Kellee Wynne [00:00:00]:
Well, hello.

Kellee Wynne [00:00:01]:
Hello, I'm here. It's me, Kelly Wynn of the Made Remarkable podcast.

Kellee Wynne [00:00:06]:
It's been a bit of an ebb

Kellee Wynne [00:00:07]:
and a flow of showing up here. Yes, get started, slow down, get started again. Life is an ebb and flow. Running a business is an ebb and flow. Dealing with global events is an ebb and flow. And the way we show up is what we can do.

Kellee Wynne [00:00:24]:
Right?

Kellee Wynne [00:00:25]:
And I'm doing this myself. I'm solo running this podcast now. A couple years ago, if you've been listening that long, I had support and it was pretty awesome until, you know, I hit my catastrophe of a year of 2024. You know, I can laugh now a

Kellee Wynne [00:00:42]:
little bit, but it's still like, oh,

Kellee Wynne [00:00:44]:
geez, that year has just changed me so much. And here I am still learning to navigate what it means to be an artist, to be a woman, to be, you know, kind of a quote unquote leader in this industry, to speak to you through a podcast to help and guide people through their businesses. So that brings me to today's subject, which is purpose. I'm talking to Quinn Tempest, somebody that I've known probably six or seven years now through the Internet. I really love how she shows up online. She calls out the bullshit in our industries, especially the online course creator hustle till you break kind of industry. So she's really been a good light shining on these things that have caused the kind of damage that it's caused,

Kellee Wynne [00:01:37]:
especially in my life and my career

Kellee Wynne [00:01:40]:
and the way that I was at this peak. And then 2024, it all came crashing down and you have to reanalyze re look at, just re integrate yourself after something like that and say what is true, what is no longer true, what is important, what is no longer important. And I can tell you some things that I do are incredibly important. The time that I spend with my family is still and will always be number one to me. But as far as the career goes, as far as building my own business, I'm still passionate about what I do. But that kind of myth ology around being a 7, 8, 9 figure band, they really stretch us to the limit of what we're supposed to do as a business owner. And if you haven't bought into that or heard any of that, then I

Kellee Wynne [00:02:31]:
commend you for not listening to the

Kellee Wynne [00:02:33]:
hype of the bro marketers and the boss babes.

Kellee Wynne [00:02:36]:
They, they really set you up for

Kellee Wynne [00:02:38]:
the wrong mental focus around running a business.

Kellee Wynne [00:02:43]:
So Quinn and I talk about that a little bit.

Kellee Wynne [00:02:45]:
But what's Even more important is Quinn's point of view around purpose. And she believes in creating your purpose, not finding your purpose. Which makes sense to me because, you know, it's not a passive act to figure out what you're meant to do in this world. In fact, I'm incredibly passionate about looking at that deeper. I like to try something this year and I don't know when I'm going to do it. But I have gone through enough now and used certain techniques and practices to sort through the crap, to figure out what it is that I'm meant to do, how to show up in this world. And I'd love to share some of that with you. Just keep tuning in and we'll talk about it some more.

Kellee Wynne [00:03:36]:
But a lot of that comes to what does it mean to have a purpose? Do we need to have a purpose? I mean, I would say probably yes, because, you know, I talked to my mom who's in her wisdom years, or the third act, as one of my clients calls it, and she's like, it's really a struggle every day because she's not sure what her purpose is anymore in this phase of her life.

Kellee Wynne [00:04:02]:
And I would say we have to

Kellee Wynne [00:04:03]:
have meaning of some sort in order to keep pushing on, especially when things get hard. But how do we create that meaning? And again, I use the word create, not necessarily find. I don't know that I'd ever say we're preordained or predestined that that purpose is already written. I think we create what we want. We create the world we want to live in. We create the reality we want to live in. It's up to us to decide what kind of art we're meant to make and who we're going to connect with and how we want to teach and show up. Especially for those who are teaching artists, which you probably all know by now is my main focus, my niche, if you will, of my business of build it remarkable, which is to help those who are called to share their creativity with others.

Kellee Wynne [00:04:56]:
But to know that that's your purpose, to know how you're gonna show up doing that, that takes a whole lot of self determination to create, to build that path for yourself. And it's no small feat. And it's something I'm incredibly passionate about. And I've said this before, but I wanna reiterate it because I tell my community this all the time when we're on coaching calls or hanging out together. Like this is what I'm meant to be doing. But I only know that now, because I've been doing it. And now in my fifth year of coaching other teaching artists in their business, I only know that now because even at my lowest points, even when life is a challenge, even when I don't want to show up on social media, even when I'd rather play mobile games or zone out on a TV show and not have to deal with real world, I still want to show up for this. And that's how I know I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing.

Kellee Wynne [00:05:56]:
I have, if you will, built my purpose. But I didn't know I was doing that during the time that I was building it. Until I can look back and say

Kellee Wynne [00:06:06]:
it lights me up.

Kellee Wynne [00:06:08]:
I show up on those calls and I'm just so excited to help women build their dreams and take power over their own lives and create the thing that they've been dreaming of doing. And I don't know how else to explain it, except for it's really important to me what I do, because I know what you do is really important. I know that when you find that, when you build it, when you create it, when you've opened up a pathway for yourself to do something for you that helps others, that serves others, there's a light that goes on. I see it in artists eyes all the time, like, wow. I've now connected the dots between all of my life experience, all the things that I've hoped and dreamed, all that I can envision and imagine about what's possible. And I've put it together into something uniquely me, something that I believe I'm meant to be doing. And we've had these conversations literally this week, March 3rd, third week of March 2026, literally had this conversation on multiple occasions. And in my program with the builders in that program, that moment where it all starts coming together and the light goes on and it's really beautiful to see.

Kellee Wynne [00:07:26]:
I think it's. It's what I live for other than my own family, you know, it's what I live for. More so than making art. That's the truth of it.

Kellee Wynne [00:07:37]:
More so than travel, which everybody knows.

Kellee Wynne [00:07:39]:
I love to travel

Kellee Wynne [00:07:42]:
pretty much more

Kellee Wynne [00:07:43]:
than anything other than my family. That's the thing that keeps me showing up week after week doing what I'm doing. That's why I still have the podcast, even if it's sporadic. That's why you'll see me show up on social media, even if it's sporadic.

