Season 2 Wrap-Up: Lessons from In Her Land

Season 2 Wrap-Up: Lessons from In Her Land

00:41
Mara Kamat
Welcome back to In Her Land. I'm Mara Kamat.

01:04
Carrie Aguilar
And I'm Carrie Aguilar. And today is a really special episode because we are wrapping up season two of In Her Land.

01:10
Mara Kamat
Yay. This season has been full of conversations that were thoughtful, emotional, at times inspiring, funny, honest, and at the end of the day, deeply human. We talked with women who are leading businesses, transforming communities, raising families, reinventing themselves, navigating loss building organizations, prioritizing their own wellness, and figuring out in real time just like the rest of us and how we navigate life.

01:41
Carrie Aguilar
And honestly, when we started this podcast, that's exactly what we wanted. Authenticity only. No elevator pitches, no polished versions of people, just real conversations. And that's really what we got this season, which is pretty amazing.

01:54
Mara Kamat
I agree.

01:55
Carrie Aguilar
It was awesome.

01:56
Mara Kamat
When I reflect back, one thing that really stood out to me is how many women talked about reinventions and pivots in their lives and their careers. We heard Denise Shay talk about leaving a very stable executive role after 20 years at KeyBank to do what her heart felt was something she had really thought about and dreamed about her entire life. And so she made the leap into the unknown, bought a business and grew it.

02:29
Carrie Aguilar
And then we had Kelly Henley Potts, Rosemary Moudry. Both of them were this beautiful reminder that sustainability, whether it's in the kitchen or a century old market like west side Market, is a values conversation before it's a business conversation, but it's both. And we love that.

02:47
Mara Kamat
I love the messages from Christina Breen. And I often think about it, about this whole idea of being brave over being perfect. And I tell that to Olivia all the time because. Because in the age of 13, she has this passion to always wanna do well and be ambitious and be perfect. And I just think it's such an important reminder that not everything is gonna be exactly the way that we want it. And for Every women listening to this whole idea of just stepping outside your comfort zone, being brave and not being obsessed with this idea of perfection can help you achieve so much in your life, but also in your heart.

03:30
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. So, Mara, what's one thing you're going to do this summer where you're not going to worry about starting from perfection?

03:39
Mara Kamat
This is gonna sound very funny, but this is the truth. We've been doing a big project on our house, and so the backyard is a complete disaster. But, like, I really love my gardens.

03:50
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, I was gonna say, you have all your vegetables.

03:53
Mara Kamat
Yeah. And they're so important to me, as well as, like, the flowers that I grow. So, like, in my mind, I'm like, this season's gonna build off of last season, and I'm gonna do all these things. But the reality is our backyard is a mess that's probably not gonna happen at the level that I want it to. So, like, I. Over the last couple weeks, actually month, I've been, like, growing things inside, and then this last two weeks, putting them in my garden.

04:19
Carrie Aguilar
Oh, that's awesome.

04:20
Mara Kamat
And I'm like, you know what, Mara? It doesn't have to be perfect. Just, like, do what makes you happy, and we'll see what comes of this season. And it could be an amazing growing season. Who knows? But else the garden makes me happy, and I'm just gonna do what makes me happy.

04:34
Carrie Aguilar
And you'll have amazing squash and cucumber regardless.

04:38
Mara Kamat
Exactly. Actually, I planted so much squash, zucchini, and cucumber yesterday, so I'm gonna be delivering them to all family and friends, and they are gonna be tired of them.

04:47
Carrie Aguilar
I would say, like, two weeks into August, I'm done with summer squash. I've already made 12 summer squash dishes, and I can't do any more. So I just need before middle of August and I'll be good to go.

04:57
Mara Kamat
I bought this vacuum packer thing, this whole system, to see if I could jar some of the vegetables. That's awesome. Store them over the winter. So that will be my newest experiment this year.

05:11
Carrie Aguilar
Do you preserve any of, like, your fruits that you do?

05:14
Mara Kamat
I've done pickles. Last year I did pickles and cucumbers, but I haven't really got. Oh, I did jam, and then I gave jam to everybody. And I'll probably do that again this year with peaches.

05:25
Carrie Aguilar
What type of jam?

05:27
Mara Kamat
Peach.

05:27
Carrie Aguilar
Okay.

05:28
Mara Kamat
Peach and strawberry. But I've never been able to, like, grow enough strawberries and make it. Yeah, I've always just had to kind of, like, buy. Oh, I did blueberry one year because I go blueberry picking.

05:38
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

05:38
Mara Kamat
And that was really delicious.

05:40
Carrie Aguilar
I feel like strawberry picking and blueberry picking are very labor intensive.

05:45
Mara Kamat
They are. But then when you take kids with you to do blueberry picking, they, like, love it so much. And we leave with, like, all these buckets, and then I, like, freeze them and then take it out. And when I'm feeling inspired, I'll get the kids back together after a break.

06:00
Carrie Aguilar
Now, don't you remember? Well, maybe when it was really hot in July and you picked all those blueberries.

06:06
Mara Kamat
Yeah, we'll make them. How about you, Carrie? What are you going to do this summer where you're not going to worry about starting from perfection?

