Trusting the Universe: Overcoming Fear to Follow Your Dreams

Do you struggle with feeling like you’re not living your life’s full purpose?

Maybe you think “who am I to choose this instead?” Or perhaps you think “I don’t know what I’ll do next. If I quit my job, then what?”

The truth is, you were made for more. You’re worthy of your dreams, and you’re on the right path wherever you are. The truth is, you’ll figure it out, even if you don’t know exactly how right now.

In this episode, I chat with Taylor Nardone, a former music teacher now pursuing his passion in the entertainment industry. 

Join us as we discuss:

• What it’s like to transition out of a career & rediscover your passions
• The importance of trusting yourself & the universe, of believing that good things are always on the way to you
• How to shift your mindset when you’re stuck in fear
• How it’s never too late to pursue your passions and follow your dreams

There are endless opportunities waiting for you, ready for you to take the leap and pursue what you’re passionate about.

Tune in to learn how to escape the “conveyor belt of life,” find your creative freedom and live the life of your dreams!


Resources
Connect with Taylor:
Tiktok
Instagram

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Transcript

[00:00:58] Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the podcast. I'm so excited to be chatting with Taylor Nardone today. Taylor has been all over my TikTok for you page, and from the first video I saw, I knew that I needed to interview him. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, and Taylor began his journey in the professional world as a music teacher.

[00:01:21] After leaving the profession, after five years to pursue his passions in entertainment, he's been able to increase his income, find personal and creative freedom in his day-to-day life, and remain grounded in knowing that when we trust that good things will show up, they always do. I cannot wait to hear more about your journey, so, Taylor, welcome to the podcast. 

[00:01:41] Taylor Nardone: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited. 

[00:01:43] Lindsay Hanson: I'm so excited. Okay, so let's start from the beginning. How did you get into teaching music as your career? 

[00:01:52] Taylor Nardone: Yeah. Okay. So we'll have to go way back for this one. So I was 13 when I first found my love of music, so I was always a very social and fun kid.

[00:02:02] And then I got really shy when I got to middle school, and I just became very like, I didn't want anyone to see me, you know, it was this whole thing. And so I kind of found this love of music and singing that just literally came upon me. It was that intuitive feeling. And so I followed it, but I was very secretive about it for a while.

[00:02:17] So it was about 16 years old that I finally joked that I like, came out musically and was able to be like, you know, this is what I wanna do. And so I ended up going off to college to study, really performing, and heading into the music industry. I thought I was gonna be more so what I'm doing now into, you know, commercial music and in that field.

[00:02:34] About a year into it, I realized I wanted to give back what I loved about music. So then I headed into the teaching profession, or I went into a music education program, got my job right outta college, and moved about an hour and a half away from home. And I taught there for five years.

[00:02:53] I taught K through five elementary music. 

[00:02:55] Lindsay Hanson: I love that. Honestly, I so distinctly remember all of my music teachers. I feel like it's such an important role in kids' lives. At least, it was for me. And I never was really passionate about music, but I always remember loving all my music teachers.

[00:03:11] I feel like they had such an impact on my life. 

[00:03:13] Taylor Nardone: No, it was such a fun job. It really was. It was beautiful. Beautiful. 

[00:03:17] Lindsay Hanson: So what was it that made you want to leave that job? 

[00:03:22] Taylor Nardone: Well, so it's interesting. So when I left college, I had a really difficult student teaching experience, so student teaching is kind of your practicum, right?

[00:03:31] So it's, you go out in the field you're working with, I worked with an elementary teacher, and then I worked with a high school level teacher, and both placements were just not a great fit. And so what ended up happening was I got through that, and I was like, do I even wanna do this?

[00:03:43] I got out of college and remember going to Europe with my best friends. We were backpacking through Europe. It was like a week or two after we were like, we're free. And I'll never forget one night, like being in Italy, and I looked at my friend, and I was like, we are not meant to go in this conveyor belt of life. And that was the first time that I started to think about that term, like a conveyor belt, which I view as the rat race, like society. It was this really deep feeling, and I was like, I just feel like I have to put it off for a bit. And so I came home and presented that to my loving family, who had just paid for me to get this degree.

[00:04:19] And they were like, excuse me, honey. So they said, listen to you, just gotta try it. Just get into a field, and then you can make a decision. And so I applied. And I kind of just dove in head first. And so what happened was I spent five years in the classroom, and I did enjoy my job, but I completely neglected myself.

[00:04:37] And so I was extremely out of alignment. And that also means being out of alignment with who I was and what I desired. A whole part of me wanted to pursue entertainment, whether it was acting, singing, or all this stuff. And even though I was singing in, in our music class, I was not singing, singing, you know, like that was consuming my entire existence.