Kellee Wynne [00:07:57]:
That's why you'll see me in your

Kellee Wynne [00:07:59]:
email box, even if it's Sporadic, because I know that's my purpose, at least for this phase of my life, every phase of my life, it's something different. But this phase in my 50s, as a woman who has grown children, who

Kellee Wynne [00:08:17]:
sees the world very differently now than

Kellee Wynne [00:08:19]:
I did even five years ago, I know that this is still the thing that I'm meant to be doing. And I've created it. I've built this step by step and figured it out along the way. And I believe in it with all, all my heart.

Kellee Wynne [00:08:33]:
So if there's a part of you

Kellee Wynne [00:08:35]:
that says I need to be a teaching artist, too, or I am teaching, but how do I reach more people? Or I've been teaching in person workshops, how do I bring it online and connect with more people online? How do I make a movement?

Kellee Wynne [00:08:50]:
How do I inspire others? How do I build a financial legacy

Kellee Wynne [00:08:55]:
for me and my family so that we can keep moving forward in hard times? If you're thinking any of that, if you've been listening to the podcast or been following me on and off for a long time, I'm telling you right now, come join me for Build It. Remarkable. My next cohort begins education in April. I teach it live because it's a living program. It's a living course. I don't just prerecord things and then have thousands of generic people coming in to all learn a very generic formula. This is heartfelt, connected.

Kellee Wynne [00:09:30]:
Each and every person that comes into

Kellee Wynne [00:09:32]:
my program, I know you. I know what your desires are, I know where your challenges are, and I know how to push you past into the next phase. And I'm not doing a big launch. I was going to do a big launch, but I'm not doing a big launch. Instead, I'm just inviting you to the teaching artist workshop. And that will be happening, I think the 30th or 31st. I don't know exactly the time, but it's just in a couple of weeks from now. So go to Kellywyn.com teaching and sign up.

Kellee Wynne [00:10:05]:
It's a free workshop so I can explain to you some things that I've learned along the way of what helps when building a business and what to let go of and then what's possible for you, and I'll explain to you exactly what you get in Build It. Remarkable. Because it's an amazing program. I'm incredibly proud of it. I couldn't say that a couple years ago when I was unsure, but now, after all these years of doing it and watching artists succeed time and time again and find themselves and Create their purpose, build out a dream and make it come true. To me, this is everything, and I would love to have you come and join me.

Kellee Wynne [00:10:46]:
All right, now, on with the podcast. Go ahead and listen to Quinn, Tempest and me.

Kellee Wynne [00:10:54]:
Have a good heart to heart chat.

Kellee Wynne [00:10:56]:
Thank you, everyone. Love you.

Kellee Wynne [00:10:57]:
Bye.

Kellee Wynne [00:11:00]:
All right, so, Quinn, we've already been chatting a little bit. We've known each other online for like six or seven years, I think, so. I know. And we're finally actually chatting face to face. So this is X. I love it.

Quinn Tempest [00:11:17]:
It's so fun, too, because, yes, we've never really met one on one, but I feel like I know you and I know we're going to have a really great nuanced conversation. And that's the magic of the Internet. Right? There's a lot of awful things, but the fact that it brought you and me together is a pretty cool thing.

Kellee Wynne [00:11:35]:
Yeah. And. And I love it because you're willing to say the things publicly that a lot of us think about the online business industry and just everything. You know, the productivity hacks and how ridiculous it is. So it's like I'm like, this is my gal. Like, we see eye to eye about this. But what's really cool is, and you have this as a registered trademark, which I. The moment you did that, I was like, okay, copycat, I'm gonna have to do a registered trademark.

Quinn Tempest [00:12:06]:
And I did. I inspire you.

Kellee Wynne [00:12:08]:
You inspired. Well, you've inspired me many times. The way you will just show up. But it's find your purpose, not discuss or. I mean, it's. It's create your purpose, not see, let's re record that part.

Quinn Tempest [00:12:23]:
No, I think you should keep it in, because that's exactly why I trademarked the term create your purpose, because I wanted it to literally be the opposite of find your purpose, which is what we always hear.

Kellee Wynne [00:12:36]:
That's what we always hear is find it. Now, granted, a lot of us lose it along the way and need to reconnect with it, but sure, you're right. You create it. It's not. It's not something that's just handed to you. Right.

Quinn Tempest [00:12:50]:
Yeah. Well, I think we. We all, frankly bring our own definitions of what purpose is to. To the term. You know, and so I think it's, in some ways it was about defining the fact that it's not something, like you said, that's handed to you or the, like, realm that it has come for me is like kind of from the speaker, spiritual, semi religious cultural background that I had where it was. It's kind of like you're born with it, right? Or it's this existential thing that almost feels like an Easter egg hunt. Like one day when you're just calm enough or when you're just like evolved enough, you'll transcend and find your purpose. Like it's going to boss you on

Kellee Wynne [00:13:32]:
a head there when you get there.

Quinn Tempest [00:13:35]:
Yeah, it feel I felt very merit based and to me especially because I work with all women business owners mainly, there's an aspect of agency that I think is missing in this idea of find your purpose. Like, oh, you're just going to find it when you're good enough or when you are successful enough or when you're calm enough or whatever. But at the end of the day, especially as entrepreneurs, like we have the power to create it and decide on what it is and then accept, extend that sense of purpose and meaning into our businesses, into our work. And that's freaking fabulous, you know? Right. So that was kind of the term was not don't find your purpose, don't wait for it to bonk you on your head, actually decide what it is and then let that fuel you in your work.

Kellee Wynne [00:14:22]:
Beautiful. And I'm really, really, really like powering in this year on purpose, intention, intuition and just really leaning into letting ourselves be who we are in our creative process, in our business process, in our life. So I'm in kind of an exploration year, I guess you could say. And, and so talking to you about this is like perfect on point for where I'm at right now.

Quinn Tempest [00:14:52]:
Oh, I'm so glad. Well, it's funny because I was just talking with my therapist last week, as one does, and we were just talking about the fact that not everyone is interested in this topic and that's totally okay. Like not everyone is interested in mining their psychological like world. Not everyone is interested in living with purpose and intention. And that's okay. And for those of us who are interested, it's so important to us. It's the crux of everything that we do to be able to grow and develop and ask ourselves big questions and also frankly, like define what we want our life to mean. Because we live in this crazy world where literally it's designed.