06:12
Carrie Aguilar
Oh. So I have. So my husband and my daughter leave for the whole summer in, like, a couple weeks. And so it creates this beautiful space of limitless possibilities. So I have this list of things that I want to do, and I would say a lot of them center around my house. We've had this house project, which really is just. It's just been, like, so annoying with, like, these open walls, and they haven't been fixed.

06:38
Mara Kamat
But we're taking as a reminder, my project was planned.

06:43
Carrie Aguilar
Mine was not.

06:44
Mara Kamat
Harry's was forced due to issues.

06:46
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. But mine is. We decided that we're going to now rep paint most of the walls and get that done because they're doing painting anyways. So I'm excited about that. I think I am so hungry for things to be. I wouldn't say perfect, but so much better than they are now. And I think I just need to kind of refocus and be like, you know, what if the walls are closed? If we don't have. Literally, if we don't have insulation falling from the ceiling, I think we'll be good.

07:20
Mara Kamat
Success.

07:21
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, exactly. And I have, like, our screen porch. I've got. I really want to redo that this summer. And, you know, who knows what that's gonna look like? So. Yeah, so I'd say, like, setting expectations. Just don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

07:35
Mara Kamat
That sounds still very ambitious.

07:37
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. Well, fingers crossed I can get it all done.

07:40
Mara Kamat
So as we made our way through the season, one of the people that really stood out to me when you talk about, like, ambition and adaptability is Simone Jel. Right. Like, she is incredible. I loved hearing her stories about what it's been like to integrate as a black female into the NBA as a referee, and how she maintains her composure in moments of extreme stress when people might be, like, yelling at her, and the stakes might be higher in the game. And so that, for me, was a very fun podcast.

08:18
Carrie Aguilar
I was thinking about her so much. So first, she's not a playoff referee. I don't know why, but I think she actively. It's not like, her thing. So she's very excited when the middle of April comes and she can be home for literally the first time since October. I was thinking about her a couple days ago when I was watching, unfortunately, the Cavs leave lose to the Knicks again for the fourth time. But I was watching the coach basically rip the referee a new one, and I was thinking of Simone the whole time, and I'm like, how the hell does she, like, keep her. Like, she is so chill. And this guy was just. I mean, he. And understandably so.

08:55
Carrie Aguilar
I do think it was a bad call, but everyone has their opinions, and I just had a new level of awe for that woman because it's just such a high stakes job. And then you have like 80,000 fans just screaming at you that you made the wrong call. Imagine doing that.

09:11
Mara Kamat
I mean, we're one of those fans sometimes. Like, we love the Cavs game, so you're right. I don't. When I'm in the games, I don't honestly feel bad for the referees, but then when I reflect on talking to someone and the experience, I'm like, yeah, I see that. I see that. So when I can step away and take a balcony moment to not be a super fan.

09:33
Carrie Aguilar
Oh, I like that. I like that saying, balcony moment.

09:36
Mara Kamat
Oh, yeah. I use that all the time when I can zoom out and step back and think about it. Yeah. And the season's been great. It was fun to have my mom who taught.

09:46
Carrie Aguilar
Having your mom on it was so cool. First of all, I think we love to talk about how we make our decisions and being thoughtful. And your mom was like, the best reminder of, like, I asked her a question and she, like, giggled, and she's like, I don't know. We just, like, made it work. And it was just a nice reminder that you're a mom who had multiple kids. My mom had four kids. And sometimes I'll ask her and she's like, I don't know, Carrie. We just made it work. We just moved on. It was okay.

10:13
Mara Kamat
I think it's generational, too. In some ways. There's a battle, there's like, goodness with that of just live your life and go. And then you don't think too much about what's in front of you.

10:22
Carrie Aguilar
Right.

10:23
Mara Kamat
But then on the other Side. I also think that generation work to repress their feelings.

10:28
Carrie Aguilar
Oh, yeah.

10:28
Mara Kamat
And just push through.

10:29
Carrie Aguilar
Like, I'm in therapy now.

10:31
Mara Kamat
Me too, for that. Right? Exactly. Oh, you can do that. Just push through.

10:35
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

10:35
Mara Kamat
But should we, like.

10:36
Carrie Aguilar
And do we have to?

10:38
Mara Kamat
Do we have to?

10:38
Carrie Aguilar
Do we have to? No, we have choices. We don't. Yeah, exactly.

10:43
Mara Kamat
It was fun to have her. I appreciated her insights. And what's interesting, too, is, like, I learned more about her career stories than I had ever known. And I think it's really unique and fun when there's somebody that's really close to you and then you hear this story and you're like, oh, my gosh, I never knew that about the person that just happened with me and Olivia the other day. And I was like, that was so cool to be able to share in that experience with my mom. And then with. Yeah.

11:07
Carrie Aguilar
And then have her be like, oh, my gosh, Mom, I had no idea that you do all this work.

11:12
Mara Kamat
Yeah. So as you think about the people we've had on here, one of the lessons I think we've taken away is the importance of being open and adaptable. So, Carrie, how are you gonna be open and adaptable this summer?

11:27
Carrie Aguilar
You know what's funny is I wrote this question, and I just didn't prepare answer. I'm gonna give you what I'm thinking about right now. So I feel like I am in this space where, with having my husband, my daughter gone, sometimes I feel very much like a dandelion in the wind. I'm up for anything, and I can do whatever. I feel like I'm already open and adaptable because I have time and space to really do what I want. I think what I'm really working on, my husband and I call them buckets, but it's like, I have all of these buckets that I want to at least balance or, like, get filled in some way. And so I think maybe the adaptability is just being true to making sure that I'm filling the buckets.

