Tapping into the Heart of Entrepreneurship with Kristina Todorova

Lauren Best (00:00:08) – Welcome to Provoking Possibilities, where we reflect on pivotal life moments, ask thought provoking questions, and dream up new possibilities for living a life you love that may be a little out of your current reality. I’m Lauren Best, a certified hypnotherapist and provoker of possibility, and I’ve created this podcast for people who are curious about exploring new ways of living, who are looking to connect deeper with their bodies, their intuition, their hearts, and then known and who are really ready to just embrace their most authentic selves, to move into flow and into alignment. There is just so much that is possible for us when we open ourselves up to exploring new possibilities beyond our wildest imagination. So if you’re ready and curious to begin exploring new possibilities, join me every week for a new episode of Provoking Possibilities on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let’s dive in. Hi everyone. Welcome back to another amazing episode of Provoking Possibilities. I’m so excited because I’m joined today by someone who’s become a new friend of mine and someone that we connected months and months ago, and little did we both know our lives in whatever ways.

Lauren Best (00:01:28) – Just kind of we’re getting off track. We were not connected anymore. We weren’t even in contact. And I owed her a beautiful article, which is now up on the website, and we’ll talk about where you can find that later. But it was one of those things where, you know, we met, we, you know, had that that spark and that alignment when it comes to, you know, our values and our energy. And then things totally fizzled. And then we were able to meet in London and it was magic again. And now I am part of her community, which is so, so excited. But to share a little bit about her before she joins me is just to let you know a little bit about Christina and Christina today. I should probably Christina ask you and we’ll edit this out how I pronounce your last name.

Kristina Todorova (00:02:19) – It’s over the.

Lauren Best (00:02:20) – Rover. Okay, okay, I’ll just take a minute here, and then I’ll redo this intro part here. So today I have Christina Roba, who is a certified transformational life coach, business strategist, and founder of the Co-created Hub and coaching for Transformers.

Lauren Best (00:02:38) – She is amazing. She is not only an award winning, have an award winning coaching company, but she also really specializes in intuitive coaching and consulting and bringing community together. I think that’s something that I noticed right away. After connecting with her and following her work as a trainer and corporate coach with international organizations, Christina decided to really just embark on this path of entrepreneurship and to choose her own path of that by setting up her own coaching practice, which is now a beautiful community that she holds space for so many beautiful entrepreneurs and startup founders like myself, and her journey of really navigating entrepreneurship and what it looked like for her while facing different adversities like mental and physical health challenges, has been such an inspiration for her to launch and build a beautiful community, which is really where, like I said, entrepreneurs like myself and startup founders can come to to really build and feel like they’re part of that community and also build their business while benefiting from the wellbeing resources. I was so excited to know that was a big part of her values and what she loves to do, and bring people together as well.

Lauren Best (00:03:58) – So she’s just such a huge believer in the power of collaborative business growth, genuine and meaningful human to human connection, and the importance of having a supportive community that makes the founders journey feel less isolated and not something I definitely felt the first time that we met. Just that really beautiful ability that she has to bring people together. And the co-created hub blends the worlds of business and holistic wellness to assist its members in creating sustainable, sustainable business growth and thrive mentally, emotionally and physically as they progress on the entrepreneurial path. There are so many beautiful folks doing all different types of things, so it’s really cool to be a part of this community and, you know, connect with people that I wouldn’t have. In a normal day or in a normal place. We’re really all from all over the world as well, so it’s really fun. So I’m excited for Christina. Join all the way from London and welcome, Christina. Thanks for joining me. I get to see you twice in one day. How lucky am I? It’s so good.

Kristina Todorova (00:05:06) – Thanks for having me, Lauren. And what a what a beautiful introduction. Thank you. Mean, I’m really excited. And, you know, it’s going to be a great conversation. I’m super happy that we connected. And there was like chemistry synergy straight away. As you said we share the same values when it comes to, you know, prioritizing wellness and prioritizing authenticity, being who we are and learning how to navigate the journey in a healthier way. And I really wanted to, you know, collaborate with you, feature your work on the blog because you have a lot of wisdom to share and a lot of tips which are in line with your area of work, which is like hypnotherapy. And yeah, your article is absolutely amazing and I’m super glad that you wrote that piece and you created like a mini inner child healing hypnosis, because I sometimes reread the article and I’m like, okay, let’s kind of give that inner child a little love because that’s what she needs today. And it’s just so important that we as founders, as entrepreneurs, really, you know, use those tools like hypnotherapy and other other tools to really manage the journey because it has its ups and downs and that’s that’s the reality of it.

