The power of unplugging & reclaiming your time with Hannah Brencher

Akua: Today’s episode on the independent business podcast is one that is so good for the soul. Hannah Brencher, who is a speaker and author of her new book, the unplugged hours, cultivating a life of presence in a digitally connected world, shares with us the inspiration of her new book, the biggest lessons she has learned from living an unplugged life and rediscovering the beauty of what it truly means to be present.

This conversation is one that you are going to love just as much as I did. for listening. So without further ado, let’s get into the episode. Hey everyone, this is your host Akua Kanade and you’re listening to the independent business podcast. More people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process.

So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs, and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve it too. Hello,

Hannah. How are we doing? I’m doing

Hannah: great. I’m excited to be here and have this conversation.

Akua: Yes, excited to have you. We have just been chatting and we were like, you know, let’s just like, boop, we’re just going to hit record and just hop into it. So thank you so much for being here. And just number one, congratulations on another book.

Like, how are you feeling?

Hannah: I’m feeling good. This one was like, man, this one took a long time. Like I’m like, okay, two years of my life. I feel like poured into this thing. So I’m just. Very happy that it’s like released and to be like enjoying other people savoring it while also getting to like work on some other stuff.

Akua: Yes. Well, Unplugged Hours, right? I think the book is extremely timely. So though it took you two years, I feel like timing is everything and it just came out at a time that is so, it’s so needed. But I’m so interested to know your journey of just unplugging and what really inspired you to focus on this topic.

Hannah: Yeah. So it’s interesting, especially like with the book coming out and like, I agree, like I do feel like it’s like for such a time as this, but I’ve just been It’s been so interesting for me because I think I became so, like, saturated in my own, like, rhythm of unplugging that, like, now I’m, like, realizing, oh, like, like, a lot of us, like, don’t have a baseline for, like, unplugging, what it means, like, what that would look like in daily life, and so, like, um, That’s where I was a few years ago when this whole story started like pre ever thinking there would ever be a book about it.

It was just literally me like in a quiet time one morning on my birthday, like coming up with like what I wanted the next year I had to hold and I felt this nudge in my spirit that just said turn off the phone and I like knew immediately what that meant. I knew that I was at a place of like Feeling exhausted, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like I was constantly picking up this device and being taken away from the present moment.

And so I knew at that moment, like, okay, turning off my phone is not a one time thing. It’s something I’m going to have to do and practice and make a real rhythm. And so that is what I set out to do. I created A little tracker for myself of a thousand hours in one year. And that’s mainly because, you know, as somebody who coaches discipline, like I am a big believer that like, you can’t manage what you don’t measure out.

And so, yeah, that became my steady daily discipline, one unplugged hour at a time, just getting back to the present moment, getting back to myself. And like, really trying to figure out like, can I strike a balance? Can I be in this world, plugged in email, social media, but then also step away when I need to step away?

Is that balance possible?

Akua: Oh, I love that so much. And I think again, like how you said to talking about discipline and feel like that is such a it’s. It’s so hard. It says what takes 21 days to make a habit or something like that. It’s so hard at the very beginning, especially with your phone, because it truly is like embedded in our unconscious.

Like there’ll be times I’m like, I’m stepping away from my phone. And I am not even aware of my body and the movements. And all of a sudden I have my phone in my hand, you know what I mean? And so I think I love that. You just said it of like, okay, this is going to be an everyday practice and an everyday intention.

So as you’ve done that. How was the process for you writing the book? Especially since you said it took you two years.

Hannah: Yeah, so I think like It took two years from, like, we know that we’re writing this book, we have a book deal, to publication. But really, I would say it’s actually, like, been more like a three and a half year journey.

Because I was very, like, adamant about how, um, I did not want to write this book in my head or write this book while doing the unplugged hours That was really important to me because I think especially like, you know as a writer I can be very like easily like that’s gonna be content that’s gonna make for a great story That could be a book and I was like I need to do this challenge for myself.