Quinn Tempest [00:15:38]:
Like the systems are designed, the culture, the society, the politics are designed to overwhelm us, to add so much noise to our brains, to keep us down. And so frankly, I think the idea, and this is something I've been teasing out this year of creating your purpose is not just like this nice thing that you see on a mug and Marshalls or TJ Maxx or Home Goods or whatever. It's like actually a radical act to say, I am going to define the meaning for myself. I'm going to go after it and get it, and I'm going to do this in a way that's intentional and not defaulting to what society is telling me to do. So I'm kind of like, trying to weave in. Like, this is actually rebellious and radical. It's. Especially in today's culture.

Kellee Wynne [00:16:20]:
Absolutely. And I want to say you said not everyone is interested in this, but I, after having lots of conversations with lots of people from all walks of life, think that we all get to a point where we realize we need this.

Quinn Tempest [00:16:36]:
Yes.

Kellee Wynne [00:16:36]:
Yeah. A lot of people walk completely oblivious through life, but at some point when you're like, it's finite. There's only so much time, and I don't want to waste anymore. And that's where creating your purpose, creating with intention, and really like making things meaningful as much as you need to make them meaningful. It's not like everything has to have, like, some big definition. It's just, you know, savor. Savor it.

Quinn Tempest [00:17:06]:
Yeah.

Kellee Wynne [00:17:07]:
Yeah.

Quinn Tempest [00:17:08]:
Well, and I think, too, it helps to kind of define purpose because it's one of those things that's like, what are those things in a doctor's office? Like the Rorschach test. I'm not sure that's how you say it, but, like, you see the ink blots, and everyone brings a different thing to it. So I think that's like, what purpose is. And so for me, the way I look at purpose and the way I talk about it is it's the emotional drive that moves you forward, especially when things get hard, especially when you have to take, you know, a detour on the way to where you want to go. It's a thing that you keep coming back to that keeps you going. So I often think of it as. It's not necessarily the vehicle that you take to get to your goals or your destination. It's the fuel.

Quinn Tempest [00:17:52]:
It's the thing, especially for creatives, since I know you and I both work with a lot of creatives. It's the thing that lights you up, that gets you excited to do your work, whether it's your art, whether it's your business, and it's the thing that you can keep coming back to when you. There's obstacles in the road, when you have to literally take a detour, when you have to not always do the things that light you up because you know you're never going to be like this sparkly unicorn frolicking around the fields, like, farting out sparkles. Like, the whole goal is not to be, like, purposeful all of the time, but I think the goal really is to be more purposeful more of the time. And if you can really define and consistently, like you said, reconnect with that purpose. And even when you go away from it sometimes I think you can find a lot of meaning and a lot of intention in that, for sure.

Kellee Wynne [00:18:46]:
I love that. It's the fuel. It isn't the thing we're doing. It is the fuel to the thing we're doing.

Quinn Tempest [00:18:54]:
Exactly. And that's. You brought up a really good point. It's not the thing you're doing. And that's like a really big thing that I've reflected on because it's something. Because, like, honestly, one of the things we do, and I run a collective of women entrepreneurs and. And we literally, like, define their purpose in one of the first parts of the things they do with us. And oftentimes they first equate their purpose with what they do.

Quinn Tempest [00:19:20]:
Like, well, I'm a designer or I'm an artist. My purpose is to be an artist. But that's an identity. That's not an action. And as you know, fuel is about movement. So you want to instead kind of take away the what's. Like, it's not what you do, it's actually the why that drives what you do. And when you can kind of like release the layers of the what's and the formats and the identity and get to that core why.

Quinn Tempest [00:19:50]:
The cool thing is it's really liberating, it's really freeing because that core broad why, that purpose can drive many different what's. It's not just your art, it's not just your business. It's not just xyz. It can actually be expressed in so many different ways. Like, I've seen that in my own, like, in my own life and business. Like, it comes to life. And I used to volunteer with kids and see in through art therapy, actually, and see them light up when they saw their ideas come to life. I do that in my business and helping with women build brands and businesses.

Quinn Tempest [00:20:30]:
Like, my purpose is I help people bring their ideas to life. And I can do that.

Kellee Wynne [00:20:36]:
I have very similar purposes because, like, I live for it. I live for it even in the hardest times. You're right. It's what gets us through, even if there's an obstacle, because it's. It's almost ingrained in you. Once you actually see that it's there, you know, it's like, I cannot not be this right. And you're right. It's the motion.

Kellee Wynne [00:20:58]:
It's fuel creates motion. And. And I love that. I am. That is very much. I want to see other people's ideas come alive. I just love it. It's just that when that spark happens, it's so rewarding in a way that's hard to explain, you know?

Quinn Tempest [00:21:15]:
Oh, yeah. Because it's. It's helping them see kind of their potential and their. It makes them come to life when they have their ideas realized. And that's such a magical thing. Like, it's probably the closest thing to magic. Right.

Kellee Wynne [00:21:29]:
Right.

Quinn Tempest [00:21:30]:
Is taking something that started as, like, a little thought seed in your brain and then making it real. Like, how cool is that?

Kellee Wynne [00:21:37]:
How.

Quinn Tempest [00:21:38]:
How empowered are you to do that? So to be able to be like you and I, who can be kind of the facilitator of that, is really cool. And if for anyone listening, I think it really comes down to kind of like, what is that broad, almost like, mantra like statement that you see throughout Lots of things that you do. Like, that's how you start to get and define. Like that, to me is like the finding your purpose. It's like the looking. Right? It's looking, observing, noticing the connecting threads. And then, of course, you get to define it and then create it.

Kellee Wynne [00:22:15]:
Exactly, exactly. That's why you're on the podcast right now, because this is the exact conversation I'm living for. And I do. I really believe that we all need some sort of a purpose, because we say maybe people aren't interested in it, but, like, is. Is there even any meaning in life if you don't have a purpose? I know I'm saying this from the viewpoint of as my mom is getting a little bit older now, I still think of her as very young at 75, that she's like. I mean, she goes, that's what's missing.

Quinn Tempest [00:22:49]:
I.

Kellee Wynne [00:22:49]:
You know, the kids are grown, the career is over, all of this is done. What is my purpose now? He said, well, your purpose is to be my mom, so stick around for that for a long time, please. But, you know, it's like she's like, it's so important to still feel like there's a purpose to every day. And. And. And I know that, you know, you. You're running around with slightly younger crowds than me, but at every age, we're trying to figure out what that is and what I like, what I'm hearing is we may find the fuel, but the modality can change so many times over the course of our life. And that's when you start seeing that you're never stuck in one thing.