Kristina Todorova (00:06:20) – And if we don’t take a moment every day to to create those, like wellness toolkits for ourselves and use it like yours, it can become quite difficult for us to manage the stressors in a healthy way. Yeah.

Lauren Best (00:06:37) – So I love that and like to share I guess already go back to what I said in the intro is like, you know, we connect, we both connected so long ago and then ended up finding our way back to our to each other. And in the meantime of that, finding our way back, back to ourselves, but really taking that time to prioritize our health, I think for both of us, and that mental space that we needed to maybe not say no to things that that, you know, we want to say yes to, but no, like our capacity at the time wasn’t, you know, at the like it didn’t have the space that we needed to connect and, you know, bring that article to life in that way at that time. But I think it really speaks to something that when we did reconnect and I was like blown away by how much had, you know, happened in your life from that first time we connected? Because it was quite a few months.

Lauren Best (00:07:36) – And just hearing how you were putting the hub together and I really, truly I was blown away. I was like, how do you do this? While also taking time to rest and to you know, prioritize your own mental health? And so what has that been for you? Because I know it wasn’t easy. I know it was a roller coaster of like, you know, you holding that belief in your heart that I need to keep going with this because I know, you know, not only is this something that I need, but I know it’s something that, you know, these other amazing human beings who I’ve met, who also really care about what they’re doing, need to really feel that support. What was that like for you? You know, that roller coaster and just those ups and downs and bringing the picture to life because here it is. And it’s amazing.

Kristina Todorova (00:08:24) – Exactly. And wow, it’s just it’s been it’s been a lot of coaster and kind of really shortened the story. Before the hub was launched, I was running a digital coaching platform, and revenue wise it was very much up and down, and I decided to combine the business with a full time role in a scale up in learning and development, where I was responsible for the strategic side of all the projects on the learning and development side, and it was a very fun role.

Kristina Todorova (00:08:57) – And I was managing, uh, working about 12, 13 hour days and was fine with that, like, and I was I was fine with that. I remember I was working until 5 p.m. at the scale up, and then I would take like an hour, an hour and a half for me to go to the park, have dinner and then come back and have my business meetings and was like, okay, I’m building like the right foundation for my digital coaching platform. I had a strategy in place, but it’s interesting how I wasn’t as passionate about it. It’s just I turned into I was I was thinking about okay, profitability. I was thinking about, you know, how do I start? How do I scale? Like my mindset was just not in the right place. I was losing my passion. I was losing myself, and I think that was partially due to the fact that I was working way too many hours, and I was even in my full time job, I was like in back to back meetings, and I was it was a bit of a toxic environment, so had to have a lot of battles to not overwork my very own team, as that was almost kind of the unspoken expectation.

Kristina Todorova (00:10:10) – And with all of that happening, as I was trying to scale the digital coaching platform and thinking about, you know, the right business model and then working in the scale up to sustain myself financially in a city like London, a lot of things started to happen with, you know, with the family, with certain relationships, with my health, and everything was happening at the same time. And remember always. Exactly. And remember a lying in bed and it was January like 1st of January. I remember being in like a hotel here in London, setting the intention. And my intention was balance, literally balance. I thought, okay, 12 hour days, it’s kind of manageable. Yes. I can’t really sustain a romantic relationship properly, you know, on that schedule, but at least I’m, you know, moving in the right direction. But I wasn’t happy. And remember, 15th of January, certain decisions were made in my full time job, so my workload tripled in a week. So I ended up working until 1 a.m. in the scale of not even having the time to focus on the business.

Kristina Todorova (00:11:22) – So I started, you know, working every weekend, and it was just becoming incredibly exhausting and at the same time trying to, you know, navigate the family challenges, the health challenges. You know, it was just a lot going on. So I remember lying in bed asking to not wake up the next day and I have worked hard to not have shame around that. But it was, you know, there were many nights where I’d just, like, not just cry myself to sleep, but literally waking up the next day, not being able to get up. And like, I just it was like pure survival mode getting things done in my, you know, full time job and then showing up to business meetings unprepared because I did not have the energy. And then I really kind of zoomed into one particular project that was trying to land for my business, and I was like, okay, if I just land this one project because it was huge, I can quit that job and I can just focus on that.