12:20
Carrie Aguilar
Because what I do is I tend to really be happy staying in and watching K dramas. Like, that could be an entire episode. Actually, that could be an entire season. But anyways, this is all to say, like, I can, like, almost go so far to that end, where basically I don't see anyone for two weeks. And people like, oh, you're here. And I'm like, yeah. They're like, are you busy? And I'm thinking, yeah, watching Korean television, of course. I'm like, oh, yeah, so busy. Work is crazy. It's just been like all hours. When in reality it's just me answering Netflix. Are you still watching? Yes, yes, I am still watching. So I think my piece on adaptability and being flexible, I think mine is just going to be making sure I'm like filling the buckets.

13:03
Mara Kamat
Yeah. And to be clear too, your husband and daughter will be at camp.

13:07
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

13:08
Mara Kamat
James works at camp, Penelope goes to camp. And how long do they go for?

13:12
Carrie Aguilar
All summer. James leaves June 12th and comes back August. I want to say 13th or 14th, so it's a long time. And then Penelope leaves. Her first day is June 28th and then she's there until the 14th. So I think the season is seven weeks. My husband's there for maybe 10 weeks and my daughter's there for seven.

13:37
Mara Kamat
So you have quite a bit of time where you could, you know, literally.

13:41
Carrie Aguilar
Do anything, become an entirely new person,.

13:43
Mara Kamat
Enjoy the K dramas of K dramas and fill all the other buckets too.

13:48
Carrie Aguilar
You know what's funny is that I feel like there are things that go unsaid in relationships and marriage and I'm going to out myself in a big way. So I work for myself sometimes. I have very flexible time. And my husband knows that I really like Korean television. He has never outwardly said that he thinks that I watch television during the day. It's been this unspoken thing. But I always wonder if he knows whether it's on in the background.

14:15
Mara Kamat
That's so funny.

14:16
Carrie Aguilar
And two weeks ago were having this conversation about buckets and he was like, hey. He's like, I don't know how to bring this up to you. So I'm just gonna be like really upfront. I just really feel like if you wanna make your business work and you wanna make this life that you really want work, you need to really stop being hesitant and like putting energy towards other things during the day. For example, K dramas. I didn't even have the ability to be like, eh, not really. And I. And truthfully, like, I don't actually watch that much, but I have before. And so now I know that he knows when I'm like really down or like, you know, I haven't really talked to a whole lot of people. It's literally because I'm just pressing next and having my work on in the background.

15:02
Carrie Aguilar
It's bad.

15:03
Mara Kamat
So maybe in the spirit of supporting your wellness and well being this year.

15:08
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

15:09
Mara Kamat
Or the summer.

15:09
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

15:10
Mara Kamat
We should put boundaries around.

15:12
Carrie Aguilar
Hence the buckets.

15:14
Mara Kamat
Your K drama watching, but healthy boundaries. So it's like we can't take this away from you? No, but, like, how do we give it to you in the right doses that's healthy and mindful of your energy?

15:28
Carrie Aguilar
So I love that you asked the question. The answer is we're. We are already working on it. So I have all these buckets to find, and it's like workout bucket, social bucket. It's obviously work bucket. And then in my work, I have these, like, two other businesses that I'm percolating on the side. And so essentially what we did was we put together a schedule. I actually have Claude, and so I said how many units of time I wanted per week in these buckets, and I actually had Claude create my schedule, and it's been like a godsend. So I have all of my. I work primarily for this one organization for a long time, so I have all of that work prioritized, and then I have these additional buckets.

16:12
Carrie Aguilar
And now what Claude does or what I have now in my calendar is like, they put time in my calendar every night to, like, make suggestions. So, for example, my bucket, my social bucket is five times a week during the summer, I will have lunch or dinner or like, something with a friend. So I'm not just by myself. Yeah, I've got other buckets that are like, we have a dog, and the dog needs to be walked. Walk my. Don't worry, guys. I walk my own dog every day. But have a bucket where it's four times a week. We go on these longer walks that are like three miles plus.

16:45
Mara Kamat
And that's good for the dog and you.

16:47
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, absolutely. Oh, absolutely. So anyways, so that's. That's what we're doing. And it's actually, I started it last week, and it's helping a whole lot. But it was very sobering to have your husband of 13 years admit that he knows that I sometimes watch television in the middle of the day.

17:03
Mara Kamat
It happens.

17:05
Carrie Aguilar
Meanwhile, my husband is an educator and busts his ass 12 hours a day for his work.

17:09
Mara Kamat
Thank you, James. We love you for that. That kind of segues really nicely, though, into this topic around wellness and whole person care. And I love that you put together this, like, schedule for yourself of how you're filling those buckets. Because, Claude, making that time in your calendar is, like, really holding you accountable. And I think that is a beautiful use of technology, but also integrating some of those principles that Valentina Dubasic talked about, having her on. Yeah. About holistic care and creating experiences where people feel seen and heard. And the idea extends beyond medicine.