I need to cultivate this rhythm for myself, not because I think it could be a book. And so I went through that entire unplugged year and then went through a season of feeling like, I don’t even know if it is a book. I’m not really sure, you know? And then like conversation by conversation, like it became evident of like, oh, wait, there is a book here.

There’s something here. And so. Yeah, the the writing process of the book was its own level of just like the unplugged hours But deeper because I made the decision to not I didn’t share what I was writing I didn’t go onto the internet and like post excerpts like I normally would and like none of that is bad or wrong I just found that for me.

I had started to live from this place of like Needing the approval of other people needing other people to constantly tell me I was doing good or they were proud of me or they admired me and it was like, no, I need to get back to the place where like, I write this book and like, it’s enough just because I did it.

It’s enough because I feel like the words are good. And so really, it’s like a whole rewiring of your brain in a lot of ways.

Akua: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I think that’s so powerful of even just you being unplugged of how that led of like, I’m not even sure if this is a book, but what I do know is, is that the work that I’m doing currently is more than enough and I don’t need the approval of people.

And I think we, it’s so easy to forget that correlation of like how we’re on our phone. And it really just like, especially on social media, how we find ourselves consistently comparing in such an unhealthy, like some people healthy, but other people can literally lead into a very unhealthy territory. And so I love how.

just maybe not intentionally, but it just kind of, or would you say intentionally where it just kind of led to where, like, you felt more rooted in who you are and like, you know, your, your self esteem and just how you honestly move in the world.

Hannah: Absolutely. And so like, I always say, I feel like, so what I thought was going to happen was I was going to like do the thousand hours and then be like some kind of like.

Expert on the unplugged hours when in actuality I finished and I was like, I’m not an expert at all. If anything, I know less than what I knew before. But I feel like then what I realized was that post that thousand hour mark, it was like more and more shifts and changes coming to the surface, where I was like learning things I was like not expecting to learn about myself, about the way that I interact with the world, and like I think I thought that.

Oh, I’m going to know more about this topic. I’m going to be better at time management and focus. I was not expecting the ways in which it was going to change my self esteem the way it was going to change my faith, the way that it was going to change all these elements of my life. Like, and it’s almost like years ago, you know, like 15, 20 years ago, I’m trying to think of like, when I got my first cell phone, I was probably like 16 years old.

So like a little, like almost 20 years ago, like that was. The start of becoming connected and I almost feel like you don’t even know at some point of like, am I doing this because this is what I want to do or am I doing this because social media has swayed me to do this because amazon has told me I need this thing because I want to hit success and so these are the messages in my inbox that I should say yes to like It felt like slowly getting back to the person that existed before all the noise got in.

And that was a journey I did not anticipate that I was gonna go on, but it’s like a journey that I’m like, oh my gosh, I wish every person could get this deep with it because it’s like, It’s really cool to get back to like, who you are at your core, not who you became for other people.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. That is so, so powerful because I think, like you said, like I, that’s not even what you were necessarily searching for, right?

Like you were just looking for like productivity, you know, the more surfacy things that makes you like. I would

Hannah: be a present mom. Yeah. Right. Like those

Akua: types of things. It’s of things. And it’s like, you went back to the person that you were like, that you used to be. And you didn’t even know that you were searching for her.

And so, yeah, that’s exactly it. And it was

Hannah: emotional. Like, I’d have a moment that I’d be like bawling my eyes out, like almost like you didn’t even realize you were missing this part of yourself.

Akua: Yes. And I think that just that unplugging is, allows you to reconnect with yourself in ways that you didn’t even know existed.

And I think that’s such a beautiful, beautiful thing. And when you do that, you’re able to. So Like whatever it is, tackle, whatever it is in your life, whether that’s, you know, being a parent or a business owner or whatever, that looks like. You’re able to tackle that and be more decisive. Right. and more confident in the decisions that you make because you’re more grounded and more aligned of like, this is who I am.

And so like, I feel confident. And again, it’s like where. That noise we see all the time of we are bombarded with different by this. Like I’ll talk about a pair of sheets and all of a sudden there’s the ad for it. And I’m like, Oh,

Hannah: you know what I mean?

