When thinking about changing jobs (or careers) some people would rather work for someone else as an employee and others would prefer to strike out on their own. The trouble is they don't know how or where to start.
My guest today, Brittany Long of My Life After Teaching offers in my interview with her that a health scare sent her looking for something she would rather do with whatever life she might have left instead of teaching. She found the answer in starting her own business.
She and her husband, Zachary, manage their business from home and part of that business includes moderating a Facebook page at "Life After Teaching with Brittany and Zachary Long." Check it out!
In today's conversation, I let Brittany tell her story and we discuss how what we do individually has the potential for helping more teachers who are exploring the possibility of leaving the classroom for another job or career. If you want a traditional job and need up-to-date job search tools like a resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and know-how when it comes to preparing for an interview, then I am your gal. If you want to create a business that includes creating a sales funnel or a legitimate work-from-home gig, then Brittany is your go-to gal.
And it is possible that you need both of us. You may need a day job while building your side hustle into a full-time endeavor.
Here is Brittany's official bio: Brittany Long is a former middle school science teacher turned six-figure freelancer and entrepreneur. She left the classroom to work as a copywriter, funnel builder, and email marketer while also helping teachers transition out of the classroom by finding a side-hustle that can turn into a full-time hustle. Brittany and her husband Zach, along with two small dogs and a baby on the way, do their freelancing work from home and run the blog LifeAfterTeaching.com. Together they have paid off over $60,000 in less than 8 months and continue to advocate for side hustles, debt-free living, and skill-building.
When thinking about changing jobs (or careers) some people would rather work for someone else as an employee and others would prefer to strike out on their own. The trouble is they don't know how or where to start.
My guest today, Brittany Long of My Life After Teaching offers in my interview with her that a health scare sent her looking for something she would rather do with whatever life she might have left instead of teaching. She found the answer in starting her own business.
She and her husband, Zachary, manage their business from home and part of that business includes moderating a Facebook page at "Life After Teaching with Brittany and Zachary Long." Check it out!
In today's conversation, I let Brittany tell her story and we discuss how what we do individually has the potential for helping more teachers who are exploring the possibility of leaving the classroom for another job or career. If you want a traditional job and need up-to-date job search tools like a resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and know-how when it comes to preparing for an interview, then I am your gal. If you want to create a business that includes creating a sales funnel or a legitimate work-from-home gig, then Brittany is your go-to gal.
And it is possible that you need both of us. You may need a day job while building your side hustle into a full-time endeavor.
Here is Brittany's official bio: Brittany Long is a former middle school science teacher turned six-figure freelancer and entrepreneur. She left the classroom to work as a copywriter, funnel builder, and email marketer while also helping teachers transition out of the classroom by finding a side-hustle that can turn into a full-time hustle. Brittany and her husband Zach, along with two small dogs and a baby on the way, do their freelancing work from home and run the blog LifeAfterTeaching.com. Together they have paid off over $60,000 in less than 8 months and continue to advocate for side hustles, debt-free living, and skill-building.
Are you a teacher who's feeling stressed out and overwhelmed? Do you worry that you're feeling symptoms of burnout or are you sure you've already gotten there? Have you started to dream of doing some other kind of job or perhaps pursuing a whole different career, but you don't know what else you're even qualified to do? You don't know how to start a job search. You just feel stuck. If that sounds like you, I promise you're not alone. My name is Kitty Boitnott. I'm a career transition and job search coach and I specialize in helping burnt out teachers just like you deal not only with the stress and overwhelm of your day-to-day job, but to consider what other careers might be out there waiting for you. Join me for"Teachers in Transition." In some episodes I'll be speaking to stress management techniques and how you can manage your stress on a day to day basis. In other episodes I'll be talking about career transition. What tools do you need to be successful in a job search when you're moving from one career into a totally different track? These are questions that you need answers to and I can help you find those answers. My name is Kitty Boitnott. Welcome to"Teachers in Transition." Welcome to Episode 43 of" Teachers in Transition." I am Kitty Boitnott of"Teachers in Transition" and Boitnott Coaching LLC. And this week we're going to be talking about a career transition strategy but with a twist because I am interviewing my new friend Brittany Long of"Life After Teaching." And what I wanted to offer to listeners today and those who might be watching on YouTube is a little bit about what Brittany does, how she came to be doing the work that she's doing and how the work that she and I do have some synergy because not all of the clients that she works with would be interested in what I have to offer and vice versa. So we can help one another out by helping the teachers in our communities find the resources that best suit their needs. So Brittany, I'm going to just turn it over to you for a few minutes and if you would talk about what, what your background is as a teacher and also a little bit about what led you to be doing what you're doing now. And then finally, and I'll just let you talk as long as you want to talk, uh, I might interrupt with a question, but in general, I'm gonna let you pretty much talk through this episode. Finally offer what resources you have to provide to teachers and how they can find you.