Kristina Todorova (00:12:31) – And I was like, okay, I’m not passionate about this project, but it’s kind of a really healthy, you know, revenue stream. Yeah. And from having conversations with that particular company about like, you know, working together, they started ghosting me very unexpectedly. And remember, okay, if it’s not this company, I was kind of in that mindset where I have to just push through, you know, if it’s not that company, find similar companies, go knock on these doors, get yourself out of this toxic environment. Yeah. And there were doors were just closing right in my face. People were just not interested. Not getting back to me, like typical. You know, that’s what happens in entrepreneurship. It is the path if you think about it. You know. Yeah, sometimes you knock on many doors and one opens, sometimes no doors open. Sometimes things just happen. So I was really finding it difficult to to just manage my mental health, you know, and I’m kind of I was struggling, I was really struggling and had really dark thoughts in my mind, the really dark thoughts in my mind.

Kristina Todorova (00:13:39) – And I was, you know, losing a lot of weight. And it was just difficult. And I said to myself, okay, now I need to find gratitude and I’m trying to think of like being grateful for being alive, whether it wasn’t working because, yeah, I was like, I just don’t want to be here anymore. So it was just such a low point. But I remember lying in bed and like crying, literally crying and talking to like, my higher self and being like, okay, I don’t understand how all of these things are happening at the same time. And some of them were kind of my biggest pain was was around like family and family challenges, which were were they weren’t related to me directly. They were related to them. But it’s my family. So, you know, and then other.

Lauren Best (00:14:25) – Things.

Kristina Todorova (00:14:26) – Exactly in a personal relationship and then, you know, with the business. And then I just I was just getting nowhere with, you know, my boss at the time who is he’s a lovely person, but he was under a lot of pressure himself.

Kristina Todorova (00:14:40) – So he was working as long hours as me. And the feedback was just that’s that’s the. We’re going through a huge growth period. And I was like, okay, but I said to you that I’m going to be with you for just, you know, just to help you out for that particular year. I have another thing I look after. So at the very moment we kind of we met and we had that interview was like work life balance. For me. It’s important because I have literally two jobs, you know, so. Moral of the story I remember lying in bed and like crying and saying to myself, If I’m to do this business, I just don’t want another like human being feeling the way I’m feeling right now. Because if this is the path to success, I don’t want the success. You know.

Lauren Best (00:15:24) – It’s not. And then it’s not success at all, right? Like no matter how much money or recognition or opportunity there is, it’s just it’s not going to ever feel successful.

Kristina Todorova (00:15:36) – Because you’re so unhappy. And yes, you know, money was being made, but I just I was just not happy. And I just didn’t want to be, you know, on this planet. So in those kind of darkest moments, what really I would say helped me was, I guess the hardest thing that I did learn was surrender. Let go the job, let go of the flat I was living in. I was as close to dissolving the business because I was like, okay, I’m knocking on so many doors and they’re shooting right in my face. I just don’t understand. Maybe I’m not meant to be doing this anymore. And I was just losing my passion for things. And and I just felt like I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life because I don’t even, like, I’m struggling with wanting to be alive. You know, that was the struggle I was facing, and I was like, and I had no one to talk to you. I tried speaking to my family, and I remember my mom telling me, you know, don’t cry because, you know, we have to all be strong right now.

Kristina Todorova (00:16:37) – And I was like, okay, I need to put up like a happy face, pretend I’m okay. And then in my community of like my network, I did not have a community. I had a network. When you work with other founders, with other entrepreneurs in those like circles, very often you have that pressure to perform, right. You’re almost like you have the brand impress.

Lauren Best (00:16:59) – Right? You want to impress them.

Kristina Todorova (00:17:02) – These are exactly. And that’s why I don’t believe in like standard networking. And I remember I was just I was feeling so alone and I felt like I had like, no one to talk to you because I did not want to, like, bother people. I always felt like I was the one people would go to. Obviously as a coach, I didn’t feel comfortable opening about these things. So the biggest breakthrough for me was when I started opening to another, like other founders who I was featuring on the block because I was not on top of. I was like, what’s the point of releasing this article? Honestly, this is like what I’m going to say sounds really bad, but I’m going to say it anyway.