17:49
Carrie Aguilar
And I love that. Like, her background, her parents were surgeons or doctors, and she knew that she wanted to be in. She wanted to be in the medical field, but she also knew that there were different answers and different ways that our bodies need support. And so I love that you go to her for acupuncture, that you. That not only like you said, you got a mammogram this morning, but in the same breath you're also getting additional areas of your health taken care of.

18:18
Mara Kamat
It's actually funny. I'm going to her today.

18:19
Carrie Aguilar
Oh, wonderful.

18:20
Mara Kamat
See, I didn't even know that. Yeah, I know. And I was on vacation last week and then I saw her once a week before. And then I was traveling internationally the week before that for work. And so it's just been like very busy for the last month. And then this is the last week of school. And I was like, God, I don't have time for this. And I was like, no, Mara, but you need that. You need this. This is what's going to help you get through this insane, crazy last week of school, reintegrating into work and getting all the things done, staying up late, not sleeping as much as you need to. You got to prioritize this and keep this. And so I did. It was hard. I had to like, shift other things.

19:03
Carrie Aguilar
You had to prioritize.

19:05
Mara Kamat
But I was like, I need to do this for myself, for my mental well being, for all of the things.

19:13
Carrie Aguilar
So I know you've talked in the past and obviously you're talking now about your wellness journey. Are you doing anything this summer to really prioritize your whole person healthcare?

19:26
Mara Kamat
It's a good question. I've been thinking a lot about and learning and spending time researching a lot about this topic around longevity. I'm not going to be doing like the blue zones. The blue zones. But also knowing. Also my Oura ring says I'm six and a half years older than my biological age right now. So, yeah, that's not good. So how do I try to get that back in order? Both of my girls are going away to camp. Different camps this summer. Each of them away for four weeks. But their weeks overlap such that I really only have two weeks where the kids aren't here. So it's not quite as much time. And I think I'm gonna just. We're not traveling much. We're gonna be home. We're gonna spend time out at the lake house. So my goal is to kind of like sleep.

20:18
Carrie Aguilar
I love that.

20:18
Mara Kamat
Eat healthy, re energize, where I can slow down and just enjoy the moment and the summer. Cause we live in Cleveland, Ohio, and we don't often get great weather.

20:28
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, of course.

20:29
Mara Kamat
This was the worst winter in 40 years.

20:31
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, that's right. And Memorial Day weekend didn't. Nothing. I mean, except the last five hours of Monday, which was beautiful. Beyond that, it was. Yeah, understood.

20:40
Mara Kamat
So I'm gonna do more research around longevity and figure out how I integrate some of those practices into my life. I'm gonna try to recharge on sleep and nutrition. I'll eat out of my garden. And then something I have been doing, though slowly, so it's not overwhelming, is cleaning up my house. And what I mean by cleaning up my house is like changing from our, you know, our dawn dish detergent to eco. Something that's, like, cleaner and more friendly. Changing out all the plastic in the house for glass containers. I'm not doing it like a crazy person. I'm trying to kind of do, like, test this one thing. Like, for example, we tried the Blueland tabs for the dishwasher and didn't work. So, like, we're trying different things.

21:29
Carrie Aguilar
Not a sponsor.

21:30
Mara Kamat
Yeah. I mean, sorry, Blue Land. It just was not a good fit for our family. Things came out dirty still. So, you know, we'll try something else. I'm trying to, like. And maybe it works for other dishwashers. Maybe it was just this dishwasher for sure. I don't know. But. So we're. I'm doing that slowly but shortly.

21:49
Carrie Aguilar
So, wait, I have a question about. You mentioned that the girls. It sounds really interesting. So what I was thinking about when you were talking about the summer and your girls and how they actually. Their summer camp experiences don't overlap. I was just actually wondering, are you thinking about, like, the fact that you have one week with Ariana, just you and our. Like, that seems like a certain type of gift. And then another week with just Olivia. Like, that sounds amazing. Do you. Are you thinking about doing anything fun or are they already in, like, another sort of program?

22:25
Mara Kamat
Yeah. So I think Olivia's will definitely be fun because it's like the beginning of the summer.

22:30
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

22:31
Mara Kamat
And she hasn't gone to camp yet. And so her and I are gonna go up to the lake house and just like, hang out, the two of us. And when Aaron can come up in between work, he will. And I'll work from there, too. And her and I have talked about a couple projects we wanna do. I have this boat, this old crappy boat that I bought. It's little. And I wanna make it into A planter. But we have to, like, paint it. It was like, I found it at, like, a secondhand store. Cool. So we need to, like, paint it. We need to seal it so the weather doesn't kill it. And then we need to, like, fill and stuff like that. So that's something that her and I'll do together. It depends on Ari, on the state in which she comes home.

23:11
Mara Kamat
Because sometimes, like her week when you come home from camp, like, if she's not dead to the world and sick with the camp crew or the camp plague, then we will have time to, like, hang out. But, like, when she comes home that first week, she's also a zombie, where all she wants to do is, like, sleep. And then the nice thing about her camp is they take away all electronics. She gets her iPad back, and she's like, oh, man, let me see what happens.

23:35
Carrie Aguilar
You're like, what is this?

23:36
Mara Kamat
Yeah, let me see what I've missed. So I'm not sure I will plan to take some time off and just hang out with Ari. But it also kind of depends, like, where her mindset is. And then at the end of July, we're gonna take the kids to D.C. for a few days just to, like, visit museums. Cause we haven't done that with them, so that'll be nice.