Akua: And so I think again, it’s like. Just really centering yourself.

And I think that’s, and getting to know yourself, getting to know who you were before technology came in. And I think that’s such an amazing, amazing thing. And so is that okay? We can pull out a couple of quotes to read from your book. Yes, because I loved this. So there’s a section that where you say we operate in a world where there’s always something seemingly better just beyond our fingertips, there’s a new gadget, a new trendy wellness practice.

A new app, a better diet, a new car, a different home. As our social media algorithms work over time in the background, they learn to read and know us in order to cater to our tastes and desires. They start advertising directly to us. Whenever we search for something, we have new options at our fingertips at all times.

With all these potential options surrounding us. It’s easy to believe that lives the ones we’re actually supposed to live and lost somewhere in the future. So the question I have for that is, I feel this opens up a topic, again, like, really just kind of leaning into that comparison, and so, Can Unplugged Hours make an impact on your own thoughts and feelings of that comparison?

Like, how have you navigated that, especially as you’re writing this book?

Hannah: Well, I think that, like, honestly, like, going back to, like, what I was saying before about, like, marketing this book and then realizing through the marketing process, like, oh, There is no baseline for unplugging. We are just so totally plugged in that like, it doesn’t matter that I’ve done however many hundreds of thousands of hours unplugged, like most people are not taking a break from this device ever unless they’re sleeping.

And so the more that you start to spend time away from your phone, whether it’s like, okay, I may start with 30 minutes, or I’m going to start with an hour, like, time away from your phone equals time Uninfluenced by the noise like and that in itself is powerful that we’re not doing that And so it’s like whether i’m picking up my phone to Check a notification check an email check a bank account There’s usually always something that sidelines me like whether it’s like, oh, well, like, oh, I ended up on instagram Oh, I really like that sweatshirt that she’s wearing.

Oh, i’m over here on amazon. Oh, i’m looking at the other options It is like this vicious Cycle and so There’s no way, I think, like, especially with the way in which social media allows us to see the lives and the livelihoods of other people that, like, comparison is not a part of the story. It’s just that, like, 20 years ago, you compared yourself to, like, people in high school.

Like, not people in high school that lived 4, 000 miles away from you that were TikTok starlets, you know? And so, I just feel like the more that I would Turn off the phone and decide to be present rooted in my life, which make no mistake. It’s like it’s not easy It’s not comfortable. It’s there are definitely times where I’m like, I don’t want to be unplugged right now Like I don’t want to just sit in the mundane moment But like you make yourself do that but like the more that I did that the more I was met with this feeling of oh I It’s all right here.

It’s all right here. This is the working material of my life, and if there’s something I don’t like, I can change it. I can move towards change, but I can’t possibly do that and actually expect to get to my destination if I’m always looking to the right or the left of me or seeing how she’s doing or how he’s doing it.

I need to be committed to my own path. And the only way to do that is to be present where my feet are.

Akua: Yes. I love that so much. And I really want to talk about, cause you talked about like sitting in that, especially in the mundane. I think a lot of us struggle with that. I think too, like, especially being adults and, you know, we have all these different responsibilities, obligations, no matter what that looks like.

And so that unplugged and sitting in the mundane. That stillness and things that we consider mundane in our every day. How do, how do we navigate that? Cause that’s like you talked about, it’s, it’s not an easy thing to do. It’s really hard. And I feel like you have to accept things about yourself while you’re doing that.

And so what did, how was that like that navigating for you? Just kind of going deeper there.

Hannah: I mean, it was definitely uncomfortable. Like I remember there’s an instance that I share about in the book of like me and my husband like went out on a date night and like our daughter was with her grandmother.

And so like, that’d be like one of those moments where I’m like, you know what? His phone’s on, I’m going to turn off my phone. I’m not telling people they have to turn off their phones, but like, it’s more so like, can you put the phone in a box? Can you put the phone away? Can you put the phone in your purse and not, like, keep it on the table?