Kellee Wynne [00:23:27]:
You're taking that as the fuel for everything that you do. And it just carries through this, this whole.

Kellee Wynne [00:23:34]:
It's a.

Kellee Wynne [00:23:34]:
It's a crazy world, crazy journey we're on. But, you know, like, when there's a little bit more meaning, it makes it a little helpful to get through the hard times, like you said.

Quinn Tempest [00:23:42]:
Yeah. And then you can play, you know, when you know that it doesn't have to come to life in only your job or only your creative practice. You get to play. You get to literally be an artist for your own life. Throw some paint on the canvas, see what works, add a couple of, you know, sparkles on there, see what feels good. And I think that's kind of what I find so fun is that process is I know what really lights me up at a broad kind of emotional level. And I know that that can be directed in many different way and expressed in many different ways. And that, like you said, does change throughout your life.

Quinn Tempest [00:24:25]:
And for, for some people, you know, they might kind of have that light bulb moment later in life, they might have it earlier. But I think as long as you're always. I have. There's this really great quote. I think it's real. Real. I'm not sure how to say the name. Rainier Wilke R I L K E.

Quinn Tempest [00:24:44]:
And he says something to the effect of, you have to live the questions. Instead of asking a question and then immediately answering it like, what is my purpose? Instead, live the question and go out, do your day to day, do your work, do your job, do your art and just have it in the back of your mind. Like, what lights me up, what excites me? Is there a connecting thread through everything that I've done? And maybe there isn't something apparent at first, but if you leave that question and just kind of let it simmer in the background and you might be surprised at what comes up for you.

Kellee Wynne [00:25:22]:
Right. It's like the answer's in the action. If the answer is in the action. It's really hard to know how to make your art if you're not making your art. I mean, that's just one example, right? If you're not writing, then you don't know what are you to be writing about. You first have to do like, you're right, live the question. I love that. That's really on point.

Kellee Wynne [00:25:47]:
With, you know, the whole way I want the year to unfold. So you work with creative women and different types of women, all working towards building their own business. And like you said, it's like, really magic to bring an idea, and then, like, suddenly you've created this thing in this world, and now you're a mother. I'm a mother. I think it's amazing to be a mother. It was magical, if you will. But there's 8 billion people in the world, and there's been billions of people before us, and it is a true pleasure to be a mom. But it is something special to say I built a business.

Quinn Tempest [00:26:26]:
Yeah.

Kellee Wynne [00:26:28]:
I also created that out of, you know, magic and thin air.

Quinn Tempest [00:26:32]:
Oh, totally. Yeah. It's. My daughter just turned three, and so it's been quite an interesting kind of thing to navigate over the past couple of years because, like, I know a lot of people say this, but it did feel like my business was my baby before my actual baby. You know, it was like all the time I spent all the mental processing was about taking care of this thing and building it and growing it and tending it. And then my daughter came along and, you know, definitely for the first six months, but frankly, probably up till now. But that first six months was so intense, so that when I reentered my business and I hadn't kind of attended to it in the way that I had before, I had a total identity crisis. And I really had a hard time, like, reentering after because I took an extended maternity leave of kind of reconnecting with what am I doing.

Quinn Tempest [00:27:27]:
Like, reconnecting with my own purpose. Which is so funny because, like, I think we often need our purpose the most, which is an interesting thing I've noticed with when I'm helping other people define theirs. And we often need help reconnecting with it because it's hard when we're in the throes of, you know, like, you, like, motherhood and all of these things. So I think when someone finally told me about the. The term matrescence. Are you familiar with that term?

Kellee Wynne [00:27:57]:
Yeah.

Quinn Tempest [00:27:57]:
It was really enlightening. So matrescence, it's similar to the word adolescence, which is becoming kind of an adult. Right. When you're a teenager, you're having all these hormonal changes, you're building your own sense of self, and there's a lot of upheaval during that time. The same thing goes to matricets. It's basically the act of becoming a mother. Wow. Yeah.

Kellee Wynne [00:28:19]:
In hindsight, I can help say there is It's a huge identity shift. Now, you and I did an opposite. I have built the family, then built the business, and you started the business and then started the family. And are you gentler with yourself about work now?

Quinn Tempest [00:28:40]:
Yes, but that has only been in the last few months, to be honest. Like, I think that has been the biggest lesson and biggest thing that I'm still developing is self compassion for myself and, and for how I show up in all of these parts of my life. Because historically I have had an inner slave driver just whipping me to go faster, work harder, do more. Like I literally equated doing more with doing better. And unfortunately, as I know you have experienced that only ends up in usually one place, which is burnout. And not just like the burnout that you fix with like a weekend off or like, you know, a yoga class, but like very existential burnout. And that's been my case all along. And I always like to joke that I'm a recovering perfectionist.

Quinn Tempest [00:29:39]:
And so I really think motherhood has been the thing that like, I just couldn't do it all anymore. I couldn't push, I couldn't. And also that's not what I want for my daughter to see, right. And I don't want to like kind of extend that onto her and pass that on to her. So yes, to answer your question, that has been the biggest lesson. And still what I'm working on is like speaking to myself kindly, like knowing when it enough is enough and developing the sense of self compassion.

Kellee Wynne [00:30:11]:
This, the things that we are able to dole out to others seems to be the hardest thing to give to ourselves. Like, you and I are both mentors, coaches, confidants, even with people who are building something special, but also through their struggles. And it's so easy for me to see like when I'm helping others that the same thing they're struggling with is the same thing I'm struggling with. I know it like so intimately. The self doubt, the pushing too hard, the perfectionism, the hustle culture, like that I, I had like this unrealistic expectation of what I was supposed to do based off of what I was watching.

Quinn Tempest [00:30:59]:
Oh yeah, what you're seeing outside of yourself, right?

Kellee Wynne [00:31:03]:
Because we are watching the wrong people. They're not building a business the way we're building it as women, as mothers, as creatives, as, you know, maybe people who have a little more, more empathy in the world. Like, I'm not saying that they're bad people, but you know, these big gurus of the business, the big Marketing people, they are running by the same rules that we are. You know, they. They can say that they have. They can wake up and grind from the moment they're up until the moment they go to bed. And that's great, but they don't have kids. They.