23:54
Carrie Aguilar
So I didn't. I don't know if I told you this, but I was actually in D.C. last this past weekend, and I highly recommend. So we. So my sister lives in D.C. so we have the privilege of going there a lot, but also being able to go to all these museums all the time. But I was gonna say this trip, we. We went to two museums that I was absolutely obsessed with. I had never been to the National Portrait Gallery. I just thought it was super cool. Our favorite museum, though, was the Smithsonian has. I think it's called the Museum of American History. And I highly recommend.

24:31
Mara Kamat
Okay, go.

24:32
Carrie Aguilar
Penelope was so obsessed with it that we. And were also traveling with a six year old and a two year old. So our timing was obviously abbreviated because of ages.

24:41
Mara Kamat
Her niece and.

24:42
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, exactly. My niece and nephew. But what I was gonna say is we. Penelope had such an amazing time that we literally spent an hour and a half, almost two hours in one section of one floor. And I think there's four or five floors. So it just was like the coolest, most fun, most interesting museum. And it had enough of. I feel like sometimes museums are like, either really little kid ish, which is like, fine if you have tiny kids, but also if you have an older kid like an Olivia or an Ari, they're not necessarily going to be that interested in it. And then everything else is so much older. But I would say this museum had this wonderful kind of age 10 to 14 feel and vibe.

25:27
Mara Kamat
Yeah.

25:28
Carrie Aguilar
Anyways, so highly recommend you going.

25:30
Mara Kamat
I'm gonna have to be thoughtful around what our agenda looks like, because I'll put that on there for sure. But I think that kids really want to see a lot of these Smithsonian museums, and I'd like to take them to the Holocaust Museum there too. They've never been. And so, like Olivia, I'm sure will have her own agenda and Ari will just like, go along with whatever everybody else wants to do. Thanks, Ari. But yeah, it'll be fun. Aaron's gonna work a couple, the girls and I'll do some things and then we'll all meet up and do some things together. Cool.

25:59
Carrie Aguilar
I was gonna say all the Smithsonians are pretty close together. The Natural History Museum and I might get flack for this. We have a great Natural History museum here. So I do think that there are some things that you could probably like skip, because there isn't. It's not like there is a museum of American History. And I will just say, this isn't me code for saying, I love Donald Trump. For the record, I'm not running that risk. I was a little nervous going in because I was like, what is this gonna be like? And. And it's totally not. It's not like code for the MAGA museum.

26:29
Mara Kamat
That's good.

26:30
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. So anyways, there's that.

26:31
Mara Kamat
So we can go.

26:32
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah.

26:33
Mara Kamat
So over the course of the season, Carrie, we talked a lot about leadership, and Madison shared how direct communication builds trust. And a people first culture really is important to have sustainable growth within an organization. What I appreciated over the course of this season is hearing women's real stories of. Of motherhood, of leading organizations, of growing businesses. And one thing Madison said that stood out to me is she talked about not wanting her daughter to grow up, hearing I wish I would have or I should have, and realizing how important this model of courage is for herself, for her daughter, for all of us as women. It's a powerful reminder as you think about that, like, how are you employing some of that in your life? Life.

27:25
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. So one of the other things that Madison said, and it's so funny because it's top of mind right now. So I'm currently reading Start With Yourself. It's Emma Greed's new book. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend. It will also make you want to change everything about your life. So just maybe if you're not in a mindset of wanting to rock your world, maybe not hang out there. But anyways, one of the things that she said and one of the things that Madison said was Madison's really young to be a president of this, of vivid front where we're sitting right now. And one of the things she said was like, there's no work life balance. She was like, maybe in your twenties you work harder and you work more and that's just what you do.

28:07
Carrie Aguilar
And it's one of the things that Emma GRY talks about in her book. I think what really stuck with me there is were talking. I've talked about K dramas, I've talked about my summer. But one of the main things that I'm looking forward to in my summer is like the ability. I do not have a child, I do not have a husband. I am able to like fully immerse myself in work. And that to me is very exciting because it's not like in life you don't always have periods of time where you can like fully dedicate yourself to learning a new skill or to like really leaning into work. And in this way I will be. And I'm really excited about that.

28:43
Mara Kamat
Yeah, it's nice to have those moments where you can like create this space for yourself. And it's rare.

28:49
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, exactly. I was like. Because it's not always. And the fact that I don't have to stop at. At 4:30 or 5:00pm or feel like I'm not paying enough attention to my child at 8pm because I'm replying to emails. It's a real gift and I'm very excited to fully take advantage of that.

29:07
Mara Kamat
So as you step into that, what boundaries are you gonna set to make sure?

29:13
Carrie Aguilar
None. I'm just kidding. That's a really interesting question. I think right now I'm very committed to leaning into some things that I really want to work on in terms of. From my. What am I trying to say? My projects. Obviously this kind of goes without saying, but AI has really blown up. Really. I think like all of our lives.

29:35
Mara Kamat
It's changed our lives.

29:36
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, absolutely.

29:37
Mara Kamat
For the better for me.