[00:04:55] And so what ended up happening is actually about a year before I left the classroom, I started getting my license to become a general education teacher. I thought I would leave teaching music to do second or third grade in the classroom. And I remember I got the license and I finished the program.

[00:05:10] I was working so hard that I was working around the clock last year. I was giving up my school prep periods to observe in other classrooms. It was insane. My principal gave me the license, and I remember having this feeling of like, wait, do I want this? Wait, whoa, what's going on? And it was this like swirling insanity in my head. And it ended up being a really big spiritual awakening. And I think that was the universe saying, okay, yeah, it's time. And so I just felt this deep calling to leave. And it wasn't because it was bad; it wasn't because of anything like that. It was this; it was a look forward, not backward.

[00:05:40] It was like, you need to step into this unknown space. You need to jump and you're going to be caught. And I've always listened to that. I've had it happen a few times in my life. And I just remember looking up, and I said, okay. I'll do this, but you need to give me a sign. And I got signed after I still have the document, like 50 signs within the next couple of weeks.

[00:05:59] The things that were like coming into my reality were unbelievable. And so I really thought about it, and about two months after, I said, let me wait till the school year ends so I can breathe a little bit, and maybe I'm just tired. Right? Maybe I want to give up my career right now and do this for who knows what.

[00:06:18] And it just got stronger. And so I resigned in July, and the rest is history. 

[00:06:24] Lindsay Hanson: That is amazing, and I'm sure relatable to a lot of people. I'm curious, what were some of those signs that you got after you asked for a sign? 

[00:06:33] Taylor Nardone: Oh my gosh. So one of them was so funny: I had followed this YouTuber for a couple of years.

[00:06:39] Her name is Clancy Burke, and I love her. And she was a news reporter, and her entire channel was based on her as a news report. Now this girl, apparently, I thought loved her job whenever I watched her every week. She posted twice a week; huge following. This was like two days after she literally posted a video.

[00:06:55] She goes, I quit my job as a TV news reporter. And I was like, you've gotta be kidding. This girl that I watched religiously. And she goes, we're gonna go travel for a year. She goes, I'm pursuing YouTube; we're gonna do an Airbnb in a different city every month. And we're traveling. And I was like, oh my God.

[00:07:09] And then it was like little things like I had applied to a couple of jobs within the district to go teach general education that everyone was like, you're a shoo-in, and somehow I didn't even get a response from them. Like they had already had someone internally that was filled. And I was like, okay.

[00:07:23] And then there were a bunch of little synchronicities. I had looked up this, I was looking at podcasts on manifesting, and I found this woman who I was like, wow, I really, really love your podcast. And I was like, all right, let me go follow her on Instagram. She follows me back, and all of a sudden, we're chatting, and she goes, book a call, and we had an hour-long free call, and she was like, I see what's happening right now.

[00:07:43] And she kind of gave me some clarity. So it was just a bunch of things over and over that kept lining up and reinforcing what I was feeling. But I should look back at that list, actually. That'd be pretty cool. I still haven't, yeah, it's in my Google Docs, and it's like two pages long because it was wild, the synchronicities that were coming through.

[00:08:02] Lindsay Hanson: I know. It's so crazy how stuff like that will start to happen. And I think a lot of us get stuck in that place where we feel that pull, right? We know that we're made for something more. It's time to make a change. But then our fears stop us from doing that. We're like, well, it's not logical or rational.

[00:08:22] I don't have money saved up or whatever the reason is why we feel like we can't make that change, and then we almost start to...I call it gaslighting ourselves, honestly, is what it feels like because then we'll start thinking, " Oh, well, maybe my job isn't that bad. My job is if you're not leaving because you hate your job, right?

[00:08:41] Then it's easy to get sucked into, like, well, I have a great job. Why would I wanna leave? Or am I being ungrateful for wanting to leave this job, this great job that I have? Especially at a time when people are getting laid off, right? I should be grateful to have this job, or, you know, whatever it is that gets us sucked back in. Maybe I just need a vacation. Deep down, I'm just tired when I know that's not really what's going on. So do you have any advice for someone who's kind of stuck in that cycle? Oh, so do I. So do, knowing that it's time, but like, yeah, really just getting sucked back in. 

[00:09:16] Taylor Nardone: Oh, I so do. I so do. Well, I have so many things. First of all, I will say, You know, if there's any purpose in anything on this earth, which I believe there absolutely is, we're here to evolve, and you're here to grow. Growth is never going to come within comfort. There's always going to be discomfort, and there has to be.

[00:09:33] And so I challenge people to consider that perhaps your fear is just the entryway; it's the doorway. You have to enter the door. You have to go past that fear. Anything big that you've done, there was always a sense of reservation or hesitation, but that's your mind. Just trying to protect you.

