Designing, Operating and Growing from the Heart!

Episode 268 - Serena Mastin/Todd Westra

 

Todd Westra

Serena Mastin

 

02:38 Hey, we are so glad to have you back on the show today. We have got an amazing guest with a lovely name Serena. I love the name. I just love people to have the name, and so I'm just gonna stop that because I think it's kind of cool. But anyway, Serena, will you give us in a few seconds here in a few minutes, who are you and what problem do you solve? 

 

03:00 So I am, uh, the Founder of Pulse Marketing. Uh, we are, uh, Pulse is actually, um, my mom named the company and it resonated with me that we are at the heart of creative.

So we are real, we are authentic, and we get to, you know, advertising and marketing on an emotional level. I'm also the author of a book that's about to release called Exposed, um, and the subtitle is You Can't Heal When You Hide. And then I'm also, uh, Co-founder of a new company called Core Products and Core is the Latin term for heart and there's products from the heart. 

 

03:43 Wow. Wow. I hope you don't make me emotional during this conversation. I don't normally cry on the show. I know. You, I have a feeling you might get me there. 

 

03:53 Yeah. You can't really connect emotionally if you're not fully vulnerable, so I, I honestly commit to being vulnerable and raw and authentic with you.

 

04:06 Well, I appreciate that. As a, as a marketer and speaking to another marketer, um, I will say I, I looked at some of your portfolio and I looked at some of your clients and, and you do a beautiful job. I, I really, um, I had to chuckle at the, at the, at the gun business that you're associated with. I thought it was, I was like getting ready for all these more feminine products, and then I see this gun product. I'm like, this is awesome! I can't wait to meet this person. 

 

04:34 Yeah. I, we actually just got back from Shot Cell and it's funny that, um, I am so in touch with like my feminine energy, but yeah, I, I work well with the good old boys and I know how to be tough and I need to be tough, so definitely my first gun I ever shot was like an AK. But it was with a silencer, so I didn't realize how strong it was until they took the silencer off, and then I was like, whoaaa! 

 

05:03 Oh! My ears!

 

05:07 It was wild, so… 

 

05:10 That's awesome. No, my, uh, yeah, I, I like shooting guns too, so that's, that's really kind of fun. 

So, so tell us about the journey. I mean, you. You help people tell their stories, right? I mean, what, what's the big, as you look at your clients and you're like, vetting a potential client, what do you see as, as that, that perfect client that you look at, and you're like, okay, thi this, I wanna solve the problem. 

 

05:35 So I resonate the most with clients who have similar values, of course. That really, em like embrace being growth-minded and learning. Um, our team becomes an extension of their team, so we really integrate ourselves into what they're doing. And so just that growth-minded value is really important to us. And then also we embrace feedback. So we want a client that is not, you know, afraid to share feedback and give us guidance and direction so that we can grow together.

 

06:11 Love it. Love it. Now, now you talked about being growthminded. I wanna dive into that just a little bit because I think there's a lot of companies, I, I think a lot of people have this misconception that every business is out there to grow.

  

06:24 Yeah. 

 

06:25 Do you, do you think that's true? Like, is that a accurate statement or are some just kind of happy being there?

 

06:31 So I would say that, um, it depends on what your, your main purpose is. Growth can be, you know, interpreted in many different ways and for some people growth is money. And for some people growth is investing in people. And so it really depends what your version is. For me personally, my value of being growth-minded is investing in those that like work with me, investing in my team. Investing in other people. Because to me, I know the money will come as long as we all have the same vision and we're all, you know, have the same core belief that we're investing in the right things. 

 

07:19 Right. I love it. I love it. That's a, that's a really powerful statement. And you know, I love how you keep coming back to these core values. Um, it's a huge, huge element to connect your company on a growth plane. You know, I, I, I see a lot of businesses struggle to, they struggle to figure out what's going on. How come they're not growing right now? And oftentimes it has to do that core foundation of the company. And, and you've now brought it up, I think three times in our short conversation about, about the values that you, that you cherish. And I think it's huge. Why do you think that's so important and, and why is it such a tool to align their, their company? 

 

07:56 You can't just decide, you know, like, excellence is my core value and that's what it is. And throw it up on the wall. You actually have to.. get to a place in your heart where you believe that these values define you, and then every decision you make, you use those, those core values to guide you. So for instance, when we hire? We use those core values to identify the right person for our team. 

