If you’re itching to pursue your passion then this is the episode for you! We hear from Sophie Griot who in one year went from working in real estate to being flown around the world for her photography (6:09) while also coaching other likeminded photographers (19:48).

Connect with Sophie: 

https://www.instagram.com/justsophieolivia

https://www.justsophieolivia.com

The Just Sophie Olivia Podcast

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Intro

Hi everyone. Welcome back to The Wanderlover Podcast. I’m your host, Danielle Hu. And with me here today is special guests. Sophie Griot founder of Just Sophie Olivia. Sophie is a photographer and coach for creatives based in Seattle, Washington. We have her here today to talk about pursuing your creative passions and fearlessly expanding on what lights you up in business. Welcome to the show Sophie.

Sophie:

Hi Daniel. I’m so excited to be here.

How Sophie got started with her business

Dani:

I’m so excited to have you, would you like to start by sharing what you currently do and what got you to where you are today?

Sophie:

Yeah, so I am currently a brand and adventure photographer. I also work with lifestyle and couples every once in a while as well, but photography has really always been a really big part of my life. And I went to school for videography and kind of got caught up in that and wanted to make documentaries and stuff. And then when I left college, I got swept up into the corporate lifestyle world and slowly have found my way back to creative work. And I absolutely love it.

Sophie:

And I’m just, I’m so excited with where I am now

Dani:

And even this year. So Sophie first started off in the Start Your Business Intensive. And now she is a member of Momentum Mastermind. You have pivoted and expanded and ultimately aligned all of your creativity with money-making activities. So I would love to hear what gave you the courage in pursuing creativity and making it your purpose now, because I’m sure for a lot of listeners, it’s something scary. You don’t know if you can monetize, you don’t know how you find clients. You don’t know if your work is good enough. Right. So how do you Fearlessly pursue that?

Sophie:

I think for me, it was just a question that I really had to ask myself. Like if I was okay with working a corporate job, knowing there’s going to be stability, but not having that freedom that I always wanted and then, or, you know, stepping out and really trying to create a life that I love and that I, I really did want, like, I, I think something I’ve always known in my life was that I wanted my life to be different than what people have told me. It’s supposed to look like. And I never really knew how to get there.

Sophie:

And I had all these different ideas. I think when I reflect on the past few years of my life, I’ve tried so many different creative outlets so I could leave the corporate world. And I think finally, one day I was like, I just, I wanna, I really do want to create this life for myself. And so I kind of put all the chips in and, and went for it and haven’t looked back like truly is the best decision I’ve ever made. And I just think it’s so amazing to wake up every day and be like, I’m so excited to, to work today and to chase down clients like when I am pitching clients.

Sophie:

Now I think people can tell when you’re really passionate and love what you do and they’re attracted to that.

Defining yourself and your business

Dani:

And just a few months ago, I still remember you were unsure like how to present your new path or like what to call yourself. And I think just last year you were still in real estate and didn’t know how to meet people in the creative space. And within just a few short months, you have met so many people on the same path, working off of each other’s creativity, attending retreats, and all of these opportunities that have come to you. Now you’re launching your own retreat. What has that journey looked like?

Sophie:

It’s actually so wild when you put it like that, because it’s true. Like a couple months ago, I was like, I don’t know what to call myself, coach, am I, this am I that? And I think when I finally sat down and really truly thought about my passions and aligned myself with that passion, things just started coming into my life. Like I started finding, finding these workshops to attend. I started meeting people that were very much like me like-minded and it’s interesting because my whole life I’ve always felt like I never really fit in anywhere. And in the past few months of my life, I’ve never felt like I belonged somewhere more than in this like creative sphere.

Sophie:

And it is just the best feeling in the world. So it really is crazy what happens when you align with what your purpose is, and then go after it, things just start coming into your life. It’s a really powerful feeling.

Dani:

Yeah. And the projects you’ve been able to work on going to Honduras, like shooting Marine wildlife and to the audience listening, they’re probably thinking, oh my gosh, that sounds insane. Right. And to you, it’s like, oh my God, that’s so cool. And you made it your reality. It’s not even like, oh, that’s so cool for someone else to do. It’s like you were able to create this and do it yourself.

Sophie:

Yeah, seriously. It’s, I thought it sounded wild as well. And I remember when I got that email back from the Marine park telling me that they would bring me down to Honduras, I was like, there’s no way this is happening. I get to go see a whale shark and I get to do what I love and travel. And which is exactly what, you know, you know, this, what I’ve wanted to do is travel and take pictures and just adventure. And that was a really cool moment for me.