Brittany Long:Okay, perfect. Well, I'm really excited. Be here with you. And um, it's always nice to find kindred spirits and all of this. Um, so I am a former teacher. I taught for four years. Um, and I always felt like teaching was something maybe I should do because it, it felt like it was in my blood. My father was a teacher for 37 years. My husband was a teacher. My father-in-law was a teacher. It was just, I was surrounded by teachers and so I felt like this makes sense. I guess this is what I'm supposed to do. And I always enjoyed helping people and I thought teaching was really the only way to do that. And so that's kind of how that started for me. Um, so as a teacher for four years, but two years into that I had a cancer scare and, um, I remember sitting in the doctor's office and being told it was aggressive and genuinely not thinking I was going to be alive within that next year. And I remember feeling so much regret and, and you know, there was that fear and everything, but the, the overwhelming emotion that I felt was regret. And it wasn't because it wasn't because I left things undone. It was because I had so much potential and I always pushed it off. I always said, you know, I'll get to it next year. I'll try it next year. Maybe when I had[inaudible] I have more time, maybe when I'm, you know, maybe when I'm on summer break. Um, and I kept pushing it back because it seemed a little scary, but I regretted not doing it. I regretted not taking a risk on myself essentially. And, um, so walking out of the doctor's office that day, of course there was that fear, but more than anything there was regret. And I decided if this is going to be my last year on earth, I'm not going to continue to live in regret.
Kitty Boitnott:I'm going to figure out something else. And, um, I know that it's not teaching. And so I, it gave me this really huge moment of clarity that I don't think I would have otherwise had. Um, I, I really think we're kind of put in situations sometimes that push us out of our comfort zone and that really is exactly what happened to me. Um, a nd so I had to decide, am I okay with staying where I am if, if t his is m y last year on earth, am I okay with staying where I am or do I want something bigger and better? Um, a nd maybe more free than where I'm currently at. And so I had to get really real about that. And over the next two weeks I did that. And after those two weeks, I found out that my doctor was wrong. I didn't have cancer.
Brittany Long:It wasn't aggressive. It was just right. Such a blessing. But it, that moment changed my life forever. And I'm so grateful, even though it was fairly traumatic and I still, you know, get really nervous going to doctors and really, really thankful for it because it changes trajectory. And I think a lot of times people think it has to be that moment that like life or death sort of face your own mortality moment. But it doesn't have to be, it's, it's saying where I'm at isn't where I'm supposed to be anymore and I felt it for a while. So what am I going to do next about it? And asking yourself those, what's my next step kind of questions. And so that's what I started doing. And I started with, um, an Etsy shop. Actually, no, before that I started doing MLM multilevel marketing and I was really bad at it. And, um, I, it just wasn't for me. It wasn't my cup of tea. But I tried it for a little bit. And then from there I tried doing photography because I, I've always enjoyed being creative. And so I thought maybe that's my, my next thing. So I tried photography. It wasn't for me. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something I really wanted to do for money. It was something I wanted to do more as a hobby. And then I tried, an Etsy shop and that was probably the most successful of all of them so far. But I realized for me it wasn't scalable and um, it wasn't something again that I really enjoyed doing for money. I enjoyed doing it for friends. I enjoyed doing it for fun, but I didn't really enjoy doing it and getting paid for it, which is not great if you're trying to find a new career. So, um, I kept trying all these different things. So my next thing was graphic design and then from there I was able to fall into copywriting and email marketing and feet and, um, uh, funnel building and I love those things and that's, that's what I've landed on. I feel like for the first time in my life, I feel like this is the thing that I am, I am perfectly equipped for and perfectly fitted for. And it took a lot of effort and a lot of frustration and a lot of Googling and YouTube being and figuring things out. But, um, it was, it was something I never would have thought of before. I used to think that I was too dumb to learn tech, which I laugh about now. It's so silly to think about now. But that's where my mindset was, is a teacher. I had this fixed mindset of these are the skills I have, this is what I'll be doing the rest of my life. And I felt so stuck and I stayed stuck because I didn't think there was any other option. But once I started asking myself, how, how can I get out of this? How can I learn this? Everything changed for me. And so that's, that brings me to where I am today. And I also help teachers, like you mentioned, I help teachers who want to leave teaching, start a side hustle or start a side hustle, make it into a full-time hustle and then leave teaching, which is what I did. Um, I help teachers do that and it's really cool to see how people like me that they didn't think their side hustle could turn into anything more, are now taking this side hustle and really making a full time career out of it and making more than they did teaching and having more freedom. Um, I mean if you'd asked me 18 months ago, cause that's how long I've been doing this, 18 months, that's it. Um, if you asked me 18 months ago if, if I thought this kind of life was possible for me, I would have said absolutely not. Absolutely not. Um, but in, in eight months we paid off 60 K in debt. Um, we, I, my husband now works from home as well. He's a teacher now. He works from home as well because I was making enough with my side hustle, turn full time hustle. Um, and life just looks completely different for us now. I mean, if I feel sick, I can stay home and work in bed if I want more, not work at all for that day. And, and it's not a big deal. I don't have to turn in sub plans or anything. So, um, that brings me to where I am today. So, uh, Kitty, do you have any questions?