[00:09:50] Your brain's just doing its job. It doesn't mean that that's what's gonna happen. It's literally saying, oh my God, is there a danger? You just have to tell yourself there's no danger. I know I'm gonna be fine. I'm, I'm so protected. I know good things are coming to me. So it's a reframing of your perspective with that and kind of this expectation that things always will work out for you.

[00:10:08] You know, I think we, in society, tend to have, or at least fear is pushed on us all the time for a reason, right? It keeps you very stuck, but fear is an emotion. And so, the same fear you can feel in one moment, you could feel joy in the next moment. Sometimes I describe to people, I'm like, if you had everybody in my apartment right now, everyone in one room together, we'd all be experiencing what was in front of us very differently because we're in our heads.

[00:10:29] It doesn't change the reality of what's outside of us, but we're experiencing it differently. And so all of a sudden, then you're acting based upon those thoughts. My challenge is shifting your perspective, shifting those thoughts a little bit, and starting small. You know, when you see fear creep in, allow yourself to feel that, honor that, and then shift it and say, okay, I got that out now.

[00:10:47] I got that out. I don't need that anymore. I'm gonna move forward. Okay. And then thinking to yourself, it's not like a what could go wrong type of situation. It's like, what if I don't do this? I really have the desire to go in this direction. Can I risk not doing it? Can I risk my happiness that much?

[00:11:05] Can I risk my well-being? Do you want to risk that? So people kind of need to weigh the odds here, and the odds always turn in the favor of taking, taking the leap. It always does, you know? And, the thing is, I was given so many signs, but it didn't mean that it was gonna do it for me.

[00:11:20] The universe said, “Hey, we'll give you those signs. You still need to jump.” And it is one of those moments where you say, all right, I gotta do this. And when you do, you grow so much as a person. You evolve so much. And when you commit to yourself that much, and you say, I'm gonna follow what I know my soul is telling me to do, that's just your soul trying to get to the front of the line and say, yes, this is what I wanna be doing.

[00:11:41] The universe literally will start to shower you with: "you've got this; we told you you're doing this." The other day I bought a course that is a lot of money, and I was really excited about this course. It is a kind of personal development, spiritual course, and I thought about taking it for about a year, and both times that I tried to get in, I missed the deadline somehow by a day I'm like, okay, it must just not be time.

[00:12:04] The other day, I saw it, and I said to myself, you know what? We have to do this. It was just presented. We have to do this. I felt so aligned, so good about it. Three minutes later, I got an email from a brand that I had worked with back in the fall that wanted to hire me again for like eight months, and it's, it's crazy the way that stuff happens, and I really think it's the universe saying you have to trust.

[00:12:23] So it's this weird push and pull because sometimes we want all of it to be shown to us first, but it's never going to be. You'll get the feeling of what it could be, but we still have to do our part and jump. So sometimes it's really realizing that its fear is literally just a feeling. And as easy as you can tap into fear, you can tap into the good things too.

[00:12:41] And so just starting to reprogram and focus on the good. 

[00:12:44] Lindsay Hanson: Mm-hmm. I love that advice so much. And I think kind of what it was for me is like my fear of not taking the leap was stronger than my fear of the unknown, right? My fear of what if it doesn't work out? What's gonna happen? What if I don't make enough money?

[00:13:02] All of those fears didn't really matter to me when I thought about it; what if I didn't try, though? What if I had to get to the end of my life and wonder what could have happened? 

[00:13:13] Taylor Nardone: Absolutely. And first of all, if anyone's listening to this and you're in your fifties, sixties, whatever, or your thirties or forties, it is never too late to change.

[00:13:20] You have full autonomy at every single point in time in your life to make a change. You could literally be driving down the same street you drive down every day, and today you decide to turn right instead of left. You can change what you're doing at any point in time. And so that can be very overwhelming for people sometimes, but I think the issue is sometimes it's easier for us to think that we're locked into something.

[00:13:40] It kind of validates why we're doing it. But we have to really look past that and say, you know what? I know I can change my circumstances. And the other thing, too, is I remember thinking to myself about the financial piece as well. And I sometimes think when we make a big decision or fear taking a leap, we somehow assume that we won't have our brains anymore once we leap.

[00:13:59] And it's hysterical cuz once you take that leap, you'll still be able to think, you'll still be... if you need money, you'll figure it out. You know what I mean? You'll still have a; you'll still be able to maneuver your path and stuff. Sometimes we just need to see we're on point A and expect to see B through Z.

[00:14:17] Someone described it to me once as a dark staircase. You know the steps are there; you just have to go one by one. It doesn't mean you're gonna see all of them. Yeah. But that takes away the fun. Yeah, it's fun when it's a surprise. I think Abraham Hicks once described it as you wouldn't want every food that you're ever gonna love in your life to be presented right now at all times.