Kristina Todorova (00:17:42) – Where’s the point?

Lauren Best (00:17:43) – This is what we’re here for.

Kristina Todorova (00:17:45) – If I’m going to die and shut the business down. I know it sounds horrible, but this was the mental health state I was in. I was like, what’s the point? Like, I’m going to kind of work with this person and then everything will shut down. So I wasn’t showing up. I was postponing meetings. I was postponing, you know, conversations. And then the kind of the biggest breakthrough was when I finally decided to open up to one of the founders I was featuring. And I said, listen, um, it’s really difficult for me to say this to you, but I’m going to say it anyway. And this is where I’m at. This is where I’m feeling. That’s why I don’t know whether we should release a blog article right now. And I know this is a collaboration because it’s just this is where I met. And he he was like, I went through the exact same thing last year. And I was like, I’m not the one, the only one who goes through all of these things, issues that we don’t speak about that.

Lauren Best (00:18:41) – Yeah, yeah.

Kristina Todorova (00:18:42) – And when you don’t speak about that, no one knows. You know, we all look super happy on social media and we all build our brand. So this is how the idea for The Hub was born, because I started reaching out to people and for the very first time in my life, I just opened up in a very vulnerable way and I said, I need help. Like I’m not okay. I feel like my business is failing. Investors are turning me down. I tried knocking on certain like doors and it was just and people were just showing up for me, helping me without expecting anything in return. And I was like, wow, the power of vulnerability. And I felt connected to people who understood me, and I felt less alone. And I had the idea, you know, I had the idea to build a community, which I was planning on building anyway. But the focus is not what it now is, which is collaboration, genuine, like human connection, where we help one another grow, we connect, we take the mask off.

Kristina Todorova (00:19:44) – Yes, you may be kind of the, you know, the most successful or the most amazing brand, but if you need help, I want you to kind of be open with others about where you’re at, what help you need, whether it’s with your mental health, whether it’s with your business. And I wanted to create a safe space, which is also inspiring for other founders and entrepreneurs like yourself to really. In that that support to collaborate, to grow their businesses and to have a community that that gets you so that you are less alone. Because I almost I wanted people to have we don’t have that feature in the hub yet, like an SOS button, literally. It’s like when I was feeling that down, if I had the community that I now have in the hub, I know that if I post and tag you guys, everyone will be reaching out, helping, and I want each and every member of the hub to feel that way because we. Shit happens to all of us. That makes sense.

Kristina Todorova (00:20:45) – That’s how the idea. That’s how it came to life.

Lauren Best (00:20:50) – Yeah. Oh my gosh. And it’s one of those things where if you hadn’t gone through that horrible time and had those thoughts racing through your head and just feeling like, you know, what’s next, I don’t know and am not sure I’m interested to know, which is, you know, really hard to to come to terms with. But I’m so proud of you as well for talking about this, because by talking about this, you are allowing yourself to release that shame. That society, you know, has told us that we should have around the really hard times and things we’ve gone through. And like, this is empowered. You now like to show up for yourself and show up for other people and like, it really, truly is so inspiring because like you said, you would have, you know, you you knew you always wanted a community, but it would not have been this way. And to be on this other side where you can say, you know, I’ve been through this and now I’m here and I’m showing up for me, I’m showing up for you is just going to change so many people’s lives beyond your own.

Lauren Best (00:21:58) – So of course, I’m so happy you are here on this earth, on this planet, in my life. And, you know, you’re just you’re just magical, Christina. Really?

Kristina Todorova (00:22:08) – I mean, likewise, likewise. Then I think it was just meant to be for us to reconnect at the right time. And when we were due to connect the first time. And for me to actually come speak at your radio show and for you to be featured on the blog, it didn’t. The vision I did not have even the humility to kind of create even the business model that allows other people to also like earn with me as well. So my whole vision, the whole, I would say mindset of how I saw business grow, changed for the better. And now I think one of the things that I that I find, which was the biggest shift, was like working more from the heart and feeling that I’m on the right path, like there’s so many elements which, you know, things go wrong, like you’re constantly on the path of kind of unknown, but at the same time, it feels so right in my gut.