Kellee Wynne [00:31:38]:
They had money to start and fuel their power into. Into their success.

Quinn Tempest [00:31:44]:
Yeah, I. I'm hopeful that we're moving out of that moment, but it was a real. It was a hustle is a trend, you know, and we all bought into it. And it's not just the online influencers. I think it's just our entire culture. Right. We wear busyness as a badge, and we are always defaulting to how can we fill empty space? And I think we are definitely, hopefully, moving out of that moment. But unfortunately, that moment has still seeped into so many people's mindset, mine included, yours included, where we equate doing more with doing better.

Quinn Tempest [00:32:27]:
And unfortunately, with, you know, social media, there's a lack of nuance. So you can't see the behind the scenes of their business. You can't see that. Did they start with funding that made it easier from that to go from level 5 to level 10 where there's other people starting at level 1? And unfortunately, a lot of the marketing strategies that you see are, you know, they're fueled by advertising money and they're so visible that you don't often know what they did to get there. Right. You don't know what strategies they're using behind the scenes.

Kellee Wynne [00:33:02]:
And.

Quinn Tempest [00:33:03]:
And frankly, a lot of it is, like, not healthy. Not healthy, it's not good. And you're just seeing the outside of other people's businesses without knowing the inside. And it can. I've had clients come to me, like, with inflated expectations of what their business can do, and I feel like I have to break their heart and say, hey, I know where this is coming from. I know what you think you're seeing. But as someone who is in people's businesses every day, as a business and brand strategist, you need to know the numbers are not this way.

Kellee Wynne [00:33:38]:
Right. Most people don't make eight figures. Come on, there's.

Quinn Tempest [00:33:44]:
You don't. You don't. Kelly. Are you kidding?

Kellee Wynne [00:33:47]:
I don't. Not even seven. I feel very fortunate to make it past six figures, and I feel proud of what I've accomplished, and I've seen other people do it, but it's not like it's an overnight success. You know, there's a lot of decision making, a lot of work that needs to be done. And then pouring your heart and soul into something that you really believe in. You know, it's, I, I, I'm finally at the point where slow and steady wins the race. But it took a long time because I was one of those watch everything her Mosi says and then try to,

Quinn Tempest [00:34:21]:
oh, my gosh, no, he's the one I was thinking of when you brought up. I was like, he's the actual worst. Yeah. The hostile messaging, he, he's great for who he is.

Kellee Wynne [00:34:32]:
If, if you want to already, starting with plenty of money and don't have kids and don't have a life and that's how you want to live it, great. But there's not many of us who do. But I did. I would listen to Hormozy, I would listen to Gary Vee, and I would even try to tune in to some of the, the female entrepreneurs, but they were all recirculating the same messages, you know?

Quinn Tempest [00:34:57]:
Yeah, well, they all know each other and they're all in masterminds together and all of that. So it's, it's, it feels, frankly, when you start to know more about it, a little bit more like network marketing than anything. But I would say, like, when it comes to hustle, because I think about this a lot. I, as a business strategist, I see that as actually a normal stage of business growth.

Kellee Wynne [00:35:19]:
Yeah.

Quinn Tempest [00:35:19]:
What happens, though? And because it's necessary, right? Like, hustle at the beginning gets you going. You work the late nights, you do all the work, and that gets your business off the ground. But what happens is that hustle has a shelf life because we as humans cannot sustain that pace and that kind of intensity for that long. And so for me, I like to catch my clients or collective members to really tell them, like, actually this is normal. And you feeling burnt out, you feeling exhausted, you feeling pulled in a million different, different directions. That tends to happen when you are about to move into a new stage of your business. But you have to recognize that the way that you have been operating in this kind of hustle, I call it, the frazzled state, is no longer going to serve you to move forward. So at that point, you have to understand, okay, hustle got me to where I am, but it will not get me to where I want to go next.

Quinn Tempest [00:36:24]:
And so you have to really look at it from kind of like thinking of it like your phone. Right? Like, we all have to plug our phone in at, at night to get charged, to update every so often. And to me, that's what so many Entrepreneurs, myself included in the past, don't do. We just ignore the warning signs. We ignore that app screaming at you. We ignore all the apps breaking down, we ignore the, hey, you need to update me already. And we keep going on until our phone dies or stops working. In that case, it's us burning out, right? Yes.

Kellee Wynne [00:36:55]:
Engine light is on. Engine light is on.

Quinn Tempest [00:36:59]:
Yes. Pay attention. So I think really at that point, like, what you need to do is pause, not stop working. Because people always say that, like, no, just slow down, start to zoom out. Ask yourself some big questions. Reconnect with your purpose for why are you doing this in the first place? Redefine where you're headed so you know where that vehicle and that fuel is getting you, right? And start to realign how you operate and who you are as an entrepreneur with where you want to go. So it's like, I actually call it the frazzled to focus continuum. You start over here, and you gotta, like, take that minute to just plug your phone in, upgrade, and by that point, you can start to really kind of align and be focused and where your energy goes.

Kellee Wynne [00:37:50]:
Agreed. It's. We all are gonna have our busy time because there comes that point where you've gotta launch. You have to build something new. One thing that I have clearly learned that part of the reason burnout happens is when you keep changing your mind about everything, Meaning you have to rebuild everything every time, every six months, when you're changing your mind again. And my clients, the most successful ones, are the ones who made a decision and they put it into play year after year after year, they're reusing the same exact plan. And I know it's hard for me, like, I'm finally diagnosed adhd, and it's like, that was my personality. Well, that was fun, but I could do something else.

Kellee Wynne [00:38:38]:
And so it's. It's in the Figuring out what's essential and letting everything else go. You know, what is that comes back to purpose. Like, is this getting me to my goal? If not, I'm probably doing too much, right? So.

Quinn Tempest [00:38:58]:
Well, I think. I think that's a good point. And I see that a lot with my clients too. And I think experimentation is part of that early way of operating, right? And I think experimentation is wonderful. It's fun, it's exciting. And similar to Hustle, at a certain point, you have to kind of go in on literally what is working, what is not, and how can I go double down on the things that are right? And I. I also think a piece of that, I gotta just you know, throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks ad nauseam is coming from this place of I have to get it right. And I think in entrepreneurship, not I think, I know in entrepreneurship, I know in creativity and know in creating art, there's no right or wrong right yet.