 

08:23 Right, right. 

 

08:24 We also use those same core values when we have to let someone go and move on. So if they're not,

 

08:33 I love it.

 

08:34 you know, demonstrating those core values in their, in their actions.  and that might not be a right fit for us. And that also includes how we talk to our clients. Yeah, because we have to live and breathe those core values daily. They're not just on the wall looking pretty for people to see. They are who they are. 

 

08:52 I love it. I love it. You know, the Bible teaches light attracts light. Right? And, and I think that that's a, I think that's a universal principle. I think light attracts light, dark attracts dark. I mean, people feel comfortable around people that have the same values that they do. 

 

09:06 Yeah. 

 

09:07 And, and I love that you, you have, um, brought that up so much cuz I, I personally feel like that's a huge piece missing from a lot of companies that are trying to grow and scale. They do have a hard time doing it because they don't have a defined set of values that unify their team. And I've let go of a lot of people that didn't really align. They didn't match with, with the, with the goals and the values that I wanted to have in my company. So,

 

09:35  Your people are your companies. So, if they don't  they don't align with your values, then you're literally going against the current. You're, it's, it's really challenging because then you're not all pushing towards the same vision. 

 

09:51 All right. So Serena, you're a marketer, you help, you help build messaging for companies, and you have now been able to grow and expand your company. And you talked about your hiring, you talked about your growth. Tell us along that journey, what's been your favorite part of that growth journey that you've been on with this company? 

 

10:13 You know, I think my favorite part is, um, has nothing to do with the actual like company or the structure of the company. It's watching some of the people within my company who may have started as like a coordinator or an intern, really start to evolve, um, and just become like they just shines through, right? Like into a leadership role and watching that transition and being able to see them growing and then leading teams, I think that's my favorite part because, I have one employee specifically who is, um, probably, I would say one of my most trusted advisors. And I'm a creative director and she started as a, um, just a, a multimedia coordinator and so she kind of came in with her head down every day and just worked, worked, worked. And when we started to really push and like challenge her to grow. It was like she shot up. Like she, 

 

11:20 I love it. 

 

11:21 It was almost like she just was like thirsty for this opportunity. She didn't ready and she was ready and she took it on with her whole heart. And so I think that's one of my favorite part is getting to see that. One of my other employees that's no longer with us, and this is probably, we've been in business nine years now. Yeah, this is probably her second year in business. She started with almost no experience. She was a project coordinator and she actually got a job offer to work for Nike Corporate. She, and we were like, this is amazing. And, so even when our employees don't grow in the company with us, but they start to soar outside of the the business, it's so exciting to see. So I would say that's the my favorite part.

 

12:10 I love it. You know, that is a really good part, and I loved how you referred to this person as one of your most trusted advisors. Um, I mean, seriously, that says so much about you and your company and your culture. And, um, for those of you that are watching and, and those of you that are, are wanting to know what it takes to scale, This is what it takes to scale. This, this is a, you've, you've now exemplified two amazing principles that we teach at our company to people when, when we're working with clients to build a growth model and, and a growth and scaling plan. It has everything to do with, with that culture, with your core values, with alignment, with seeing a vision of where you're trying to get to and a vision of who you wanna solve a problem for and how you do it, how you go about solving that problem. So, so as you, you know, honestly like Serena, you have, you have now like by example, shown that you truly believe in these things. What do you see as one of your biggest challenges that you've had to face in growing this business? 

 

13:15 Well, this is where it gets raw.

 

13:19 Oh, great. Do I need a Kleenex? 

 