But in this instance, I did have my phone turned off. We were on a date night and we were coming home and, I don’t know, I picked a fight because That’s apparently what I do sometimes. I picked a fight. I don’t remember what it was about, but I know that I picked it. I know that he did not start the fight.

I did. And, you know, we have this moment afterwards where it’s like, okay, my husband is like a processor. So like, he is not like ready to resolve immediately. It’s like the whole, like, never go to bed angry. It’s like, he needs like that factory reset overnight. And then he wakes up and he’s ready to talk about it.

But I knew that I’m sitting in the car. We’ve just had this fight. We’re sitting in the silence. I reached into my bag to grab my phone because that’s what I’ve done for so long. It’s like, I’m uncomfortable. I’m gonna scroll. I’m gonna escape. And that was like this like little fork in the road that no one was ever gonna see, that I wasn’t documenting.

It was me in that moment of like, am I going to turn on my phone and escape this? Or am I gonna sit with this feeling? And I didn’t turn the phone on. I chose to sit in that feeling. And it felt like really. redemptive and empowering to be like, I’m sitting with this uncomfortable feeling and it’s not eating me alive.

I’m okay. I’m moving through this. And so it’s like that in a lot of different junctures of everyday life, whether it’s cooking a meal, it’s doing a bedtime routine, it’s doing a mundane task for your business. It’s like, Can I do this with a single minded focus as opposed to having to listen to a podcast, play a movie, have a show in the background?

Like, can I just be here in this moment? And even if it’s like mundane and boring and no one ever sees it, is it enough for me? Because That’s really the crisis that we’re in today is that we have gotten so used to documenting everything that we have convinced ourselves that the life that we want and need is somewhere else.

When in actuality, the only life that we have is the one that’s right in front of us. And we can’t even be present to that. Of course, we’re not fulfilled. Of course, the Amazon cart is filled up. Of course, we’re looking for the next trip to Disney World because like we’ve forgotten how to just be here now and realize this is a gift and this is a miracle.

Akua: Oh my gosh, Hannah, you were just Drop it. Left and right. Preach it. Preach it, girl, because that is so, so good. I love how you just shared that specific story too, with like you and your husband, because even for me, I’m like, that’s an everyday thing, right? Like that’s obviously not fighting, but you know what I mean?

Just like those everyday kind of moments in life that we truly just. Don’t even think about and we just whip out our phone and so like even for me I’ve even realized I’m guilty of having my shows on in the background I will have all varieties of shows as I’m working just so it doesn’t feel like I’m alone.

You know what I mean? Yeah, and then you know, but then there’s times like even yesterday. I was It was a rough day, a little bit of a rough day. I was just frustrated yesterday. And I was like, I’m gonna go get my caramel apple spice from Starbucks. And I went there and then I went home and I sat in silence for 30 minutes.

Hannah: Uh huh.

Akua: And I did not realize how much I had like needed that, like just that, but then I’m like, Oh my gosh. You know, I think when people are like, Oh my gosh, how do I get started? I’m like, even think of those little moments where like, you’re just sitting in silence for five, 10 minutes and leaning into that a little bit more.

Hannah: Or like, say for instance, like that was like what you’re doing for an extended amount of time. You did it for like 30 minutes. It’s like. You just needed a moment to sit in the silence and like check in with yourself. Yes. And so it’s like, we have these junctures all throughout the day where we can check in with ourselves, but we check in with the lives of other people instead.

And so it’s like, whether that’s literally making yourself a cup of tea, going for a walk around the block, driving to get the pumpkin spice or the caramel spice latte, like that’s you checking in with yourself rather than reaching for the phone, which is 10 times easier to grab. But like, I think also the element of it is like, I know, like if I’m overwhelmed or if I feel like just like too much is happening and I don’t know how to make a dent in it, like those are the days that I’m like way more apt to like pick up my phone and it actually only leads to.

More chaos, more exhaustion, more impatience on my end where I’m like, sometimes the best thing that I do on a given day or like when I start my morning, it’s just like not have the phone in sight, get my thoughts onto paper and like, Oh wait, like this is all doable and it’s all manageable. I just let all this noise come in that told me it wasn’t.