[00:14:34] It takes out all of the joy and fun of trying these foods and these experiences, so I think it's getting excited about what's going to come to you. 

[00:14:46] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah, I agree. And I think, I mean, our brain always goes to the worst-case scenario, right? It's like, what if I quit my job and I don't make any money, and then I just become homeless and, like, I never make any money again?

[00:14:57] It's like, that's not gonna happen because before you get to that point, you're gonna do something about it, right? You'll apply for jobs and return to what you were doing. Literally, the worst-case scenario is that you just go back to what you're doing right now. 

[00:15:11] Taylor Nardone: Right, right. And rarely would that even happen.

[00:15:13] Lindsay Hanson: So it's worth seeing what other possibilities exist. 

[00:15:17] Taylor Nardone: Absolutely. And again, just trusting that there are things that will come to you, opportunities, all of this that you would have no clue about. I mean, imagine if I told my parents at six years old, like, when I'm 28, I'm gonna be working, I'm gonna work for brands as an influencer on this app called TikTok.

[00:15:32] They'd be like, what? What are you...? That doesn't exist yet. There's gonna be things that are created. There's, I kind of think of it as there are rooms that are just waiting for you. Mm-hmm. But they haven't been created yet. You know, someone's speech that I was so moved by this year at the Grammys was Lizzo because I was thinking about Lizzo and how she and who she is and what she brings to the table really like it.

[00:15:50] She literally would not have fitted the mold that society was placing around artists five or ten years ago. And now look at her. And so you can't look at what's happening now and assume that these circumstances are gonna be with you for the rest of your life. They're just not going to be. 

[00:16:05] And so that's really powerful and liberating too. 

[00:16:09] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah. So when you took the leap and quit your job, did you have a plan in mind of what you were gonna do? Did you have any type of job or income stream lined up? Or was it just like, I'm gonna take this leap that I'm feeling called into and trust that the universe is gonna bring me the right opportunities?

[00:16:29] Taylor Nardone: Yeah, so I did have a light plan. So I worked as a server part-time at a restaurant for about a year on weekends. And I was, I already, it was the summertime, so I was working there a little bit more full-time. And so I basically just asked them, I said, Hey, can you throw me on a little bit more?

[00:16:41] And they were like, "sure!" And they were super supportive of it. And so I work three days a week, maybe four, sometimes depending. And so that's been fine. And I think the only mini concern I had was like, right, am I gonna be able to match my income? And it happened so unbelievably easily. And most of the time, I'm making more than I was making before.

[00:16:56] As a teacher. So I did have that light plan. Now, could I have jumped without one? Absolutely. Because there would've been, something would've presented itself, or I would've found a solution a hundred percent. You know? At some point this year, I'll most likely be leaving that job as well because I'll be heading off to pursue more full-time what I'm doing.

[00:17:12] But things are presented to us right when we need them. The people I work with all of a sudden, I realized all of this new staff; were spiritual. They were all on the same path that I was on. And I was like, oh my God. And I was like; I get it. I see it. So the universe said, " Hey, we got you money-wise, and let's put you around some cool people.

[00:17:31] You know, I have a friend that just left her job at Apple to go open her health and wellness center, and she's on the same path I'm on, and she and I are so connected throughout this. So I just kind of view it all as a gift. But anyways, you can leave without an actionable plan because you will, something will, if you're open, if you are literally open to what is supposed to come to.

[00:17:50] You'll be absolutely fine. But I tell people, financially, I don't have kids, I'm not married or anything, but the job I work at the restaurant, I mean, we're just open during the day. So it's pretty much regular work hours, like seven or eight to three o'clock. I'm like; there are gonna be things that you can't anticipate that will come in that will help you in your situation and financially will be so easy.

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[00:19:45] As you said, these opportunities always show up at the right time. Have you found that to be a recurring theme in your journey in this past, I don't know what, nine months since you left? 

[00:19:56] Taylor Nardone: Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. But partially because I feel like I've almost reprogrammed my mind now to always see solutions instead of seeing the problems.

[00:20:05] You know, it's funny; I sometimes think of it as like the new car syndrome. It's like, you really want this like orange Nissan, and all of a sudden, you're on the highway, and you see them everywhere. And there's the same amount of fricking orange Nissans as there always have been. You're just focused on it.

[00:20:18] I see solutions everywhere when you shift that way. It's not that everything that comes into my life at all moments in time is favorable, but everything's neutral until you give it value. So if something's unfavorable, you just let it pass, and then you focus on what's coming ahead of you. So I think that that's the big difference for me now is that I'm seeing things work out at all points in time, but they always have been. Sometimes I just ignored it, you know? 