29:38
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah, absolutely. And I think what's great about the position I'm in where I balance a number of different projects, one of the things that I need to do is spend more time learning. I have spent a lot of time doing trial and error using Claude and Perplexity and OpenAI And I feel a whole lot more comfortable with AI now than I did even three months ago. And so I'm really excited to like put boundaries around. Hey, I've always wanted to build this app and I can actually build it now. Yeah. So actually looking in that lens from a perspective of building wealth, perspective of what does it actually look like, creating content that will empower women to start businesses and sell businesses and move money around, that really excites me. So I think the boundaries will look a little different because I don't have.

30:34
Carrie Aguilar
I don't have such rigor around my a quote unquote 9 to 5. And with James and Penelope being gone, I mean, Birdie will absolutely need to be walked and K dramas will need to be watched between 8pm and 10pm every night. But beyond that, I'm good. I can do it. Very excited about that.

30:50
Mara Kamat
It's really interesting that you bring that up though, because I think that all kind of sits in this bucket of what I'll call curiosity. And Erica Rudin Luria talked a lot about the importance of curiosity and how that is such an important leadership trait and a superpower, being able to be curious to ask questions. And I really appreciated that from her. And I appreciate being able to like implement that in my own life is like kind of stepping back and the ability to be curious and put on this learning mindset really empowers us as humans and leaders. And Erica shared very powerful reflections and experiences in Israel and in Cleveland in the work that she does around the world as the CEO of Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

31:40
Mara Kamat
And what really stood out to me was how she leads with empathy and transparency and purpose, especially during intense times of uncertainty and crisis.

31:53
Carrie Aguilar
You know, what's interesting is I've thought about that conversation to be like. And for listeners, I think that episode was over an hour. We recorded for close to two. I mean, we talked for a long time. A whole conversation was for a non Jewish person was like very eye opening. I often think about if any of her what am I trying to say, answers would change. I mean, I feel like so much has changed even since that conversation. We talked to her. I think the episode went live in October, but we talked to her in September and so much has changed since then. But it was a real. I mean, of all the people that I spoke with, I felt the most inspired, the most in awe of just because her role is so important, so instrumental, so changing all the time.

32:54
Carrie Aguilar
And it's just like little thing, not little things, but like I know that I Texted you, like, a couple probably a month ago. And I was like, is what's happening. What's happening at the temple? Because I drove by it and there were, like, all these cops around. And so she's always kind of like. My first thought is, like, Erica's working, like, overtime right now. But it's just. It was just really, like. That was such a touchstone moment for me, because she is someone that, like, is so fascinating, so interesting, but also so damn important. And, yeah, I just. I guess my question to you is, like, how was having here? How did that impact you? Or what did you glean from that conversation? As someone who's Jewish and obviously who's much more knowledgeable, I think, in some of the areas that she talked about.

33:43
Mara Kamat
Than I. Yeah, I was very touched by how hardworking Erika is and how flexible she needs to be and the way that she connects with such a diverse population of people, whether it be people in Israel or, like, being on a mission to Ethiopia, where she's bringing Jews from Ethiopia to Israel, or navigating the Iran war and helping figure out how to get people out of Israel when there's no planes flying out to the community work that she does to raise money. And it's an incredible role that Erica has. Incredibly stressful in moments of crisis. And I know that, but her stories are so touching. And we're very. I'm very engaged. My husband, my family, is very engaged in the Jewish community and the Food bank in Cleveland in giving back.

34:38
Mara Kamat
And the reason we're part of these organizations is because their purpose and what they do, the why behind it, is so important to the Jewish people, to the Cleveland community, to Jews around the world. I use the example of the Food bank to food security in our community. And so for me, there's a lot of leadership lessons to be taken around the ability to persevere, to be flexible, to continue to always be curious. And then, you know, finally, one of the things that Erica talked about was the importance of mentors in her life. And so when I reflect on that, for me, she talked about mentorship, of really respecting the people that challenged her, that stretched her, that made her grow into jobs that were outside her comfort zone.

35:26
Mara Kamat
Those are always principles that I've pulled into my own life and that I try to encourage for my children. And so I just had profound respect and reflection for her and for some of those lessons that were able to take away and employ in our own leadership journeys.

35:43
Carrie Aguilar
I think that's incredible. I also. One of the things That I feel very. I don't know what the word is, but it's. Over time, I have felt very jaded by. Not jaded. I don't know what the term is, but I remember asking her about mentorship. Oh, we asked her a question about her being a woman, and we said, like, what impact has your being a woman? And she flat out said, none. She was like. She was like, it really hasn't really been an issue. And she even said, and on top of that, my mentors and the people that I really respect the most in my career and in my life don't happen to be other women. And I just thought that was so interesting. Also really important to be. I feel like today.

36:34
Carrie Aguilar
And I am the same way where I look to other women because I want to build up other women and because. But it's such a good reminder that it's like, hey, you get mentorship from everywhere. Right? Like, you. Instead of looking at the differences in everyone, why don't we look at what makes us similar? And I really. I thought that was really, like, refreshing. And honestly, I just really loved her candor there, where she was like, you know what? It really hasn't. Like, I have wanted to be. Wanted to be in an area of leadership. I was focused on that. And I looked to mentors that weren't necessarily gendered by, you know, X, Y, Z. So I thought that was really interesting.