13:21 Yes, you might need one. Um, let me start by saying, the fight to never get up, give up is painted as victorious. We often emphasize victory as something like someone overcome, like overcoming something great, right? And standing on the mountain and being successful and tall and happy and strong. And the truth is, that the pain and the learning and the growth all in the journey is where the true inspiration lies. And when I started this business in 2013. Um, I kind of did it kicking and screaming. I don't, I wasn't ready, I really like getting a paycheck. Um,  like, yeah, but my mom inspired me to do it, so I, I was, I was ready. And, um, one day my husband just came home early from work one day, and I remember having that.. you know that gulp and then the pit, like that feeling in the pit of your stomach where something is terribly wrong. And I looked down and he says, “I quit my job!”. And I was like, what? And he said, if I'm gonna sell anything, I'm gonna sell something I believe in. And, and I'm gonna do this with you. Uh, so that was terrifying. Of course. Yeah. And, um, you know, through, we were, we were married at that point for several years, and then through our 10 year marriage, there was many times where we were the power couple, we were knocking, you know, knocking sales out and, you know, growing the business, had this gorgeous 4,000  square foot office, like any, all the things that you dream of. But the, the truth is that with his position, he, he kind of started a spiral, and started to really engage in unhealthy habits. Um, right. And he was unfaithful on several occasions. And when you own a business, and this is happening behind the scenes, no matter how, how hard you try to hide that, it shows up in everything you do. Because you're, you're constantly masking all of the things in your personal life to protect the business. But in, in truth, you are still human. And um, when I found out about the third woman, I finally had the courage to leave my husband. And so you have to understand that this doesn't just impact my business, it impacts my personal life. It impacts every aspect. And one of the reasons that I had to find this courage was because I realized that it was really holding me back and I started losing my identity. I started burying myself in work instead of really focusing on growing the business, I was in it. And so, I found the courage to leave my husband in October of 2019, and um, by March of 2020, he took his life. 

 

16:32 Oh no!

 

16:33 And so, so as you could imagine, so many aspects of this impact every part of your life. Many of my employees were very close with him, so that impacted my culture. He was our salesperson. It impacted my clients. Um, yeah, and then most of all, it impacted my kids. So I, 

 

16:58 Of course 

 

16:59 had to pick myself up and try and figure out how I was gonna really push forward on my own. Through that I also had to heal, right? Like I, it's not like you just get up and you're like, wipe yourself off. And we're going, like, I had to go through a healing process and I can tell you right now that one of the most powerful moments was I, I just felt like covid had just hit, my husband just took his life, our office got broken into, and $40,000 worth of equipment was, was taken. You could imagine that I wanted to give up. Like I was, like, raising the white flag, right? Like I, I, I give up, right? And this beautiful moment happened. I, I went to my staff and it's better that all of us suffer a little than one person suffers a lot. And right now I need your help. I can't make payroll. 

 

17:59 Yeah. Yeah. 

 

18:00 Our, our clients stopped paying us because of Covid and everyone kind of freaked out and my staff came back to me and they said, we will cut our hours in half and we will bond together to make sure that we get through this and there's nothing that's gonna stop us. And so when I couldn't see past my tears, they lifted me up. And that's, that's one of the most challenging moments of my entire life, let alone my business. 

 

18:35 Wow, Serena, that's, uh, that is impactful and that is a huge challenge. And yet, You're not the only one that has a story like that. You know what I mean? I, I think that you have just described a challenge that so many founders face, and that is, how do you, how do you cross the chasm of personal struggle and individual pain and all this stuff and try to keep faced with all your trusted staff and the people that you've grown to love and, and all those things, you know, I, I've, I've done a, a lot of these interviews and, and nothing, um, inspires me more than to hear someone like you. Who has shared this story of, of success and growth and all this fun, and then share that, that impact of this horrible thing that happens and the resiliency of so many founders and you in particular today. I, I appreciate you sharing this and getting so vulnerable with us. It happens, you know, life sucks a lot of the time. 

 

19:42 Yeah. It does. 

 

19:43 I mean, it really does. And, and here you faced, you know, um, infidelity three times. You, you faced, uh, having to go through the turmoil of separating your kids from their dad and, you know, just all of those stresses while trying to maintain a business and also maintain face with your clients. I mean, that is not easy. What, what, what is he, what would you say is the biggest piece of advice you give to someone dealing with that trial? 

 

20:12 I would say, you know? Okay,  so this is, this is really coming from my heart. I would say the only, the only piece of advice is to really understand that we also have to have the courage to care for ourselves. Because when we're in those chaotic moments, you, you're kind of in a fog and what you, what you start to, to recognize is that you lose sight of anything in front of you, whether you, you feel like everything's falling apart, and so you, right, right. What you have to do is step back and find the courage to find silence and moments of clarity and allow yourself to heal so that you can be the best version of yourself in moving forward. It doesn't mean that you're not gonna be beat up and bruised. You're still gonna be, you know, you're still gonna have your cast and your bruises and your scrapes on your face while you're doing it, right. But as long as you take those moments to look inward, that's the moment that will help you to, to stand up and to keep fighting.