Kristina Todorova (00:23:05) – And never in those four years of business I felt that way, and I felt like all of these challenges were actually almost propelling me towards what I was meant to do in a way, and think, I’m now finally arriving at the path. And kind of the signs are, I’m just feeling so happy every day just by building what I’m building, having you guys on board and just working with you and seeing you connect and seeing you, you know, form those connections and, and help each other in the hope that is. I feel like it’s just such so, so much fulfillment and happiness is coming out of it. Yeah, that’s kind of the biggest blessing. But that blessing came as a result of that period of almost like my third Dark Knight of the soul, where I just didn’t feel, you know, I felt I was done literally, and I had to just surrender, which is the hardest thing to do if you are used to being in control, like I was and always like almost like always being like managing.

Kristina Todorova (00:24:11) – And so that letting go of control and surrendering was a huge lesson for me.

Lauren Best (00:24:16) – And.

Kristina Todorova (00:24:17) – Think.

Lauren Best (00:24:18) – Yeah, because, you know, that’s something I had to learn as well. I think on my own spiritual journey is like, there is nothing we can control, nothing. And I know right before we got on this call, you were talking about how, like yesterday you had such an important day. And even today, before we got in this call, we weren’t having luck with zoom. Yeah, yeah, but it was like you were sharing how you know, everything that you, like, envision, like things weren’t going to plan, and it just had to be this another invitation for you to surrender, right? And just show up in the ways that you knew you could. And I don’t know if that’s something you want to talk a little bit about to in that experience and how like that is something that keeps coming up for you, because maybe it is just. Yeah, like you said, invitations for more surrender and to see what new possibilities are going to come up.

Kristina Todorova (00:25:13) – Yeah, absolutely. Definitely. And I think sometimes I know that may sound very spiritual, but it’s like almost like being in that non-resistance energy and saying to yourself, okay, higher self, um, I for my purely like ego self, I’m not able to see the whole picture, but you are able to see the whole picture. So I trust that if I just let go of control and focus on what I can do, focus on the glass being how full, not how empty I can still. Show up in that authentic energy. Do what what I can do best and let go of anything else that I cannot control. And yesterday turned out to be an amazing day out of the way. Not. It just did not happen in the way I had planned it, but it turned out to be even better than what I was expecting that it would be and not cool.

**** (00:26:05) – Exactly. And I’m still.

Kristina Todorova (00:26:06) – Learning. Honestly. I’m still learning how to how to work in that way and think for many founders out there, think and entrepreneurs, we’re almost sometimes we get in our own way because we think we know best.

Kristina Todorova (00:26:20) – But there is this like higher energy that we can tap into. And when we work together with that, it’s just it’s just magical. It’s just magical no matter what your niche or industry is. So this is how I am kind of am learning to work in that new way where we kind of, you know, that intuition and logic work together in an aligned way for the biggest breakthroughs for and also for, for the highest amount of joy. Because I want to be happy building this. I’m not looking for, you know, the next milestone. Of course I am. But it’s more about the journey now where in the past it was all about the destination, not the journey. So huge mindset shift.

Lauren Best (00:27:04) – Yeah it is. I think making that switch is a big part of that. Is that gratitude that you spoke about and how that is and has been become such a priority for you. And I think for me in my life to it’s like something before I even, you know, get out of bed, I will look around my room every morning and pick ten things and it’s usually the same ten things like it’s like, oh my teapot, I’m a tea person.

Lauren Best (00:27:31) – Oh, there’s, there’s my kettle. But it’ll be like my tea kettle in the corner. You know, these beautiful flowers I have over here. And I pick a lot of the same things, but it’s just like a reminder of, like, I mean, for me, also spatially, the things that I’ve chosen to have in my space that bring that really great energy very easily to me. But it is, you know, when we invite those opportunities, whether it be a little thing to start the day or taking moments throughout our day to pause and like ground into that gratitude that we can really allow ourselves to, you know, not only see it, that vibration that is, you know, going to feel aligned to our hearts, but also even bring it up even more. And I think, you know, our hearts and everyone’s hearts are just like waiting for that because, yeah, it’s it is so powerful. And you can make that switch like really quickly in those moments, if you so choose to allow yourself to be open to it.