Kitty Boitnott:I do it. So tell me a little bit about you do the funnel work for, uh, other entrepreneurs, I'm assuming?
Brittany Long:Yes, that's correct. So small to medium businesses and then we're also teaching individuals who want to learn funnel building. Um, I think it's really fun. So we teach them how to build funnels also. Um, and yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Kitty Boitnott:Excellent. Okay. So as far as your work with teachers who are looking for a side hustle, what does that look like? What, how does that shape up when they come to you?
Brittany Long:So it depends a little bit on what they're looking for. Um, I have something called the"next step road map" and it really takes them, it's a 30, well, I say 30, but it's closer to 37 steps. Um, that are just small actionable steps that they can take to really get a direction. Because that's one of the biggest problems people have is they're like, I know I'm made for something more. I know I can do something more. I know have that. I have that potential, like how I felt, but I don't know what to do with it or I don't know what that looks like. And so, um, I, I help kind of break down for them. Here are your options. Here's some things that you need to think about. Here's some mindset issues that are holding you back. Um, and we really walked through that process together for, for those 37 steps. Um, and so really that's what it looks like. It helps them kind of narrow down what they're looking for, what they'd be well suited for, and helps them get to this point where they're like, wait a minute. I've always loved doing this. You mean I could figure out a way to actually do this and make money? Like we have someone right now that loves making jewelry. And she was like, this was my, this would be like my deathbed wish. If I could do anything in the world, this is what it would be. But I have to wait till I'm retired. I have to wait till this. I have to wait till that. And I was like, no, if this is your deathbed wish, why are you waiting until your deathbed to do it? Why not go for it now? And so we've kind of helped her figure out a plan to do that and she started doing it and she's already within the first like two weeks of us dong this, she's already making money making jewelry for people. It's great.
Kitty Boitnott:Awesome. And now one of the email exchanges that we had was that you're not interested in teaching people how to find traditional jobs. Is that right?
Brittany Long:Right. That's, yeah. And I know that's something you're really good at. It's just not, it's just not really in my wheelhouse and I'm not really interested in it cause it's not something that's ever really interested in me is going back to another traditional job.
Kitty Boitnott:So that's why I said that we're synergistically interconnected because I do help people find traditional jobs where they need to write a resume, cover letter and have LinkedIn and know how to interview. That's not where your focus is.
Brittany Long:Correct.
Kitty Boitnott:But now I did notice on your blog that you do some, uh, at least I saw one message at least about self-care. So are do you also offer support in that area or is that just something that you write blog posts about periodically?
Brittany Long:No, we do support in that area. Actually right now we're doing a 30 day self care for teachers challenge. Um, a few weeks ago, somebody in"My Life After Teaching" Facebook group, they said, you know, here's a self care bingo, say all the ones that you've done. And so many, the teacher said, I haven't done any of those in years. Goodness. I know. And I'm thinking, of course you guys are feeling burnt out and frustrated and tired because you're pouring from an empty glass. And so, um, we started the self care for teachers challenge and it's just one step they can take every day to care for themselves a little bit more. Um, on the first day of something super simple as just taking a minute to breathe. And so many of them were like, this helps so much and I didn't think it would cause it's only one minute, but they weren't, they were noticing all this stress intention that started to release just from focusing on their breathing for one minute.
Kitty Boitnott:Well, I saw that, I saw that and I thought that's another area that we cross over because I'm a certified stress management coach. I've written an ebook on stress management strategies, not just for teachers but for anybody who feels stressed out and stretched beyond their limits and overwhelmed with work life relationships or whatever. So that's another area that we have in common. So how would people find you, Brittany, if they were interested in learning more about maybe figuring out a side hustle for themselves or maybe they've already established the idea for an online business, but now they need to know how to build that email list in the funnel they need, they need your support for that. How would they find you?
Brittany Long:There's four ways. It really depends on what Avenue they like to go on. If it's on Instagram, it would be um,"Life After Teaching League." If it's on website, it would be"Life After Teaching.com." Um, they can email me, Brittany, B, R I T T a N y@lifeafterteaching.com and uh, or the"Life After Teaching with Brittany and Zachary Long" Facebook group. Any of those that are a great way to reach out to me.