Quinn Tempest [00:39:45]:
We come from a school system that says you get an A if you get the answers right. You need to get this many answers right. You, you have to get it right. And I honestly think that is the opposite mentality that we should approach in living a creative life and growing a creative business is that there's no right or wrong, only what is right for you. And when you can look at what is clearly working and not as well from both a data perspective as well as what feels good to you, you can make intentional decisions that help move you forward to where you want to go. But yeah, like you said, we, we throw the spaghetti and if we don't stop, we're, we're going to have a mess to clean up.

Kellee Wynne [00:40:27]:
Yes. And that was me. And it's just taken me a long

Kellee Wynne [00:40:30]:
time to finally let go and get focused, you know, become intentional about it.

Quinn Tempest [00:40:37]:
It feels good, right? Like you feel calm.

Kellee Wynne [00:40:40]:
Yeah, I, I, this is the most calm I've felt in my business in the entire time I've been running it. Sometimes I wonder if I got a little too calm because like the hustle is definitely gone, which is good.

Quinn Tempest [00:40:55]:
Yeah, I have. It feels uncomfortable because it's alien. It doesn't feel right. It feels foreign.

Kellee Wynne [00:41:01]:
Aren't I to our nervous exhausted. I'm supposed to be exhausted right now, but I don't, I don't let myself be in that space anymore. But I've, I've earned my dues on that because I've had enough years of. And as everybody knows, I burnt out. And you're right, it's not something that a spa day was fixing.

Kellee Wynne [00:41:19]:
It needed two years to fix. You know, it took a long time

Kellee Wynne [00:41:24]:
to, to just really reconnect with my

Kellee Wynne [00:41:28]:
purpose, recreate it even,

Kellee Wynne [00:41:32]:
and move forward, letting go of the things that no longer work. So I have some, some questions about the industry if you want to chat about.

Quinn Tempest [00:41:40]:
Like let's do it.

Kellee Wynne [00:41:41]:
What do you think is going to happen this year?

Quinn Tempest [00:41:47]:
Well, I can tell you what's already happening. And I think we have moved away from traffic based strategies at scale. So you know, the Jenna Kutchers of the world, the Amy Porterfield's running tons of ads, these like just kind of spray and pray strategies where it's meant to Bring in a lot of people. I think people have. Well, first of all, there's a trust recession, so not just an online business. So we have pulled back our trust as consumers, from the government, from the culture, and it has corporations. Exactly.

Kellee Wynne [00:42:26]:
Places in which we're canceling subscriptions. Exactly.

Quinn Tempest [00:42:31]:
And what used to maybe take three months to get someone to convert into, say, a paid course or whatnot, now it's taking much longer because they need to trust you. There needs to be more trust, more loyalty built. And that, frankly, takes time. So what I have been already seeing and implementing in my own business and mentoring my clients and collective members on is don't get rid of the traffic strategies, but start to integrate, which is kind of silly to say. Like, the basics of business relationships, relationship marketing, sharing really valuable things, and very much speaking to who you want to speak to with a very clear message. So I think before you could get away kind of with murder and like, not be as targeted, kind of just throw things out, you and I saw it like, you just build a brand on Instagram. Not that crazy. It didn't take that much work, like five, six, seven years ago.

Quinn Tempest [00:43:33]:
Now a different story.

Kellee Wynne [00:43:34]:
It's a different story.

Quinn Tempest [00:43:35]:
You just have to be much more purposeful, not only in who you're speaking to, how you're saying it, but also where you're saying it. So, frankly, even in my own business over the past year, I've focused much more on speaking on podcasts, guest teaching within communities, like, I do a training in a workshop, collaborating with trusted peers in the space where we're not competitive, but we're complementary. So I think this is going to be moving into 2026. Even more of a thing is kind of getting back to, like, what is the bare bones of business? And it's people buy from people they like people bite like people, or people like people they trust. Trust is built through relationships, and you build relationships through collaborative content and value.

Kellee Wynne [00:44:22]:
Yeah, well, that's beautifully said. I also feel like now this has been the rumor for ages, and yet I'm finally seeing it happen. People are done with the perfection, but literally, they no longer tuning into the perfectly styled photos. The I've got it all together, you know, even. Well, it might just be me with a big shift, but, like, I used to look at, like, when all of the big names got together or when people went and went to the big event and got on stage or whatever ever. Now everybody's like, where's the intimacy? Where I want it to be cozy, I want it to Be friendly. I want to feel welcomed. I don't want it to feel like some big production anymore.

Kellee Wynne [00:45:08]:
Right. And so I feel like the smaller voices have a chance to rise. They're even talking about this law a lot on like substack and YouTube that you don't need. You know, the millions you can just come up, come there with your message, speak from the heart, be clear who you're speaking to and what you're speaking about. And I'm seeing, like you said, the, the trust factor grows when you are building like a real connection with people. Whether it's through, like you said, traditional

Kellee Wynne [00:45:41]:
marketing, putting stuff on social media.

Kellee Wynne [00:45:43]:
I mean, is it, is it ever going to be 2016-2018 beautiful on Instagram ever again where all you had to do is post one pretty photo and you'd be like, everybody's talking to everybody. No one talks to anyone anymore in those circles. So it's like there is a big shift. So you feel like, do you feel like ads have run their course or do you feel like there's still potential with it? Because I'm really, yeah, I'm, I'm on the fence. I finally started teaching everybody in my

Kellee Wynne [00:46:14]:
program, like don't wait, start, start with

Kellee Wynne [00:46:18]:
ads early so that you don't spend 10 years building an audience like I did.

Quinn Tempest [00:46:22]:
Well, I think it really depends on the scale of how many clients slash course people. Like what is the scale that you need in your business on a yearly basis? And I think that's the biggest thing. Like for the most part, if you need, you know, 10 to 100 people, do you need to run like huge campaigns like we used to? Probably not. But if you need, you know, more than that, it really depends on your business model. And I think that nuance was missing before because everyone just was like, well, well, you have to run ads and you have to do this. And I'm like, actually no, depending on your business model, you can be more on the relationship marketing side of the spectrum versus traffic. But it's interesting that you asked that because I just met with my ads consultant last week. So I had a quiz, a purpose quiz actually that was.