Lauren Best (00:28:29) – So I love that you mentioned that about, you know, your practice of gratitude. And, you know, what are some ways that you like practice gratitude in your own life that you might want to share with us?

Kristina Todorova (00:28:42) – I really like spending time in nature, you know, like every day when I usually walk from, like, coffee shops, like different coffee shops. So recently the same coffee shop, because I really like, like the ambiance. So when I’m on my way to that coffee shop, I make sure I go through like a park, like a local park.

**** (00:29:02) – Or.

Kristina Todorova (00:29:04) – At like a street where it has, like, many trees, for instance. Yeah. And then I look at the trees and I focus on, you know, the birds singing or if it’s blue sky and I literally focus on like the smallest things and I’m like, wow, I am alive right now. I can see these things. I can smell these flowers. I can, you know, enjoy these beauty for the physical senses.

Kristina Todorova (00:29:25) – And I’m grateful because that elevates me. I think beauty is a huge aspect of, you know, the things that elevate my vibration and I can find beauty in anything. Like, literally.

Lauren Best (00:29:37) – I’ve looked so similar in that way. Like I’m the same way and I love a park. I love a coffee shop. So I know we’re going to explore many more of those next time I’m in London, which is going to be so fun. I know you brought me to a beautiful spot last time, but I can’t keep wait to exploring with you. And how can people you know learn more about what you’re up to, learn more about the hub? And yeah, where would you send people your way?

Kristina Todorova (00:30:08) – They can find us on Instagram, they can find me on Instagram Connect, and they can also go to the W WW, the co-created hub. Com they can learn more about the hub. They can send me a note. At the moment it’s kind of more of an invite only community. And just to make sure we have like the right vibe, the right people, they’re always welcome to drop us a note on Instagram, and we are launching The Hub on the website officially in the next few weeks, and people can apply to join.

Kristina Todorova (00:30:39) – Um, there will be a. Questions. As said, we want to kind of get the right people, but I’m always open to connecting with others and that’s that’s the best way to connect with social media. Or just drop us a note via via the website.

Lauren Best (00:30:54) – I love that, well, we’ll have all the links below as well, but thank you so much, Christina. I’m sending you so much love. I know it’s very late for you over there in London, but thank you so much for spending more time with me. It’s always such a blast.

**** (00:31:07) – Thanks for having me.

Lauren Best (00:31:09) – Thanks. Because you’ve been listening to the show, I want to leave you with a little treat, which is one of my favorite hypnosis audios that will help you let go of the noise and worry from your everyday life by bringing you to a place where you can connect with your subconscious mind and imagine and dream about your life. Because as we continue to move through ebbs and flows and seasons of our lives, there will likely be times where envisioning new possibilities becomes difficult or where we struggle to move out of that autopilot mode and into self-awareness to really live the lives that we want.

Lauren Best (00:31:47) – So do listen to this audio. It will encourage you to keep dreaming about your life, even during uncertain times where new possibilities may feel cloudy. Hypnosis has been such an amazing tool that I myself have used to move from a state of overwhelm and stuckness to really being able to keep dreaming about my life. And I know you can too. So visit the link below to download the Visualize Life You Love Hypnosis Audio for free or visit my website Lauren Bascombe. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey of exploring new possibilities and embracing your most authentic self. I appreciate you and your willingness to open your mind and your heart to new ideas and ways of being that are beyond your current reality. So if you found value in this episode, please take a moment to leave a reading and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast. Your support helps us to spread the message of compassion, self discovery, and personal growth to more people who may benefit from it. And if you’re looking for additional support on your journey of self-discovery and transformation, I invite you to visit my website at Lauren Bascombe, where you’ll find resources, courses, and coaching services to help you navigate life’s challenges with more ease and joy and confidence and support.

Lauren Best (00:33:19) – So please check that out. And more than anything, I hope you’ll remember that you’re not alone on this journey. We are all in this together, and by embracing our most authentic selves, we can create more compassion and connection to the world. So please keep dreaming, keep exploring, and keep provoking possibilities with love and intuition. I’ll be back soon with more thought provoking questions, inspiring stories, and powerful insights and conversations to support you on your journey. But until then, take care of yourself and others and remember that you are worthy of love and possibility.