Working from anywhere

Dani:

Where have you traveled to the past few months and any upcoming travel plans?

Sophie:

Oh, okay. So I went to Roatan Honduras twice this year, and one of them was for the photography job. And I went to the Oregon coast recently to shoot elopement an elopement shoot. I just went to Taloon, which was so

Dani:

Off air. So we was saying she wanted a reschedule because her voice was still,

Sophie:

Oh my gosh. I was so worried about that. I literally was like saying a prayer last night and then upcoming, I am going to Malibu for a photo shoot and then off to New York after that. And so it’s just like truly a dream come true. It really is.

Dani:

I love hearing it like yeah, out saying it out loud and just putting it into perspective because you haven’t changed like you as a person, this was all within you all along. Right. And this was truly the year where you committed and you made it happen for yourself. If you’re listening to Sophie’s story and you think, holy shit, that’s insane. I could never, we both believe that it is within you. You just need to do the same and commit and make it happen for yourself because it is possible.

Sophie:

Oh, absolutely. And I, I feel like coming into this year, I was pretty lost. And again, I knew that I wanted to have my own impactful business. I knew vaguely what I wanted my life to look like. But then I feel like when we started working together, all of a sudden I was like, oh my gosh, I can actually do this because I think there’s something in me that always thought I could run my own business and start something, but I didn’t know where to start. And I had a lot of mean-girl voices in my head telling me, telling me all sorts of stories about myself and why I couldn’t do it.

Sophie:

And so these paths, I mean, we started working together in January. I think. So in the past six months, I feel like my life has truly transformed. Like my mindset really has changed and I, it really is true. Like you are the only person holding you back from doing what you want to do.

Business advice to other new entrepreneurs 

Dani:

Do you have any advice for anyone who may be going through the same? They’re confused. They have mean-girl voices, but then they also have these intuitive voices saying, oh, you really love this. Like, maybe you should pursue this path. Maybe you should honor your creativity. Right. So how do you get over that?

Sophie:

So I think one thing that I have learned in the past year is that a lot of what we love to do can sometimes be told to us by society or parents or whatever, that it’s not a real job, or it’s just like a hobby and that can be kind of crushing. And that’s kind of how I felt about my photography. But as soon as I just leaned into it a little bit, the, the opportunities started opening up. So if there is something that you absolutely love to do, you know, it’s what you want to do, but you’re scared of what other people think.

Sophie:

I just encourage you to like, open that door a little bit further and see like what starts happening. Because once you open your mind up to like, I can be successful doing this, everything changes, I guess. But yeah, I think I was definitely a stuck in the mindset for a long time that I maybe didn’t deserve it, or I didn’t like, there’s no way that I would be able to make it because there’s so many other people or fear of what other people would think. And that’s not to say, I still don’t sometimes have like those lingering thoughts, but now those are overcome by just baby step action or action steps.

Dani:

Yeah. And it’s so apparent in your life, how you’re living a different reality because you’re consciously changing those thoughts. Like yes, everyone still has them and it’s almost impossible to get rid of them completely, but you know how to manage them. And you know how to shift, focusing on the worst case scenario to really focusing on, Ooh, maybe I can write, like, what if I do this and start thinking with a growth mindset. And so even small shifts to practice silencing that inner mean girl and taking those baby steps, changing your thoughts, changing your actions.

Sophie:

Yeah. And I think one thing too, once you start getting momentum, even when you hear those thoughts in your head, I look back at my, how my life was and where it is now. And I, and I’m like, I would never want to go back to how I was living my life. So even when I hear those negative voices, it’s like, well, I can push through them easier, more easily now because they see how far I’ve come and they don’t want to go back.

Dani:

Yeah.

Sophie:

I just want to keep going forward.

Entrepreneurial advice from great books

Dani:

Have you ever read the book on the subtle art of not giving a fuck?

Sophie:

No, I haven’t. I feel like I haven’t, I’ve had it in my audible library. I never listened to it yet.

Dani:

Yeah. Just started. And I kind of cheated a little and read a summary first, but I’m like making my way through it because it’s one of those books that just keeps popping up. But something he says in there is like, you’re always going to have problems. Like even if you think you accomplished something and you’re going to, you know, get rid of all your current problems, new problems are going to arise. Like you’re just, it’s impossible to live a life without problems. Like you think you have financial struggles now, but when you do make a lot of money, you’re going to, you know, have trust issues with your friends have like too many commitments. Like there’s just, we live in a world of problems. So the goal isn’t to get rid of problems, but being really honest with yourself and knowing which problems you want to deal with, that don’t suck you lifeless, right?

