you know what he does? He does right now he’s like, I don’t want to be an entrepreneur, I don’t want to do my own thing completely. I like the security and the safety of this job. I like going to work and you know, in this being in this type of environment, but maybe someday, you know, and he I think his plans are, you know, maybe after the kids are gone, and you know, and grown and you know, have their own lives, and there isn’t as much, you know, responsibility, you know, in that way, then he’s like, well, then maybe then and you know, actually what he’s banking on is for me to be able to let him retire, and you know him to just go spend time out on the golf course or on the beach or whatever. And he’s still working in the business. I think that’s his ultimate goal there. But we’ll see, that’s not
David Ralph [38:39]
a bad goal to have, is it?
Cynthia Sanchez [38:41]
Yeah, he’s ready to be the house husband and be taken care of.
David Ralph [38:44]
If you can hear me husband, I don’t know where you are. Go for it milk. while you can, you
Cynthia Sanchez [38:51]
know, you know, and I would be perfectly happy with that, too.
David Ralph [38:54]
So being all serious, your relationship with your husband must have gone through many different changes over the years. Deep. At the moment, I’m going through a huge transition. And my wife is supporting me, but she doesn’t really understand it. She She says to me, okay, I know you’re talking to people, but how are we going to pay the bills, and I have to keep saying to her, you know, just just trust me, you know, if I do it well enough, and I can get an audience, everything’s going to sort of be all right. But she keeps on coming back to me all the time. How long is this gonna last? I’d like I’m I’m having kind of a breakdown, when when you transitioned? Those conversations that you mentioned about light at the very beginning with your husband, there must have been more kind of convincing Ben, a discussion at the first point was there?
Cynthia Sanchez [39:47]
Um, well, I think it kind of in the very beginning, it started off as something for fun. And then maybe someday. So he saw that part. And then he saw that people were hiring me to do things for them. And so then he saw that part, so he could see kind of the progression. And then things, you know, we’re changing and my job and it’s okay, either find a job at a different place, or, you know, I, you know, quit completely This is what’s happening here. What do you think, you know, he’s like, I don’t want you to come home miserable and exhausted, and you know, not happy from the job that you do and not fulfilled because then, you know, it shows on the rest of your day. And, you know, the family was feeling he was feeling you know, so it’s like, you know, somehow something did have to change. And he’s like, you know, it’s going good. He did go to a conference with me, and we celebrated our 20th anniversary at blog world at New Media Expo, and the last one they had in New York. I know, you know, so what I mean, that tells you how much he’s he’s supporting a supportive of me. So he got to see other people got to go to the sessions, you know, and got to get, you know, a little bit more ingrained in that world. But even six months later, he was he was kind of where your wife was, okay? When’s this really going to do something? When’s this really going to, you know, take off and, and, and as being in this world, we know, it’s going to take time, and it’s going to take building that audience, because it does go against your traditional business model, where you have your forecast and your projections, and you have your budget, and you have, you know, your spreadsheets and, and your full business plan and that type of thing. It’s, it’s not like that, you know, it doesn’t, you don’t have this widget to sell. And you know, you’re going to make this much profit, every time you sell one, you know, the things that I’m doing don’t work like that. So you know, every now and then we did have to have that that conversation. He’s like, explain to me how this is going to work? What’s going to happen? When’s it going to happen? And, and then, you know, things kind of tend to pop up. And, you know, I got asked to, you know, speak at this place. And at that place, and you know, now people are flying me around the world to come speak. And you know, the money’s coming. So now it’s making more sense.
David Ralph [41:47]
A question, last question, before we go on to the very last part of the Sermon on the mic. And he’s a question that when I was listening to you, I was playing out in my own mind about my own life. But that time when you went to blog world in New York, was that the first time that your husband saw you stand up and talk in front of people? How did you feel knowing that he was there watching you Because obviously, he’s seen you in a totally different way, I’ll tell you why my mind was going on there. I’ve been training for years and years and years. And then suddenly, my wife joined our company. And I had to train her. And I found it really strange for the same reason that you had to move the equaliser and you bring certain parts of your personality, I felt like us, she was sitting there thinking, What’s he doing? Why is he being this person? This isn’t the person that sort of walks around, in these boxer shorts in the kitchen, you know? How was he surprised at how you moved into this, this personality when you were blog? Well?
Cynthia Sanchez [42:47]
Well, that one was back in 2012. So I just started, so we were both just attending at that time, he actually did not see me speak publicly in front of a big group until Oh, my God, until New Media Expo just this past January. So I spoke almost for, I guess, a full year almost, you know, in public at different places here locally and around the country. And until just this past January, was the first time he got to see me speak in public. And it was one of my biggest, you know, presentations that I ever gave. So it was, it was it was a little bit intimidating to have him, you know, have him there. And and prior to that, it’s like, no, don’t come, you know, because I would I would practice, you know, my presentations at home, and I would watch his expression and you know, you know, your spouse, so when his expression changed, it’s like, what what did I say wrong? What did I do? What do you know, I, you know, I was, I was, you know, he’s like, nothing, I was just sitting here. But it’s different when
David Ralph [43:41]
an audience isn’t it, you can be perfect. But once you get an audience in front of you, you kind of just raise your game. And it must be like a comedian, a comedian, sitting in a room, writing jokes, and never going to be funny early. But getting in front of an audience. And Ben is a totally different ball game, and you do sort of become a different personality.