Akua: Oh my gosh. I love that. Like sometimes the answer that you’re looking for is it’s a lot more simpler than we think. And sometimes it’s just right in front of you.

Hannah: Right in front of us.

Akua: Yes. And I think those are those moments because it’s true. Like it is, like I said earlier, like you just don’t think about it.

Sometimes we just grab our phone and we don’t realize that that is that’s the easier choice. But what like comes out of that is it’s going to make your life much more, much more difficult. And so I think to your point of like a lot of the changes that you have made are so simple, but the impact is felt right.

And like what you’ve gained is huge. And so you’ve even talked about now of. You know, being more grounded and present just, and as somebody who is an author and has the platform that you have, how are you now really deciphering between, okay, I want to document this and, you know, cause you’re like, you know, like you have to talk about your book and, you know, all the X, Y, Z, all these different types of things.

Now, how are you navigating that?

Hannah: I think that you learn a little bit more every single day. I definitely feel like I am, I have a lot more boundaries around social media and sharing. And I also feel like I don’t document in the moment anymore at all. Like, and that was like a big shift for me is that I used to be somebody who would always post in the moment and it pulls you out of the moment.

It absolutely does. Whether you’re sharing your coffee or you are like doing a day in the life and you’re bringing people along for the journey, like, because the second that you post it. The second half of that is like what are people’s response and was the response enough? And was it funny enough or were you out of line or did that seem narcissistic?

Like we’re constantly thinking about those things, right? and so like now what I will do is like I’ll document the moments because I want the images of the moments or i’ll like use my little like canon power shot, you know but like I will wait, I will process, and then whatever I choose to share, I will still share.

So it’s not to say that sharing is bad, but like, I think that we have to get to a place where it’s like, it’s enough even if no one ever knows that I did this thing. It’s enough. If this moment was just for me and like we’ve gotten away from that And so yeah, I think i’ve like definitely gotten to a place now where like social media operates a lot more during business hours It’s still a very big part of my business but the best way that I can describe it that like when people ask i’m like, you know, like It used to feel like my whole entire life was on there.

And like, now I get off of it pretty easily because my life isn’t there anymore. That’s not my life anymore. My life is all around me. I’ve built it day by day. I’ve shared bits of it and I haven’t shared bits of it, but like I get off of this portal and I step into my daily life. And I think that’s something that, you know, for the, The months and the years to come, I’ll have to like, always be changing the boundaries in different seasons.

Always stay on top of like, okay, what are the rhythms that are serving me or not serving me? And I think that applies to all of us in every bit of our lives. It’s not like we make one decision and then we’re like, that’s good for the rest of my life. You know, like, it’s like, You have to consistently be checking in to be like, okay, what’s working and what’s not working right now.

And then what’s not working, let’s put some boundaries in place to change that.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love that so much. And, um, that was like literally you answer it. Cause we pulled out a quote that where you just shared that. And I really want to share this quote because I think it’s so, so powerful. And so you say here, sadly, I saw every conversation as a piece of content.

I saw every prayer tucked away in a journal as something to be shared with someone I stopped experiencing and processing the realities of my life because I was too busy making sure my life looked good to the, to other people online. I needed to step away from oversharing and step into my life instead.

Hannah: Amen.

Akua: Amen.

Hannah: Amen. That is so great. Did I write that? I don’t know. You’re like, who’s that? That’s how I felt with the last excerpt. That’s in the book? Cool. Awesome.

Akua: But oh, like that just hit me because I think we have put this Unnecessary time limit on ourselves, especially like whenever we’re at an event, right?

We find ourselves right. Sharing. Like I just did a keynote last week and this was the first time I actually did not share right away. Like I shared while I was there a little bit, but I wanted to enjoy the moment because the people that were there were amazing and it was so much fun. And like we played Uno.

Like I felt like in certain areas, I got to kind of just. and like playing like Uno and Spades and all those different types of things was so much fun and so freeing. To where I was like, I don’t care right now to have my phone. So I just took what I could and then I just made and I was like, I did a carousel.