Dani :

Like which ones you are capable of putting up with because they’re going to be different for everyone. Some people they’re not as bothered by working a nine to five and like saying at a desk job and that is aligned with them. But if that’s not, you think about what other actions you can take. So you are dealing with a set of problems. That’s not bad for you.

Sophie:

Yeah, totally. I actually love that because it’s true. Like the, the problems are ever evolving, but the problems I have today are problems that, I mean, they still stress me out, but they’re things that I’d rather deal with than, than when I was working in real estate or even when I was working for my corporate agency, which was, you know, that I didn’t work corporate for very long because it literally just sucked the soul out of me.

Motivating yourself from corporate to entrepreneur

Dani:

Yeah. And I’m sure we can all relate. I tend to attract a community of people who are corporate escapees, who just can’t put up with being told what to do every day or having limited vacation days, or just being kind of like put in a box when we see more than that. And that is a sign. Like if you can resonate with that, know that you don’t need to feel guilty. If you want to pursue another path, you should really honor what you think would be best for yourself. And you don’t have to follow what everyone around you is doing.

Sophie:

Yeah. I actually, I was talking to someone, my, one of my friends who works a nine to five and he was saying like, oh, I work to live. So my job is just my job. And he kind of can put that in its own box and he makes his money to then go do what he wants to do. And for me, I am a very passion, purpose driven person. So when I was working at my corporate job and I walked to my same desk every day, open my spreadsheets, the work just seems so pointless to me.

Sophie:

Like I wasn’t making any sort of impact at all. And so I’d sit at my desk and just journal every day about like what I want my life to look like, what are all the things that I love to do? What’s my bucket list. And like trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, from that list of things. And yeah, but I just, I remember just being like this isn’t everyone told me that this is what I was supposed to do after college. I was supposed to come get a corporate job. And it was what I had always dreamed of. I’ve always wanted, I always wanted to be a CEO of a big company.

Sophie:

And then I got there and I was like, wait, this is not what people made it out to be. Yeah. This isn’t very fun.

Dani:

And you can also combine that. So maybe one day you will be CEO of just Sophia, Olivia, and it’s going to be a big company. Right. But the point is like, honor what is calling you? So you were feeling unfulfilled because there was no point where you saw no point in it and that was your perception on, or that perception. And that’s why you are here today with your own business, because there’s a point to it. Right. You’re making an impact. And as you grow and as you scale, it’s only going to impact more and more people and it’s going to be all yours.

Sophie:

Yeah. And I know it’s so exciting. It’s so exciting. And I think too, like, I, I love photography, but I also like, I love what you have done for me in the coaching aspect. And I think that’s, I wanted to like implement coaching into my business as well, because I know how hard it is to start something until like, especially in the creative realm where your, your work is, you it’s like such a vulnerable thing to share with people.

Sophie:

And that was, you noticed, like, I didn’t want to share my work. I blocked every single person from my personal Instagram on my work Instagram. And like helping people realize that their work is just as meaningful and just as impactful as anyone else’s because that was like the biggest hurdle for me to overcome. When I first started my photography,

Dani:

Creativity, and itself, it’s like, you don’t have rules, right? It’s all coming from you. So it’s a pure reflection of your inner world. And for that to be judged and criticized and seen by strangers, it’s such a daunting experience. If you allow it to consume you. But on the other side, it’s like, nothing is more inspiring than seeing into someone’s inner world and being inspired by it and then taking away new ideas, new thoughts. And then it’s like this butterfly effect of inspiration and creativity. And I just think that’s so beautiful.

Sophie :

That’s such a good way to put it. It really is a glimpse into who somebody is and how their mind works. Then it is a really scary thing to share with people, but also very empowering once you start doing it and you start getting feedback from people and it’s just, it’s such a great, great feeling.

Money making offers

Dani:

I would love to hear how you help your clients. What offers are currently on your plate right now?

Sophie:

Yeah. So with my one-on-one coaching, I help photographers. I have two tiers. So one is for photographers who are just starting out, just wanting to get into the business and really help them with mindset and kind of mentor them into how to build their portfolio when they’re not getting clients yet and how to attract business, really like the foundation up and giving them an and ending with a business plan. My second tier is for photographers who are already established and just need help landing more clients, attracting their ideal client pricing and more of a solid business plan.