Kitty Boitnott:Okay. So, um, what are some of the things, you mentioned the one teacher who's wanting to do jewelry as her deathbed wish, and so she's building that, um, over the course of the last 18 months, I know you probably can't talk specifically about a lot of your clients, but if you can give an example or two beyond the jewelry, what are some other ideas that some of your clients have picked up on and decided to go with?
Brittany Long:So one of our teachers, they're a current teacher. Uh, they've always wanted to be a writer. They've always wanted to write books. They've always wanted to write for this one, um, large film company especially. And they said, but you know, that's just, that's just not realistic. And so it's been really fun. So you kind of chisel away at what they think is possible for them. And so they've gone from not writing or editing really anything to starting their book to writing or to editing for a client and getting paid for it and to start our era. And they're starting to open up to the idea of maybe I could work for this, this company that is like my dream company to work for. And that one's a little bit different. Cause like I said, I don't normally help with other companies, but their focus really is on writing their own books, on working with other, um, and then being a freelancer for this other company. And so, um, that's one, two, they just getting their first editing client and getting paid for it was huge. It was, it was really cool to see how their perspective shifted from this is just not possible to, Oh my gosh, this just happened and I'm getting paid for it.
Kitty Boitnott:Perfect. Well, um, so some of my clients like the idea of writing or pursuing some sort of talent that they have, but they run into the same problem that I suspect your clients tend to run into, at least at first. And that is, and you mentioned the mindset. So, um, is part of what you do help people to expand their range of possibilities just by undertaking the notion that it's not as their lives are not as limited as they perhaps think when they first come to you? Is that one of the things that you talk about?
Brittany Long:Absolutely. Um, we talk about it a lot in the free Facebook group. We, anytime somebody says, Oh, I'd love to do this, but I say, okay, why don't you do that, then what's your next step? And so in that, in that Facebook group, you'll see me constantly asking, okay, what's your next step? What's your next step? And that's one of the biggest things that help kind of flip that switch when it comes to mindset with teachers or with the teachers that I'm working with at seams. And then with the next step road map, we go heavily into mindset. The first about first week, it's just all mindset. And it's really interesting to see the shift that happens between the first week and the second week when they're chiseling away at these limiting beliefs that they didn't even know they had. Um, and I, I've experienced that myself. That was the same thing for me. I just thought it's not possible to work at home. It's not possible to do this. And then all of a sudden I was doing it and I was like, if that's possible, what else could be possible for me?
Kitty Boitnott:Well, and so, and that's again, we have found another area where we are very in tune with one another because I often empower my clients to be willing to play with possibilities, to be willing to dream big and not have to worry about the practical, how to make something happen at first, but to at least envision something bigger than they've got for themselves right now and pursue whether or not it's practical later. But for right now, just let yourself dream and consider all of the possibilities because I'm with you, life is too short to limit yourself to one little chunk of the world when there's so much available for teachers and other professionals to um, use their talents, their gifts, their abilities in a way that can make the world a better place and a happier place for everybody.
Brittany Long:Can see. Absolutely. Yeah. One of the things that I tell my teachers a lot is I say, you know, what is possible is determined by what you have decided for yourself as possible. And so if you want more to be possible than just decide that more is possible. And then, like you said, dream big fairs and then figure out how to get there later on.
Kitty Boitnott:Be willing to suspend your disbelief and be willing to dream big for. I love that little while. Well, Brittany, thank you so much for being willing to be one of my guests. I know you're, you're one of the few, I've only had a couple of guests up until this point. Uh, normally it's just me talking away about the topic of the day. So I'm really excited that you were willing and able to, uh, join me today and um, I'll look forward to hearing from you that you've heard from some of the people who are listening in today. So that's it...
Brittany Long:I was going to say thank you so much and I'm really looking forward to sending some of my, my teacher friends and, and teacher group that are like, okay, I want a new career over to you. So it'll be, it'll be really nice to have both of us for them.
Kitty Boitnott:Well, yes it will and we'll be supporting them.
Brittany Long:Yes.
Kitty Boitnott:That's it for today. Thank you for attending, listening into teachers in transition or watching on the YouTube channel. As always, if you have comments or questions, please feel free to email me@kittyboitnottatgmail.com or reach out to Brittany so that she can help you dream big and consider what other possibilities are out there for you. If your current job is no longer fulfilling and satisfying, um, please review and leave a comment on"Teachers in Transition" that helps other people find the podcast. And until next week, thanks again and have a wonderful week. So there you have it, an episode of"Teachers in Transition." I hope you enjoyed the information and I hope you'll plan to come back. Please subscribe to"Teachers in Transition" so that you can be alerted of future episodes. And let me know if you have any questions or topics that you would like me to specifically cover in a future episode. I'm more than happy to help with individual questions as well. So email me at KittyBoitnott@BoitnottCoaching.com. If you are interested in finding a new career or just enjoying your life more, this is the place to start. Hi, I'm Kitty Boitnott and this is"Teachers in Transition."