[00:20:40] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah. What you focus on and like your mindset is so important. 

[00:20:45] Taylor Nardone: It is literally everything; it's your life. 

[00:20:47] Lindsay Hanson: It's the reality that's in front of you, right?

[00:20:49] Because whatever your reality is, is your reality, whatever's occurring. If you're just focusing on the things that are a problem, the things that are negative, then you're gonna experience that in a very negative way, you're gonna have a negative experience, but in the same situation, you could be just shifting to focus on the positives, the possibilities, the opportunities.

[00:21:09] And all of a sudden, you feel like you have all these opportunities in front of you. You have the same opportunities and the same challenges. And it's just about what you're focusing on. 

[00:21:19] Taylor Nardone: Truly, and, and then, you know, you know, and what happens is when we see the negative in something, then we make decisions based upon that negative, and then before, you know it, this beautiful path that you were on when you were aligned and trusting the world. You are so far off of it in California now that you're like, I don't even know how to get back there because you've. You've kept going off the path because you, you're, I'm scared. Oh, I gotta go this way. I'm scared.

[00:21:41] You just, you literally, you just ignore all of that fear. It just has no point unless there's a truck coming at you. There is no point. Literally, it is fight or flight. Like if, if someone was trying to attack me, right? Yeah. Be, I'd run, you know, I'd peace out.

[00:21:54] I'd probably, unless I was like, no, I'm kidding, but I'd bounce. You know? But, like, there's no, if there imminent fear visually right in front of you. Then there is literally nothing for you to be scared of. And so a lot of that, too, is being out of the present moment, like when we're literally in the present moment, you can't really have anxiety because anxiety is often something that hasn't happened yet.

[00:22:17] You know what I mean? So you're thinking about something that hasn't happened, and then the identity that you think you have is from your past. It's, it's a whole mess. Mm-hmm. It's like we're always just here right now as we are. And there are solutions that are presented everywhere at all times. 

[00:22:31] Lindsay Hanson: So, were there ever any moments that you experienced a major challenge or a moment where you felt like maybe this isn't gonna work out, and that fear really crept in? 

[00:22:44] Taylor Nardone: Absolutely. So when I kind of got out of alignment at times, and I kind of dipped down, and I felt that I was lost, I felt lost at times over, over this chunk of time because my identity was so tied with being an educator.

[00:22:56] And I was like, well, who am I? And so in those moments, I was like, well, I just say to myself, I'm like, what am I doing with my life? What direction am I going? But then I realized, I'm like, you know what? I'm not saying that feeling good. I'm saying that because I'm just a little bit off my game right now.

[00:23:11] So I gotta honor the fact that that's coming through me. And then when I get back to truly feeling like myself if those feelings continued, I said, wow, I'm ready to head into a classroom again, I would listen to them, but they never do. You know, those moments are challenging because when you tend to take a leap like this, you are literally pulling out the rug from underneath you.

[00:23:29] So that safety net that you had with your identity, Is gone. But then you start to realize, and the beautiful growth happens, that you don't need to really be fulfilled by anything. You're whole exactly as you are; everything else is just enhancing your experience. So those moments, definitely the personal growth, have been beautiful and difficult at the same time because growing pains absolutely exist.

[00:23:54] But I haven't had anything necessarily creep into my 3D that was like, oh my God, this is a huge problem. You know what I mean? Things have worked out, but I think it's more of a mental thing that can get you. 

[00:24:07] Lindsay Hanson: For sure. So how would you say that your life has changed?

[00:24:12] What's different now that you're not teaching? You're not in this job. You're not on that. Oh my gosh. What did you call it? Treadmill anymore. Conveyor belt anymore. What is different just in your day-to-day life now? 

[00:24:26] Taylor Nardone: I went to a personal training consultation the other day and the, the guy was checking off all these things, asking me questions.

[00:24:32] He goes, all right, so what's your stress level? Just like one to 10. And I was like, shoot. I was like, two, one? So I think the biggest change is I really am never stressed and that, and I genuinely mean that, and I think it's been so long since I've experienced that constant stressful feeling of, oh my God, there's something coming.

[00:24:51] Just everything pulling me outta the present moment that, now I look, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I really need to appreciate that a little bit. So, no, I think honestly, I'm balanced. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm more whole. I'm the biggest expression of who I am. I just am able to exist and not feel like I have to be chasing something or running.

[00:25:10] I can just be. So, I think my life is very, very simple. I was telling someone the other day the best moments I've had over the past year or nine months, whatever, since I've left, hasn't been this traveling or going this and that. I am, I'm starting to do a little bit of that, but it's literally been the peaceful moments of walking by the beach in the morning or sitting with my cup of coffee just listening to the birds and being like, "I don't have anywhere to be other than right here. I don't have anything to worry about." And there are things that I could try and worry about. But I think once you start to reset your nervous system, once you leave the grind, you're like, oh my God, things start to really, really shift.