And I was like, okay, this is good enough, I hope. And we just post. And, uh, But I just the thought, like the memories of what I have is just like way more impactful than me sharing on social media. And so I love that you shared that. And even to just as a storytelling strategist, I always say to people all the time, because I’m all about sharing your story.

And some people do have the misconceptions. Like I have to share everything. And it’s like, no, like what are your boundaries? Like you don’t have to dishonor yourself in order to get a client. Like there’s always, yeah. And I think that’s the convert, like, I think that’s a conversation as well. And I love that you shared that of, again, I needed to step away from oversharing and step into my life instead.

And that’s what, where you’re putting your life first, right. But like who you are so that you can enjoy the moment, enjoy the people around you, because I feel like that’s, what’s going to spark more joy in your business and in your life, that’s, what’s going to spark more creativity. That’s going to spark you being more innovative of just when you can just be in that present moment.

And so I just love everything that you shared and I loved that quote. So I wanted to highlight that. And now as like. AI is here, right? Technology. I mean, it’s now, it’s everywhere. Yeah. It’s everywhere now. And so I guess what advice do you have for business owners? I’m like, I use AI. I’m not going to lie. I use it to save time.

It does. It’s wonderful. Yes.

Hannah: Right. There are so many elements of it there. It’s amazing that cause I use AI, I don’t use it for any kind of writing and stuff, but it’s amazing that I can ask it a question and it will give me the answer without me having to search through 17, 000 Google articles. Yes.

That’s amazing. That’s so great. I, like, literally yesterday was like, what are the best survivor seasons without spoilers? And they know. Yes,

Akua: that’s so funny. I just saw the, I was on like, I was putting Bluey on for my dog right before I left to come here to record. And I saw Survivor and I was like, I gotta watch that when I get home.

Anyway, sorry, go on.

Hannah: Oh, no. Yeah, it’s, wait. The new episode on Wednesdays or Thursdays?

Akua: I don’t know, but I was like, Oh, I have to, I don’t, I was like, I just got to watch the show. Like I’d never really seen it. And I was like, Oh, I’ve heard somebody else has literally said that. And I was like, Oh yeah, like I just saw Survivor and I need to watch that.

Then you brought it up. So now I’m like, it’s a sign. It’s a sign again. So there we go.

Hannah: But you mean like in terms, like, yes, it can be very easy. I think like then to start to rely on AI way too much, like, I would say the biggest thing for like business owners is like, We ha I can’t stress this enough. And like, I’m coming at it from like a writing space, but also like from a creative space of like somebody who creates like digital products and digital courses.

It’s like the being willing to get away from all the noise, clear out all the noise and put yourself into a creative brainstorming space. I can’t stress it enough. And I feel like if you are burnt out and tired, specifically in this area of it. Social media because like we’re all business owners now, but then content creation is a full time job over here that like And the algorithm is always changing but i’m like man Like I do these things each quarter where I will literally block out just a few hours worth of time I’ve got some index cards and I will just brainstorm Content for the season ahead whether that’s old pieces new pieces new things that I want to write I just come up with a whole content bank of it and then from there I start to craft those pieces of content, but like That requires me to like get away from the noise Think about how do we want to be innovative?

How do we want to be different? How do we want to create something new? Our problem is that we’re spending so much time on social media looking at what everybody else is doing that there’s no time to be original. And I’m like, no! If you clear out the noise and get away with yourself, get back to that initial spark, that initial why you started, like, That is going to be the edge that sets you apart.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love that. Love that so much. And I think that’s, that’s just such a good, good reminder because I think it is very easy for us to overlie on AI. I think AI obviously saves a lot of amazing time. And, but also do we have to be realistic here that of how easy it truly does make things.

Cause like for me, I have absolutely, like I can now prompt AI to can sound like me. Um, To where I don’t have to write as much, you know what I mean? And it was, I know it’s a little bit like weird, but people can’t tell the difference. But they’re

Hannah: learning you. It’s learning who I am

Akua: 1000%. It like knows now that I like, like my stuff a little bit more punchy.