Quinn Tempest [00:47:14]:
I had run ads to for years. I think it was taken over 18,000 times. It was very successful in terms of that. But after a while I noticed that it just wasn't the right message to bring in the right people for my collective, for my one on one support and all of that. So I have now gone back to the drawing board. I'll never get rid of that quiz because I love it. But I am developing a new one because I know that format works. I know the cost per lead is much lower.

Quinn Tempest [00:47:43]:
But. And I think this goes back to what I mentioned before about being much more specific in your messaging and to your targeting. It's going to speak more to what we talked about earlier that frazzled to focus continuum and help people pinpoint where they are, which then directly leads into my both one on one and group offer. And so I talked to my ads consultant because she helped me with the first ad. She was like, first off, this is much better messaging for your people. Secondly, you will be paying more. But I told her, like, I'm willing to pay more for less of the right people. And I think that parallels what you just talked about in terms of scale.

Quinn Tempest [00:48:21]:
Right. Like you don't need thousands and millions of impressions, like unless you're an influencer and you're literally monetizing the amount of eyeballs that you need. But for most of the people we serve, that's not our business model. We're not trying to get eyeballs. We're trying to get ten to a hundred people a year. Ish. Or maybe more. You know, so you gotta use different strategies.

Kellee Wynne [00:48:43]:
Yeah. Many of them of the people I work with are looking for hundreds or thousands because they're doing an art course. But it's still the point that you said is I would rather pay more for the right people, have fewer of them than have 10 times more and have them be the wrong people. And so then that comes back to knowing your purpose, which helps you define your message.

Quinn Tempest [00:49:05]:
Exactly. Because message is a expression of purpose within a specific vehicle. Right. So my purpose, I help people bring ideas to life, but that's my personal emotional purpose. And that gets extended into my business and my brand strategy and my messaging. Like, I help women entrepreneurs build businesses with intention without compromising what matters most.

Kellee Wynne [00:49:28]:
Right.

Quinn Tempest [00:49:29]:
And so it's like my clarity personally extends into my business, which then that clarity extends into how you speak to the people that you want to serve. So yeah, it's all like I'm all about an inside out philosophy, like let your why drive your what? And it will make your marketing even easier too.

Kellee Wynne [00:49:47]:
Right. Exactly. What other big changes do you feel like are happening as we build businesses in 2026?

Quinn Tempest [00:49:57]:
I think the importance of community couldn't be understated or couldn't be overstated. And it's community in different ways. Like I actually run a community where people can talk to one another, but I'm also part of more Audience style communities that are centered around specific ideas. Like, I'm part of this paid leftist feminism podcast, which I love, and like, I can connect with those people there. So I think it's like both finding your people online and in person. And honestly, I think that's so important in the, even the political time period that we're in, to connect, to not feel isolated, and to decide, like, where can you actually make an impact? Maybe it's not a big impact, but it could be a meaningful small impact on either in your business, your community, or in your personal life. So to me, I think, like, the broader forces that we need in our entire culture right now is a macrocosm for what we need internally. And to me, that is connection.

Quinn Tempest [00:51:02]:
But it's not just like the 2020 connection of like, we're everywhere all the time because we literally have to be. It's like, meaningful, purposeful connection, right, that

Kellee Wynne [00:51:13]:
we don't want to waste our time in the wrong places. We want to be around the people that actually, you know, fuel us towards, like, purpose as, as you would probably put it. But like, even towards the things that are important to us, to the things that light us up. It's like I've been in big general populations or communities online, and when, when you shine a light on that compared to people that are like, brought together with the same kind of moral compass, they have the same intentionality, they're working towards alignment. Like, the synergy between you is so much more alive. And then it feels like it's a ripple effect, you know, to be in the room physically, but also just online with them. Be more intentional about who, who it is that we're spending our time with and how we support each other. Community is everything.

Kellee Wynne [00:52:08]:
How are we building community, though? If we're having a hard time reaching people through Instagram or other social platforms, you know.

Quinn Tempest [00:52:17]:
You know, what I've done, Kelly, this year is I started tracking my relationships. And I know that sounds weird and like, some people will be like, well, it's not very authentic. But to me it's more about capturing what I'm already doing and making sure I'm more intentional about it. So I think in that sense it's about creating a network. And I don't mean networking in the sense of you walk into a room and start handing out your business cards. But, like, even what we're doing, like, we're connecting. I already have ideas of like, oh, we should, like, do something else together or whatever. Like, it's about reaching out to people in Your circle who are like, I like you.

Quinn Tempest [00:52:53]:
I. I think we resonate with each other. I think we can support one another and, like, being the one to be brave and bold and doing that, you know, Like, I think that's the thing. And to me, it's been so meaningful this year to do that. And I, like, just looked. And of course, some cool things came out of it. Like, I was on 11 podcasts this year, which was awesome, but more so I now feel like I have a network of really cool people that I can support and they can support, and we're all helping each other, even if we don't all know each other. Right? So it's like, honestly, if someone's listening, like, is there someone that you have connected with, like a loose tie, and you want to make them a little bit of a warmer tie? Reach out to them, start engaging with them, send them an email, like their image, ask them a question, like, be a cool human and put yourself out there.

Quinn Tempest [00:53:51]:
And I really think at the end of the day, it will make your work, your creative, practice, your business, just so much more rich and full.

Kellee Wynne [00:54:00]:
I mean, that's how it all began for me. Just the comments, the conversations that started, and then where it developed over time. And I guess I kind of missed that part of Instagram. It's not there anymore, but we're finding it in new places, and I think that's part of beautiful. That's exciting. And I'm pretty hopeful for the future now because I feel it's maybe a little more democratized as it's like, so many of us have come online and so many of us are building businesses now. We realize that, like, there isn't a higher. They.

Kellee Wynne [00:54:34]:
They think there's a hierarchy, but there isn't. We're all in this together, and when we support each other, that's when everything gets better.

Kellee Wynne [00:54:43]:
Right.

Kellee Wynne [00:54:44]:
We don't have to do this alone.

Quinn Tempest [00:54:46]:
No. And we shouldn't even think that we have to, frankly. That's why I started my community six years ago, because I was talking with individual people who were saying the same things to me, and I thought, well, this is great that they can talk to me, but wouldn't it be even greater if they could all talk to one another?

Kellee Wynne [00:55:04]:
Exactly.