[00:25:46] So that's been huge. 

[00:25:48] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah. Were there any mentors you had, or were you talking about some people you might have followed on social media? Was there anyone who really kind of helped guide you, I guess? That made you feel a little bit safer on this journey? 

[00:26:05] Taylor Nardone: Yeah, so, so the interesting thing about it is when you have kind of a big life change coming or a big leap, that's probably gonna happen for you, the universe will show you people first that are doing it right before you, and they just give a little, little handoff.

[00:26:19] And so a couple of years back, March of 2021, there was this video that I saw on YouTube; this girl had quit her job without a plan. Kinda the first video I'd been presented with on that topic, and that's now coming up a lot more. And all of a sudden, I was following her journey. I wasn't considering that at the time, but I was kind of like, oh, you know, so that kind of struck me.

[00:26:37] And then I had a couple of good friends that I met online that we had chatted so frequently that were probably a year or two ahead of me, kind of in their spiritual journey. And I was like, wow, I feel like I'm experiencing that too. So we would then talk; so many people and so many people have come into my life.

[00:26:53] You're gonna attract so many people that have come into my life that I'm like, wow, you're experiencing something similar. You, you feel this way? So the universe sent me support after support, but there were probably three or four people I had noticed that were experiencing or had experienced what I was experiencing at the time, who I was leaning on.

[00:27:11] And they, and they will literally be handed to you on a silver platter. You don't have a choice. 

[00:27:15] Lindsay Hanson: It's crazy. That's definitely been my experience too. And I also can't tell you how many people will message me and be like, "I have been feeling this way stuck in my job for months, and your podcast came up on my for you page or whatever, like came up on my Spotify recommended."

[00:27:33] It just always happens exactly at the right time, right before it's time for you to make that leap. 

[00:27:40] Taylor Nardone: And that's the best part. And then you get to say to yourself, wow. So I really do just get to sit back and find the joy in it. It will be presented to me. Life can be easy. I don't know if any, you know, if you listen to, or if anyone listening right now has ever heard of Abraham Hicks, I would highly recommend everyone go listen to Abraham.

[00:27:57] Because they will literally tell you, just be like, what do you want? What do you need to do? If you want more money, go to the beach. Like, just be. Find joy, be happy. Focus on you, and then you realize you're like, "wow, I can just go through life with ease." It's just so the opposite of what we've been taught, but life can be so beautiful and joyful for you once you let go.

[00:28:17] You just gotta let go. 

[00:28:18] Lindsay Hanson: It really is so the exact opposite of what we're taught, and I think that's something that I struggled with for a long time and honestly still do sometimes because my whole life, right? If you want to be successful, you must work hard. If you wanna make more money, then you have to put in more hours and shift that, especially now as a business owner, to a point where now, if I wanna scale my business, trading time for money is actually the most ineffective way to do that, cuz I only have so much time, right? So I actually need to be doing something very different if I do want to grow my business, if I do wanna make more money. This can't be the only way. 

[00:28:57] Taylor Nardone: Absolutely. And I think too money mindset is a huge thing for people too. And here's what I'll say. Listen, I grew up with a very neutral perspective around money. Our privilege comes from, not necessarily from what we have but it's the mindset around it, right? So, people that grew up in poverty, it's not that you can't escape that, but you have this ingrained trauma and perspective rooted within it, and it's nobody's fault.

[00:29:18] It's literally, well, I mean, there's a system that needs to be taken over. But it's really, I mean, that's what gets really difficult about it. So I, I always am thankful that I grew up with kind of a neutral perspective around money, but even then, I still have these beliefs that I was like, oh, like, you know, oh, it's, it's greedy to have enough money where you feel content, which is crazy. You need money. But money is literally like; we put so much value on this thing. That is just here as a tool for you. But I, I will say for anyone listening, you know, I was making like $55,000 after five years in the classroom and having left the profession, I am floored at how much money there is to just have that there's, you can make money in such unbelievably simple ways. You can monetize so many things in this world, and I encourage everyone to get off of the mindset or the fixed perspective they have on a certain amount of money. For people to make six figures in their business. I see people do it literally every day, left and right, so it is so, so possible that level of financial freedom, and it's so well deserved for anybody.

[00:30:24] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah, it's crazy to think about, like, our perspective about what is a lot of money to make in a year is just based on really whatever profession you're in and whatever you think is possible for you to make. Right? Yeah. And there's the stereotype of the broke teacher; they don't make a lot of money.

[00:30:42] Which, one, they should make more money than they make. But also, it's crazy to think about how $55,000 at one point was your yearly salary. There are people who make that in a month. There are people who make that in a week or a day. 