And like, it literally can sound like me now when I want, when I need things. But, uh, I made a, my, On my newsletter, I, when I went to New Orleans, I wanted to talk about my story of eating a beignet. Like we talked about that earlier, how like it was my first time finally having one. So I shared that story with my newsletter.

I did not use chat GPT for that. I was so excited and expired that I just was like, like, you know what I mean? Where I was like, Oh, cool. You still got it. Like you don’t need to rely on it. Well, no. And that’s the thing that the AI

Hannah: can’t do. It can’t. If you were to come to it and be like, please write a story about me eating my beignet in New Orleans.

It’s not, it’s gonna complete, it may get elements of your personality. It’s not gonna get, but it’ll never, it’ll never get it. Your human experience. Mm-Hmm. It will be like, it tasted scrumptious

Akua: and words I would never use, you know,

Hannah: but like, yeah. It can’t duplicate the human experience. And that’s where I think it’s like, well then like, let’s not take the human experience out of our businesses.

Like, yes, we have to be more human than ever to compete in this market.

Akua: Mm hmm. 1, 000%. And I think even just I’m like taking that time away, like what you said, having that creative brainstorm, right? Like even, and just, just write or, you know, whatever it is that you want to do, like with no parameters, just do your thing.

And I think it just, it, I don’t know, I had felt things that I hadn’t felt in a while because you know, like always on that hamster wheel, I got to produce this, I got to get this done. I have to meet this deadline. And I just had so much joy writing that newsletter where I’m like,

Hannah: yeah,

Akua: this is great. And I was like, I missed.

And I think it’s just that reminder of, again, of like having, creating, being more intentional to create that space so that we can still have that human aspect in our business where we’re checking in with ourselves and like, how can I still show up authentically as myself? Who like, you know what I mean?

And I think this whole conversation has been an amazing, an amazing reminder for business owners that you can unplug and you still can have a successful business. Like you don’t have to be online. You don’t have to be on 24 seven. And I think that’s also the thing too, of like, yeah. As our businesses grow like we feel like we have to be on all the time at so on social media At speaking engagements at networking things like I get that but like also too I don’t get it You know what?

I mean? Like I think of me as business owners. We need to really I don’t want to say the word balance, but just figure out how we can honor ourselves to where like, cause also I feel like being on is very, can be very depleting. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So I even think of like these unplugged hours to where it’s like, you feel more confident in who you are that you’re like, I’m more than enough.

I’m going to show up here and this is all I can give. And I know that that’s enough. And so I have loved, loved this conversation, Hannah. And so every single question that we love to end with is what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail.

Hannah: Oh, that’s a good question. I mean, I feel like we’ve kind of touched on it a little bit. I’m not saying like, oh, unplugged hours is the biggest differentiator, but I do feel like there is, I don’t know, like you have to keep the heart intact. And I am just like, for me, the businesses that make the most impact, the ones that like, I respect and honor the most are the ones that keep the heart intact.

Humans at the forefront of it, like whether that is like the people that you’re paying, whether that is like the causes that you’re supporting, whether that is just the way in which you handle your customer service and you make your customers feel seen and known. Like, I, I just feel like, That’s such an edge to businesses that we should not neglect like that art of hospitality, you know, and People want to feel seen and known whether you are a big brand or a small creator Like you have that ability to make people feel seen and known and like that really truly is a superpower

Akua: Yes.

Oh my gosh. Love that. Love that so much. This conversation has been amazing and everybody, I need you guys to go get this book. Okay. It is going to be so impactful. Oh my goodness. Hannah, thank you so much for coming on and obviously purchasing your book, but how else can people connect with you and support you?

Hannah: Yeah. You know, I’m online, hannahbrencher. com, hannahbrencher on social media, posting about all different kinds of topics and life and yeah, the unplugged hours is available wherever books are sold.

Akua: Yes. Well, thank you. Thank you so much, Hannah. And for everybody tuning in until next time, that ends our episode of the independent business podcast.

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And thank you again for listening. Bye.