 

21:26 Um, I love that. You know, I, I had a similar thing and I'm, I'm not gonna go into a lot of details, but needless to say, it was a covid related deal. I had, I had been building a marketing agency, uh, during the first part of Covid and, and summer 2021, I actually got it and got the respiratory one where I was hospital ridden and, and was so upset that I, I couldn't function for like a month. I was just like, um, low oxygen levels. I literally had a breathing tube, like I couldn't walk down the street without gasping for air and, and I reached out to my clients after a few weeks and I was like, hey, I am so sorry that I'm dealing with this, uh, this horrible health problem. What can we be doing better for you? And, and literally when you get vulnerable with your clients, when you get vulnerable with your employees, you know, I was shocked that in the month I was unable to work, I lost zero. In fact, uh, my employees stepped up. They assumed leadership roles that I didn't think they would be able to do. And I'm guessing that you probably saw similar things happen when you were emotionally incapacitated.

 

22:41 Yes. 

 

22:42 People, people kind of lift you up in times where you're going through these trials. 

 

22:46 They, they lift you up. And I'm sorry that you also experienced that cuz it is when your body's doing that, you, you feel like you don't have a choice. Like, you're stuck. Your body, um, like physically going through that is, is very similar to what you experience when you're emotionally going through that, 

 

23:07 Right.

 

23:08 You, you, you just don't have a choice. And so the fact that it, it did inspire me tremendously to watch my staff rise up and not just rise up, but lift me up. And, and through all of that, I don't think I would still be standing if it wasn't for them. 

 

23:27 No, it's beautiful. It's beautiful. I, I love how vulnerable you've been today, and I love this conversation because so many founders assume that they have to appear to be invincible, and they have to be somehow, um, so strong that nothing really penetrates their, their, their shell. And yet, you and I have both found that when you are weakened and when you are, uh, facing a challenge like that, people around you that care for you will step up and they will rise up. And, and now three years later, I'm guessing by you being on the show today, you've been able to bounce back pretty strong.

 

24:08 Yes. And not only with the agency. I took one of those years to write a memoir about my life. 

 

24:16 Love it. 

 

24:21 And including those really raw moments. And then in addition, starting a new product line. So yes. I didn't think at the time, you know, through years ago, three years ago, that I would ever bounce back. I thought I'd be on the floor forever. But, but the truth is, is that yes, it's, it's fighting against so many opinions, so many hurdles. So many of life burdens and really in the most tumultuous time just to keep getting up. That's how you scale your business. 

 

24:52 Right. I love it. I love it. Well, Serena, you have been an amazing guest. Um, I, I don't wanna let you off the hook until you have shared with us a shout out of someone in your network, someone that, that you know, who has been able to help you. Look at you and ins and you look at them and they inspire you to keep going and keep moving. Who is that person you wanna give a shout out to today?

 

25:17 So that is, um, my executive coach, um, Marshall Krupp. I, I look at him like a hero. I look at him like a father. Um, he knows the most intimate details of my business, my marriage at the time. Everything! And he has been the most instrumental person in my life just because he challenges me. He doesn't let me play the victim, ever. And he challenges me to really look at inside myself and identify what's holding me back. And 99% of the time it's me, and so Marshall Krupp, uh, he is, uh, he owns Peer Executive Boards and so he actually is my personal, uh, coach and then also facilitates groups of CEOs. 

 

26:06 Love it. Fantastic. Wow! So much fun. So much meet in here that I think is gonna help other founders really, really understand the raw side of what it takes to grow and scale and, and how to maintain growth while going through crap. 

 

26:23 Yeah.

 

26:24 You know, so, so I think this has been amazing. How do people follow you? How do people learn more about your product? Where can they buy your book?

 

26:34 So the book launches in March. It's called: EXPOSED: You Can’t Heal When You Hide

 

26:40 Love it!

 

26:41 So that'll be coming soon. But, um, if you go to heartofcreative.com, you can see our agency work and you can reach me directly.

 

26:51 I love it. Love it. Serena, thank you so much for being on the show today. And I know there's people out there who are watching, who are gonna really connect with this episode, and uh, if you have, I encourage you to share it with others. This is gonna be a great, great inspiration to many people I think. So thank you so much for being with us today, and we look forward to seeing you again Serena.

27:14 Thanks so much for  having me.