[00:31:02] Taylor Nardone: 

[00:31:02] Because it's unusual until we give it that value. Right, right. It's literal money is, it's literally just there, you know? Yeah. I mean, listen, I, you know, I was thinking to myself the other day, I was like, all right, I don't need to be making millions upon me.

[00:31:13] I mean, let me cut. I mean, it'd make tens of millions of dollars. You know, I'd probably give it away. You. But even just the amount that we have, yeah, it's just based upon what we've been presented and why, what we've been presented. Why is that The gospel truth of our worth? We tie money to our worth.

[00:31:28] That has nothing to do with you. What you desire, you are absolutely able to have. Once you match that vibration and that feeling like, what does it feel like when I have that financial freedom? What am I gonna be able to do? What am I gonna use it for? The more that you saturate in that, you'll find that it's flowing to your left and right, and it really does.

[00:31:47] I've had crazy things happen regarding money. It's wild. 

[00:31:50] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah. Yeah. I've had, I think I just recorded an episode on this a couple of weeks ago at, like, I was looking back on my journey from when I started my business and all of just the crazy, random ways that money would always come in exactly when I needed it to.

[00:32:04] Like, it literally just showed up. Yes. Like things, I couldn't have ever predicted. Obviously, I'm building a business and actively creating income streams, yet money will find me in the most random ways. 

[00:32:17] Taylor Nardone: It does. It absolutely does. And it's so beautiful to think to yourself again with that openness of just "I can't wait to see how it shows up." I cannot wait to see how it shows up. And, you know, I think something important to us as people start to go through this process of okay, I'm ready to take a leap, and I'm ready for things to come to me, we have no say in how or when that happens in terms of - we have full autonomy to make a leap.

[00:32:41] But in terms of things you wanna draw in, how or when is all up in the air, that's the absolute best part. It's like a surprise party. You just don't know when it's gonna come, you know? But it will show up. And it will show up right on time. 

[00:32:53] Lindsay Hanson: Yeah, I think there's a lot of things in our life where we just have that faith, right?

[00:32:59] We don't even question whether it's gonna happen, and we're not concerned about where or when. We just know it is. And for some reason, we get so stuck on applying that same concept to money. I always think about it; I always compare it to relationships. Because I'm like, I've never, I've never doubted that I'm gonna find my person, right? I've never doubted that someday I will get married and find my soulmate if you believe in soulmates. And I've never like actively been like, oh, I need to go out and find them.

[00:33:32] Like, I need to look for them. I'm like, no, they're gonna come into my life at the right time. I'm engaged now, for those of you who don't know. But I've never ever questioned that. Right? So why wouldn't I apply the same mindset to money, my business, or any goal I have, right?

[00:33:49] I know I'm gonna have a successful business, and I don't necessarily know every step that's gonna get me there or exactly when I'm gonna. Hit six figures or seven figures or whatever big milestone we've built up in our minds. But I can trust that it's going to happen at the right time. And then, I can say yes to the opportunities that feel good for me and see what starts to show up. 

[00:34:09] Taylor Nardone: And I think such an important piece of what you were just saying to is, is really being unattached to the outcome. That is how you do you do it. It is. You can sit here and think about all the beautiful things coming your way, and you could be grounded in that.

[00:34:24] I am so grateful for where I am right now. Look at all that's been provided for me. Look at how the dots have connected themselves my entire life. I really just get to sit back and see how this is gonna happen, and when you release the expectation that you have about how, when, or this and that, the specifics, then it's all just a fun surprise.

[00:34:40] I'm telling you. It is like icing on the cake, and it just makes it so fun. And then you're just seeing all these little synchronicities because you ha, you literally are, you aren't walking through with this like blind like it has to be this. It's like, "it's gonna be what it is, and I know it's on its way, and ooh, I just can't wait to see how it's done."

[00:34:58] That is, I'm telling you, it is like, it just, it gives me chills just thinking about it. It's the best way I, I, I really think to live your life, if you just go about it like that, just be unattached to that outcome. Know it's on its way, and then you get to enjoy it every step of the way. 

[00:35:11] Lindsay Hanson: I think that's how we're meant to be living; we've just convinced ourselves that it's not that easy. 

[00:35:18] Taylor Nardone: Mm-hmm. Completely agree. 

[00:35:22] Lindsay Hanson: What is the biggest thing you have learned on this journey so far? 

[00:35:27] Taylor Nardone: The pillar of all of this has to do with self-love and self-worth, and so I would really encourage everyone to look inside a little bit, do some digging, do a little shadow work.