37:15
Mara Kamat
So, Carrie, as we're closing out this incredible Season 2, 25 episodes in over the history of In Her Land, what are some things that you hope our listeners are taking away from this beautiful community that we've built?

37:32
Carrie Aguilar
God, I think, like, keep going. Success looks so different for everyone. You mentioned pivots and how important it is to be able to be flexible and agile. And I just really love the fact that we've had incredible conversations with incredible women who. Not one. It's not like we've interviewed a bunch of wellness folks. It's not like we've interviewed a bunch of civic leaders. It's literally like every person has had a different story. And I think that, to me, is just so incredibly grounding because their roads are so different, and yet we all see similarities in each other. And I think that's incredible.

38:15
Mara Kamat
Yeah, I've appreciated, too, that the women who we've interviewed come from such different spaces. We've had tech, we've had mba, we've had civic leaders, we've had financial institutions. So many different background and experiences. And I think some of themes we've heard is the self doubt that women have and the importance of having confidence and rolling with rejection. Right. Like, rejection's gonna happen. It's part of life.

38:45
Carrie Aguilar
Like the fact that you should, like, chase rejection almost to like, get.

38:50
Mara Kamat
Yeah, yeah. And like, also women who talked about burnout. Right. Being exhausted or frustrated or stuck and needing to, like, take a break or rethink what they were doing in their care and in their lives and what that looked like.

39:06
Carrie Aguilar
So, Mara, now that, I guess my question to you would be, taking what you have learned from all of these folks, is there anything that you would do differently in your life? And let's do, like, not. Not necessarily personally. Let's just say professionally, what's something that you feel like you can lean more into or get gutsier with?

39:27
Mara Kamat
Yeah, I think when I, I started my own consulting firm, I was like, really? I had so many self doubts about doing it. And people always say to me, lamari, you're so confident. How did you figure this out? This is. Your practice is so great. Like, talk to me about this. But it wasn't always like that. In the beginning was really scary. And so I think I would tell myself, just take the chances. You are. You're very hardworking, you're smart. You'll figure this out. And what's the worst thing that happens? You have to reset. So I think sometimes I just overthought things and I invested too much emotional energy when in reality I just needed to do the work and get out there and network. And like, now my practice is bigger than I can sustain. Right.

40:15
Mara Kamat
And like, I've had to hire people to support it. And it's in a really great place. And so I think if I could, like, go back in time and like, honestly, this community of women helped me through those moments of building this business and having the confidence to step outside my comfort zone to figure this out and do it. And every week is not every week, but like, every month is like an up or down that you have in life and in work and all of that. And this community helps sustain my energy through those ups and downs. And I am incredibly grateful. Like, I would leave this studio having spent time with you and whoever were interviewing and being like, energized for the week ahead.

40:57
Carrie Aguilar
And, like, the feeling like, I'm not so alone or, oh, like, we can do that. Exactly.

41:02
Mara Kamat
And also, one thing that was very. It's been very important for me in this journey is. And I say this because, like, I feel it in my heart is that, like, every chapter serves the Moment serves a light, serves a time in your career or your life. And that doesn't have to be what you do for every chapter. It's what you're doing in this chapter. And so in this chapter, I have my own firm, which gives me flexibility and really interesting work across different clients. And I'm still compensated very well. And I have space and I put boundaries on my work so I can do things with my kids, so I can travel, so I can be present for my family. And for me personally, like, this age of 13 has been like, one of the hardest.

41:52
Mara Kamat
It's like when they're little babies and they need you 24, 7 and they're not independent. That's hard. And now I feel like we've stepped into this new chapter of raising teenagers that is like, hard. And we're not. I'm not wholly equipped for. And so I need that energy and space and time to be present with them. And in this moment, I've figured that out. And this community has helped me sustain that mindset.

42:18
Carrie Aguilar
I love that. That's so wonderful. I really love. I'm thinking back to. I remember having a conversation about networking with Denise Shade, and one of the things that she talked about or that we discussed was basically just being upfront and honest with what you're looking for and what you're doing. And that's something that I think has weighed. I think it's been number one, very impactful for me, but I think it's also weighed very heavily on me because I am of the person that, like, I like to do so many things that my efforts ask or like the reason for my reach out or if we're having a 30 second elevator pitch, mine will ramble for 45 seconds and I won't quite land the plane.

43:03
Carrie Aguilar
And I think what's been really nice about the conversations that we've had in this room is that, like, it's okay. It's okay. Like you said, everyone's in different chapters look different. And three years ago, when I left DoorDash, I think I felt like. Like, in part, I think that I felt like my life was ending because I didn't have this fancy title. And in reality, I created this. These other titles that are so cool and so fun and also so doable, like, random people will be like, oh my gosh, I've heard your podcast. This is so cool. How did you get started? And I literally was like, I raised my hand, I said, we should do this. A friend and I were like, this is a Great idea. Idea. We should keep doing it.

43:50
Carrie Aguilar
But there's nothing that's like a secret or something that were given that was like, you are. You can have.

43:57
Mara Kamat
Here it is.

43:58
Carrie Aguilar
You can have a podcast. No, it's like, we ordained ourselves possible to have a podcast and it's like, what are the things that we can also ordain ourselves possible for? Like, it's so bananas. But I think that's so true. It's like, how do we push our boundaries even more?

