Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bethany Hawkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bethany, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I don’t think I have or will ever overcome imposter syndrome. As someone who has been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive order and depression, my brain is wired for anxiousness. When I decided to create this business, I had to make a decision. What did I want to be anxious about: working at a job that didn’t fulfill me or endure the trials and tribulations of creating my own business? I chose the latter.
Now, because I have had a “successful” business, new thoughts of imposter syndrome arise such as am I really an expert or what happens if I don’t have any clients in the near future? For myself, when I reach a new platform of achievement, instead of actually taking the moment of honoring what I have accomplished, I tend to overanalyze and become consumed with the next level of achievement. It is a continuous cycle. Because I am aware of it, when I feel it happening, I have to make an intentional effort to stop, take a moment and give myself a pat on the back. I had to teach myself to be appreciative of my accomplishments. That doesn’t stop the imposter syndrome. It just quiets the mental noise for a while.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In 2019, I founded my business, Crackers In Soup, LLC. Crackers In Soup, LLC is an award winning podcast production company that assists women of color and allies of women of color with sharing their genius and telling their stories via podcast. Before that, I worked in the criminal justice system. Working in a predominantly white male system, there were times when I felt my voice was disregarded. When I decided to create my own business, I wanted the entire focus to be on making sure marginalized voices were heard. I am proud to say we are accomplishing that goal daily.
I LOVE my business. I am so honored that these women chose us to help them get their stories told. Podcasting can be a very vulnerable endeavor so it means the world to us that our clients trust us with their vulnerability. Also, I love the creativity of it. Some podcast producers just work on their clients’ audio. Not us! We are all up in our clients’ business. We discuss why you are creating this podcast, what success means to you, what are your goals with the podcast, what are your intentions, how do you want your audience to feel when they listen to your podcast. We get very WOO. I feel like this level of care is why a handful of our clients have won or been nominated for awards. It really makes the difference when it comes to creating an experience for the listeners.
In addition to producing podcasts, last year we started coaching podcast service providers. When I began this adventure there were so many wonderful women of color that were producing podcasts. Many of them have left the industry because they either did not have a sustainable business or it became too overwhelming. That saddens me. So I began coaching women of color and allies of women of color. The women I have coached have increased their business revenue by 50% before the program was even over. I am so proud of that!
In 2024, we are offering a slew of masterclasses. On February 1st, I held a masterclass on unlocking your podcast guest potential. It was 90 minutes of learning and laughing. The best masterclasses are ones where you get to engage with each other and it ends with your notebook full of actionable steps to get you to where you want to be.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I feel the three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey are the following:
Resilience
Self Awareness
Doing It Anyway
I feel resilience is a pivotal skill because there are times in business when you feel nothing makes sense. You are doing all of the things, creating phenomenal products, showing up and showing out yet, your monthly revenue is not what you need or expect. Also, just because we are business owners does not mean we do not have lives outside of our business. As a wife, mother, daughter, lover of documentaries – sometimes life situations sneak their way into my business life. I believe there is no such thing as work/life balance. It is all connected. If my stomach is empty, it doesn’t get automatically full because I walked into my office. I am still hungry and most likely, I am hangry. In order for me to get over it, I need to eat something before I start working or else that hanger is going to bleed onto my work. It is all a part of you. Having the capacity and capability to withstand AND recover quickly from difficulties in business and in life is vital. If you stay stuck in despair, annoyance or hunger without doing anything about it, you won’t be able to move forward and get it done.
I added self-awareness to this list because I think it is a prerequisite to being a business owner. If you do not know your strengths, weaknesses, habits, personal beliefs about yourself, when you create your own business, you are going to learn all of those things…and quickly! I know I am a creative person but cannot draw to save my life. That is why the first person I hired was my graphic designer. She is masterful in her cover art and graphic designs. Where I draw a stick figure, she creates a mural. I knew I didn’t have a graphic designer eye but I thought my first website was pretty good until she redid it! Then I was like, wow! My first website was TRASH! I am aware enough to know I am not great or even good at everything. That is why I hire people who are better at it than I am!
Finally, I feel the ability to “Do It Anyway” is needed because sometimes you just have to do it anyway. You feel like you don’t know what you are doing: Do It Anyway. You don’t feel well but you need to get something done: Do It Anyway. You have been putting that thing on your task list for three weeks: Do It Anyway. You are scared to death to speak in front of 300 people about that topic: Do It Anyway. Most of my days are “Do It Anyway” days. And here is a secret: once I get it done, I feel so much better!
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
In the previous section, I mentioned my graphic designer. I feel like she, my CPA and my husband have been the three people who have made me the most successful in not only business but in life.
My graphic designer, Sharoline Galva, is the yin to my yang. Where I have excited nervous energy, she is my calm and voice of reason. She has been with me since 2020 and the years we have been together has been a rollercoaster of emotions. She has always been there for me to talk about our greatest achievements and our lowest lows. She is truly my family and I cannot imagine this business journey without her.
I mentioned my CPA (Certified Public Accountant) because nobody can REALLY tell you how you are doing in your business like your accountant. You may think it is going well but numbers do not lie. Nothing can humble you more than seeing your gross and profit side by side. I am convinced the reason why my business is still lucrative is because of my CPA.
Finally, my husband is my rider. We don’t believe in “ride or die” because that is so dramatic. We believe more in “ride and go out to dinner” or “ride and go to the movies”. Nobody in this world knows me better than my husband. We met when we were in eighth grade and have had so many trials and tribulations, losses, gains and so many life experiences throughout the decades of knowing each other. He is the person who always has my back and speaks reality into me when I feel like I just want to throw the business away and go apply to Walmart. He knows that is not what I really want. This business wouldn’t have been sustainable if it wasn’t for his emotional and financial support. I am very blessed to have him as my person.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crackersinsoup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bcrackersinsoup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bcrackersinsoup/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crackersinsoup/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CrackersInSoupLLC