[00:35:37] Take a look and go, okay, what things have happened in my life that have changed the way I think? And how can I? How can I start to reprogram that because I am so worthy, simply because I exist? And so I think there are ways sometimes that we sabotage ourselves when we think that we're not worthy of something, and things start to get so good, and then suddenly something happens.

[00:35:57] It's interesting. The Big Leap is a really good book on that too. So I would say really if you can dive into loving yourself and loving who you are, and just embracing every bit of you as you are now and celebrating you for how you've survived until now. And it just propels you so far forward, and you're able to just exude such a light that changes and impacts people around you for the better.

[00:36:23] So I would say that that's been the most important and, I think, the biggest thing that I've experienced since I 

[00:36:31] Lindsay Hanson: I love that... Do you have any big goals on the horizon? Anything that's coming up that you are excited about or that you really want to do? Or is it mostly just seeing the next opportunity that life brings your way?

[00:36:45] Taylor Nardone: Yeah, so much of it is seeing the opportunity. I love it. I mean, there are things I'm, I'm working on getting my singing kind of back in check for myself. It's been a long time since I've performed, and so that's been beautiful, even in the past couple of months, to see how that synchronicity has come.

[00:37:00] Wait a sec; I have to tell the story real quick. You guys are gonna freak out. Ok. So we talk about synchronicity. So my singing journey is a whole separate journey. It has, it's been ten years in the making, uh, since I've really felt good being up on a stage singing. So it's been a long time, but I had a moment in January where I said Okay.

[00:37:17] I said, this is the highest expression of who I am. I have to get back into it. And so I've really been on top of it. I'm studying with my amazing teacher, and I'm okay. And I started to really blend the mindset work I've been doing with my voice, and it's been like, oh my gosh. As I can see, things are shifting so much.

[00:37:36] So anyway, I was watching American Idol about a month ago, and it was the first episode, and I was like, oh, let me catch it. I love to watch it, you know, and it'll inspire me a little bit. So I watched the first contestant. I'm like, okay, that's so cool, you know? And I mute the TV, and I'm like, you know what, lemme, I was like, no one's home right now.

[00:37:50] Let me sing a little bit, you know? So I start singing; I'm like envisioning if I'm in front of the judges, whatever, and I start singing the most random song. It's called A Song For You by Leon Russell. It was kind of big in the seventies, and I love that song. And it's always been something, I mean, many years ago that I sang, and it was kind of like, My song, so I'm singing it.

[00:38:07] First time I'm singing it in a while. I'm going, okay, that doesn't sound too bad. So anyway, I go back down to the tv, and I unmute the second contestant's song. What song do you think she was singing? And let me tell you something. Not only was she singing the same song when I was singing it before, but I was also like, wow, I'm singing it a little bit higher than I remember.

[00:38:23] We were singing it in the exact same key. That's so, and the odds of that happening it was insane. And so, I mean, you could, you could take that to mean anything; I always view those moments as I'm on the right path on where I go, and it's, it's beautiful. 

[00:38:38] Lindsay Hanson: Maybe American Idol is your next step. 

[00:38:40] Taylor Nardone: Hey, listen, listen, I, I had some close encounters with Idol back in the day, so you never know, but it was, it was a moment. So things like that, when those things happen, it's just, you just, you just laugh, look up and go. I love it, you know? 

[00:38:52] Lindsay Hanson: I love that so much. Taylor, what is your biggest piece of advice for the person listening who is feeling stuck in their job right now?

[00:39:02] They're feeling that pull, that it's time to make a change, but they're scared to take the leap. 

[00:39:07] Taylor Nardone: I would say to you that you have every ability to make that change, and when you trust, you will be caught. Then that is right there, and there are gonna be things that are gonna happen that you can't predict that is going to be absolutely magical.

[00:39:25] And so I want you to get excited about what's gonna come and anchor into that excitement and walk into each day with that and just watch the opportunities. So you can do this. Loves listening. 

[00:39:39] Lindsay Hanson: I love that so much. Taylor, thank you again for coming on and sharing your journey. And where can the listeners find you if they want to connect with you and continue to follow along? 

[00:39:49] Taylor Nardone: Yeah, so I'm on Instagram and TikTok. My handle is Taylor Ryan Nardone, and I'm on there quite often. So definitely, you can always reach out and send me a message, but I am on there posting many things. 

[00:40:01] Lindsay Hanson: It's worth a follow on TikTok. I don't follow you on Instagram, but I will. But you're, you literally just started popping up on my TikTok feed, and I was just like, I need to know more about his story.

[00:40:11] Like, I just need to follow this person. Thank you again for coming on, and for sharing all of that, your story, and your advice for the listeners. I'm sure there's someone out there whose...maybe this was their sign that they needed. Thank you for coming on, Taylor. 

[00:40:29] Taylor Nardone: My pleasure. Thank you.