44:16
Mara Kamat
So, like, I put that out to our listeners, right? Like, how do you push your boundaries more? How do you ordain yourself, as Carrie said, to step outside those comfort zones. We want to say thank you to all of you, to every guest who trusted us enough to share their stories. Thank you to all of those people that have listened, who, like, talk about what we're bringing forward, who follow us, whether it be on LinkedIn or Instagram or just listening to our podcast every other week. We're incredibly grateful. We love hearing from all of you. We'd love to hear from you. Reach out to Carrie and I. Tell us what you want to hear about next season. I'm excited for what we've curated for next season and we'll talk a little bit about that.

45:03
Carrie Aguilar
So as we wrap up season two, we're going to be taking a little break over the summer, like we talked about.

45:08
Mara Kamat
Woohoo.

45:09
Carrie Aguilar
Woohoo. We are already starting to work on planning season three, and we're so excited about the.

45:15
Mara Kamat
Our lineup for next season is exciting and every season we always have the flexibility to add people in as we go throughout the year. But we're getting a head start and already starting to work through recording some of those episodes over the summer. One of the episodes, Carrie and I always said we want to highlight women's health for at least one or two episodes a season. So we have a physician coming in from Cleveland Clinic who specializes in women's health. It is my sister in law, Rachel Kamat. She was also featured on WKYC recently, so we are excited to have her. And then we'll also be joined by the CEO of Music Settlement, Jerry Presti, to talk about the incredible investment that's being made into the Music Settlement and the future of arts education and what's ahead for us in the Cleveland community.

46:08
Carrie Aguilar
We will also be joined by Gina Prodigy. She's the CEO of Astra, which is the new women's pro soccer league that's coming to Cleveland. So it's gonna be totally badass and quite a Few other people that I think will add interesting inputs and thoughts and diverse backgrounds to the conversation that we're having here.

46:33
Mara Kamat
Something that we're thinking about for next season is extending beyond the Cleveland community and having some guests come in to talk about some different top that might not revolve around Cleveland, but are cool and amazing women doing amazing.

46:49
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. It turns out they're everywhere.

46:51
Mara Kamat
Turns out they're everywhere.

46:53
Carrie Aguilar
So before we close out this season, Mara, I'm gonna ask you the question that we always ask. What's bringing you joy right now?

47:00
Mara Kamat
I just came back from a trip for my birthday, and one of the things that it affirmed for me, which is funny that I even need this affirmation, is the. The people who I have around me and how much they love and care for me. And I know that might sound funny to all of you, but, like, such a nice reminder when you can kind of like, step back and reflect. Like, In a post 2020 world, we kind of shed the ancillary noise and really focused on unfew and meaningful friendships. And I'm very grateful for those people in my life and for the love that I'm surrounded by. And my birthday was, like, a very clear reminder of that. And that has brought me so much joy and continued to bring me joy into this week.

47:49
Carrie Aguilar
That's awesome.

47:49
Mara Kamat
And Carrie, how about you? What's bringing you joy right now?

47:53
Carrie Aguilar
My buckets. To be totally honest, I think James and I, when we had this conversation a few weeks ago, it was very. Even though it was, like, sobering for you to realize that your husband knows you watch daytime television, it was also, like, very centering. And so it's made. I like when people tell me what to do. I'm like, very. Because I tell a lot of people what to do in my everyday life. So if I could have. So the fact that Claude is now budgeting my time in such a way that I'm able to do all the things that I want to do, it's been really freeing and, like, joy filling. So I'm excited to walk into this kind of new season where I'm spending more time by myself, but, like, being able to flex into these areas.

48:37
Mara Kamat
I love that for you, and I hope you have an amazing summer. It sounds like you have some goals ahead of you.

48:45
Carrie Aguilar
I do.

48:45
Mara Kamat
Some time to be a dandelion. Some time to watch K dramas.

48:50
Carrie Aguilar
Yeah. Very little time.

48:51
Mara Kamat
And some time to be very focused on the work that you want to do and also find personal peace and equanimity and having no responsibilities for a summer with your husband and daughter at camp.

49:03
Carrie Aguilar
Yes, all of them. That. All of that. And I'm excited for your summer. I think you taking some time away. I mean, I know you mentioned spending time at the lake house. I think that will be so amazing, especially from someone who's spent some time there and knows how incredible it is. I think being able to take some extended time there will be so centering and nice and beautiful for you. Just so long as you bring your crop of vegetables there.

49:29
Mara Kamat
I know I told Carrie I'm gonna have to drive back and forth every week to check on the progress of the house in my garden.

49:35
Carrie Aguilar
Exactly.

49:35
Mara Kamat
Collect the vegetables and then head back up to the lake.

49:38
Carrie Aguilar
I think that's wonderful.

49:40
Mara Kamat
So, as we close out this season, thank you for spending season two with us. In the meantime, if you haven't listened to every episode of season two or even season one, this is your summer binge list. Carrie is great at this. Go to inherland.com find your favorites, share them with a friend, a colleague, your mom, your daughter. The stories are waiting for you. We are trying to expand our community, so we so appreciate anything that you can do to continue to help us expand our community.

50:11
Carrie Aguilar
And don't forget to follow us on instagram @inHerland Pod. Stay connected on LinkedIn and if you've been meaning to leave a review, now's the time. It means the world to us and helps more women find the show.

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