Sophie:

And then I’m going to host a workshop, which I am so excited about because I’m so passionate about workshops. They are aware, I have met so many incredible people and they’re kind of what have pushed me forward. And given me more confidence, because you’re working alongside so many people and every workshop that I feel like I’ve attended, I’ve always learned so much from the people around me and it can feel really intimidating, but it’s so good to put yourself into those situations.

Sophie:

So anyways, sorry, I’m going on a tangent.

Dani:

Okay. I would love to hear about the workshop. Like what else is included or what does it entail?

Sophie:

So the workshop will be destination based and it’ll be a few days. It depends on where it’ll be headed. The destination is still getting it, figure it out, but we’ll have models. There are multiple styled shoots. There will be educational parts. So like someone will come and speak to you about starting your business, running your business, how to be a creative and in this day and age, and it’s just going to be awesome. Like so many like-minded people in one room to connect with and become friends with because it is, and as you know, like it can be a lonely going out on your own.

Sophie:

And I just, again, I feel so lucky for the workshops that I’ve attended and I want to replicate that and give that to as many people because it, it really is career changing. Yeah.

Dani:

And you see how possible it is and all the ways you can take your career and expand your business and meeting people who are just so invested and so committed to what they do being around that energy, it will only, only help you grow.

Sophie:

Yeah. Well, and I think that, that was the biggest thing for me is I realized what was possible when I was around these people who were also pursuing the same things. It just hypes you up. You’re excited. It makes you realize your dream. Isn’t so crazy. There’s other people doing it.

Dani:

Yeah. And I just love all of these communities you’ve been able to meet and also form yourself. So taking everything that inspires you and then incorporating it into your own business. So you reach even more people. It’s literally like the perfect business plan and the perfect business for you.

Sophie:

Well, I, you know what I, like I said, I love photography. That is my passion. And it’s something that I know I want to do for the rest of my life. But I also want to like give that like the community aspect is also one of my favorite parts of becoming a photographer. And, and so giving that to other people seems it’s just like such a dream of mine as well.

The Just Sophie Olivia Podcast 

Dani:

Also wants to share with the audience, your podcast.

Sophie:

Oh, yes. The Just Sophie Olivia Podcast.

Dani:

Would you like to share more about it and what our listeners can expect?

Sophie:

Yes. So I currently have two episodes up right now. It tells you a little bit about my life. More detail of how I got to where I am and starting my own business. It will be more about running a business and also kind of go into a few more personal things that I have struggled with in my life, because it is a big part of my daily struggle just in life in general. And I think it’s really important to share that and talk about it.

Sophie:

And it’ll definitely come up on my podcast as well.

Dani:

Yeah. Sophie is just so authentic. She’s vulnerable. She really shares every aspect of her being so Fearlessly. And I know to you, I’m sure fears come up when you’re about to hit posts when you’re about to hit record, but you have proven over and over again, even with anxiety or like inner mean girls, like you can overcome them.

Sophie:

Definitely. I mean, none of those things are easy to deal with and I think it helps people. It helps me feel less alone when I know when I hear other people’s stories and that’s definitely something that I, I want my community to be is just open and honest and a place where you can come and not, you know, you can feel validated and not feel alone. And I think that’s so important because everyone struggles with, you know, all these internal battles that, you know, we should just talk about them so that, so that everyone can feel better about it.

Sophie:

I know how to deal with them better.

Dani:

Yeah. I love that. And by sharing, you’re only going to attract the people who resonate with that and who are going to help each other through the thick and thin. So I’m so excited for you to add more and more members to your community and to your programs.

Sophie:

Thank you. Those are such kind words. You are making me tear up over here.

Dani:

Wouldn’t be the first.

Sophie:

I know.

Finishing up

Dani:

Where can the audience find you?

Sophie:

So my Instagram is @justsophieolivia, and then my podcast is The Just Sophie Olivia Podcast.

Dani:

I’ll also include your website, but all of these links will be in the episode description. I hope you guys took a lot of inspiration and value away from today’s episode and recognize we can get rid of those inner mean girl voices, those limiting beliefs, and open up a world of possibilities when you take different actions stemming from different thoughts. Thank you so much for being on the shows. Sophie,

Sophie:

Thank you so much. That was so fun.

Dani:

And guys, if you’re listening to this episode and would like to join our next round of momentum, sign up for the waitlist in the episode description, have an amazing week guys.

~~~

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