Quinn Tempest [00:55:04]:
And so I was like, well, I'll pull something together. So, yeah, I think, like you said, it has been democratized. I think in a sad way, too, there's been many people. I hate the term, but it kind of makes sense. Like, weeded out of the online business space. And I think the people that are here are still working really hard. They're still figuring out how to do it and if we can all kind of support each other and create connections and do it together. And, and, and also take away a lot of the misleading stuff.

Quinn Tempest [00:55:36]:
I think most of us now see through kind of the bs, But I still occasionally, like, if you click on one thing on Instagram, within a day you'll start to see, oh, they're not gone. They're just not as apparent to me anymore. But yeah, I think we need to really go beyond this. Like, you can make 10k in 10 weeks. Here's my framework. If you buy it for $10, kind of thing, like that needs to go away because that's not serving anybody.

Kellee Wynne [00:56:02]:
No, it's unrealistic how the whole, the whole industry works. The whole industry works best with relationships. Like you've been saying, you know, real honest relationships. Look where you're getting a bubble over your head with a thumbs up. And I don't even.

Quinn Tempest [00:56:20]:
Oh, I think because I had my hand on my chest.

Kellee Wynne [00:56:24]:
That's so cute. Okay, I want to ask you.

Quinn Tempest [00:56:28]:
Yes.

Kellee Wynne [00:56:28]:
What are you dreaming about now?

Kellee Wynne [00:56:32]:
Oh, gosh.

Quinn Tempest [00:56:34]:
Well, I'm going to Greece next year, so I'm. I'm kind of dreaming about that because my mom's turning 80, so we're going to do like a whole family thing. But along the lines of what we've talked about, I have been dreaming about kind of what comes for me next year. And I'm super excited because my daughter just turned three, as I mentioned earlier, and I feel like these past couple of years have just been figuring things out, trying to settle back in my business, not feeling settled at all, and then starting to build a lot of clarity this year. Like, this year was the year of recalibration for me and reconnecting to all of the things we've talked about. And next year I'm just excited to be able to kind of pull it together and see what happens. Knowing that I feel so, so, like, well resourced. Like, I am not going to be swayed and I'm going to be compassionate and I have all kind of the internal tools that I need that I didn't have when I first did this to play and to create and to do it in a way that is totally me and see what happens.

Quinn Tempest [00:57:50]:
So I guess I'm dreaming of, like, this feeling of ease and freedom. Which is funny because, like, my initial business when I was still doing, like, design and web design was called Suka Creative. And Sukha is a yoga term that means sweet with ease. And so now I'm, like, coming back to that. I also found suka means bitch in Russian, so I had to change my company name after a while.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:15]:
Yeah.

Quinn Tempest [00:58:16]:
But that original yoga term, sweet and. And with ease, I think, like, that's what I'm dreaming of for next year.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:23]:
I love it. Well, and by the time everyone's listening to it, it is next year already.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:28]:
Yes.

Quinn Tempest [00:58:29]:
We are in the future.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:30]:
We're in the future already. I love that.

Quinn Tempest [00:58:32]:
There is.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:34]:
There is a kind of. Yeah, there's a reckoning. We're all coming full circle back to, oh, you know what? I just want to play and have

Kellee Wynne [00:58:42]:
freedom in building this business.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:44]:
I don't want to have to follow everyone else's rules. Why did I do that? There is no one right way. Like you've said, like, there are certain principles we'll never give up.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:54]:
Like, build the email list already.

Kellee Wynne [00:58:56]:
I say it in every podcast episode. Just build the email list already. But everything else, it's like, find your way. Right?

Quinn Tempest [00:59:05]:
Yeah.

Kellee Wynne [00:59:05]:
So you get to play.

Kellee Wynne [00:59:07]:
Okay.

Kellee Wynne [00:59:08]:
And then my last favorite question to ask. What is your big, audacious dream? Oh, like, no rules, anything. The big picture.

Quinn Tempest [00:59:21]:
Oh, this is hard because I feel like I haven't really let myself do that in a while. But at. But then at the same time, my second thought that just entered my brain is, in a way, I'm already living it, because I have always wanted a life that I could kind of direct. And I. When I was small, I wanted to live in a brick house, and I live in a brick loft now, and I have a sweet daughter. And I don't know, I'm like, I'm happy. And I think, like, my next big, audacious dream is, like, I want to get back to writing. And that is where, like, my brain is going next.

Quinn Tempest [01:00:02]:
Like, I feel very happy. I want my business to grow a bit, and I want to, like, see what I can do with writing. And, like, that's it. Like, I don't. It's nothing crazy that.

Kellee Wynne [01:00:14]:
That is audacious enough.

Quinn Tempest [01:00:15]:
That's not thinking.

Kellee Wynne [01:00:17]:
Maybe I don't need to keep asking this question, because a lot of people, when they've created their purpose. Yeah, really, honestly, they're living their audacious dreams. Right.

Quinn Tempest [01:00:30]:
And I think, to me, my. Maybe the answer is, I want to enjoy it more and to realize that I'm already here.

Kellee Wynne [01:00:39]:
You're already here. I love that. Thank you so much, Quinn. And of course, I'm going to connect everybody with you. I love this conversation. I feel like we have a lot more to cover together and that our roads will keep passing. Yeah.

Quinn Tempest [01:00:54]:
And I have a little gift for everyone. If you want to share, I would love it.

Kellee Wynne [01:00:58]:
Yes, I will.

Quinn Tempest [01:00:59]:
So we, because we talked about focus a little bit and obviously purpose. So if anyone is a small business owner solopreneur. I have this really short, it's like eight page planner. It's called the 2026 priority planner. And it's really great, especially if you're listening kind of in the beginning of the year, to just sit down and say, like, what do I want? How will it make me feel? And where can I bring my focus to move in that direction? So it's very simple. But I often find people have a hard time figuring out their priorities and so they do that spaghetti thing. So I basically developed it as this free gift for people if they want to sit down and really start to think through, like, what are they going to focus on next? So that's@quintempest.com priority. I'll send you the link.

Kellee Wynne [01:01:50]:
Easy, easy peasy. I'll have the link. But that's easy to remember as well. And. And that's your Instagram and everything else. Quinn, Tempest, thank you so much. I'm so glad we finally connected.

Quinn Tempest [01:02:03]:
We did it.

Kellee Wynne [01:02:04]:
We did it.