Cynthia Sanchez [43:58]
Yeah, I became the different person reality. And he, you know, I was trying to read him and trying to gauge his reaction, because I trust his reaction. And, you know, if I, if something was unclear, you know, and the way I explained it, or presented it, I was watching for that on his face. And when his you know, expression changed, like, oh, what did I say wrong? Because then when I present this in front of, you know, hundred people later, then I don’t want to be confusing to them, you know, so, we’re how, you know, we kind of work through that a little bit how he can give me feedback without being my husband, you know, for just a few minutes, and then you know, but now he’s he can go to my I’m fine with it. I learned to look around and over him and not be so focused on his his response and just present as I would normally to an audience of, you know, primarily people I don’t know, you know,
David Ralph [44:43]
so you find your unique self in the content?
Unknown Speaker [44:47]
Yes, definitely.
David Ralph [44:48]
And that is the way to do it. Just bringing us to the very end of the show. This is the last part of the show. And this is what we like to call the Sermon on the mic. And this is when we offer use MPO, a little bit of time travel. And we give you the chance of going back in time and sitting in conversation with your younger self. Now you can choose how young this person is going to be. But what kind of advice would you give the young simpler if you had the chance to go back in and have a one to one, so I’m going to play the music as I normally do. And when it fades out, I’m going to step away from the mic. And I’m going to let Cynthia Sanchez, give us the Sermon on the mic.
Unknown Speaker [45:32]
With the best of the show.
Cynthia Sanchez [45:49]
Well, hi, Cynthia, I hope you’re doing okay, you’re about 15 years old, and here you are in high school just stressed out as can be because you know all the other kids have this and they’re doing that and you’re not, but they are, but that’s okay. You are who you are. And and that’s wonderful. And that’s perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, but you’re good. And so just enjoy where you’re at right now and enjoy and try to have fun. Try not to stress so much and worry about what other people think and what other people expect. Enjoy each and every experience and opportunity that comes your way. Try to have fun. And get out there. And don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask questions. What’s the worst that’s going to happen when you ask somebody something or you know, you like that cute guy, but he doesn’t like you back? Oh, well move on, there’s more. You’re going to find a great guy in the future that’s going to take care of you and be there for you and just do everything you know, and be the one that you’re looking for. So hold on and wait and just get out there. Have fun, have as many wonderful experiences as you can because it’s all going to pay off
David Ralph [46:50]
brilliant words of wisdom. And normally I would just say goodbye to you there, Cynthia, but there was something I’ve been dying to know. I heard you on a previous podcast, you were saying that you are a bit of a sci fi geek. And I heard you say at the time that you went to the cinema with your family and you saw the doctor who 50th episode. We did now being honest, because I watch Doctor Who a lot with my kids. I haven’t got a clue what’s happening. And on that episode. I was like, Why is he here? Why is he there? What’s happening there? Did you really understand it? Or did you come out going? What the hell was happening?
Cynthia Sanchez [47:30]
Yeah, we I had some questions like Well, okay, that’s that doctor. But then when the new doctor comes in, who’s going to be the new? Yeah, yeah. And then yeah, I’m there with you. I have to kind of watch it all in series together to try to figure it all out. I was still stuck on a couple of episodes or the season a couple of seasons before you know when river was on there. And the shooting and the knot and there was in the eye. Yeah, yeah. So some of it’s still a little bit out there for me, but I just go enjoy it and have a great time with it. It was it was was a fun night with the family. So
David Ralph [48:01]
Who’s your favourite Doctor Who last question.
Cynthia Sanchez [48:05]
Oh my gosh. I don’t know. I just like Matt. I do like Matt Smith a lot.
David Ralph [48:11]
David Tennant
Cynthia Sanchez [48:13]
Yeah, David, he’s got a little intense sometimes, you know,
David Ralph [48:18]
your first name with
Cynthia Sanchez [48:20]
I yeah, we spent a lot of time together. And, you know, I like the playfulness of Matt. I like the that he can be serious and dark. Sometimes I just like the range that he played where some of the other doctors kind of just seem to stick to that same character. And we’ll see we’ll see what happens with the next one. I’m a little bit apprehensive. I’m afraid it’s going to go too dark. But we’ll see.
David Ralph [48:41]
Cynthia Sanchez, it’s been an absolute delight and a pleasure to have you on Join Up Dots today. You’ve been so open so generous with your time and your expertise. And as I say to all the guests on the show, you can always come back whenever you want because the basis of Join Up Dots is killin connecting our history and history is going to keep on growing. And by connecting those dots, it’s the best way to build our future. Cynthia Sanchez, thank you so much,
Cynthia Sanchez [49:08]
David, thank you very much.
