Bella (L) and DiDi (R)
After deciding that my one-way relationship with camera gear
and motel carts had to go, I was faced with an even bigger challenge.
What To Do?
What was I going to do for a living once I made the official
leap out of TV Production? I had a college degree, a love of dogs and a hundred
questions running through my mind.
So, I did what anyone on a mission would do, I googled for
hours about businesses involving dogs.
The search produced options such as dog trainer, dog
photographer, dog boutique owner and dog walker. While all of these are fine
professions and I admire the people that do them, nothing set my heart on fire.
Life Is What
Happens While Making Plans
Then suddenly, in the middle of this exploratory search for
my new dog-related business, my personal life fell apart. Literally.
Unfortunate circumstances forced me to break off my
engagement to a man that I had loved and shared my life with for four years.
In between meetings and phone calls, I escaped to the dank
office bathroom to cry about this huge loss.
Enough Already!
Like a robot, I carried on with my work and was once again
headed out on the road with the expensive gear and reservations in various
small motels.
However, my life kept unraveling. Less than a week after I
broke my engagement, I blew my knee out while traveling for work.
I was completely engulfed in physical and emotional pain.
Are You
Threatening Me?
I couldn’t hide my angst at the office anymore.
Even though, I never missed a day of work and kept up my
writing and producing responsibilities, I was called into the boss’s office and
read the riot act.
The secret had gotten out about my personal life crumbling
and I was in obvious physical pain barely hobbling around the office with at
least two torn ligaments and a nasty bone bruise.
None of it mattered to this boss. She threatened my livelihood
and trivialized all that I was going through by saying, “We all have struggles
in our life.”
Thanks! I’ll take that ice-cold sentiment and stitch it onto a
gorgeous throw pillow.
At that moment, around 4PM on a Tuesday, I left the office
hours before my usual quitting time.
As soon as I got out onto the Manhattan Street, I could feel
my lunch rising up I clutched a public trashcan for dear life (by the way I
recommend NEVER doing this in New York City).
The Relief
Thankfully, four days later I headed into the hospital for
knee surgery. Yes, I said thankfully. Having major knee surgery was a relief from
the utter disaster my life had become over the past 2 weeks.
Before the anesthetic, I remembering telling my mom that this
was the happiest day I had in a long time. I will never forget the sadness on
her face and tears in her eyes after I uttered those words.
Paws to Talk Is
Born
So there I was, in a knee brace from hip to toe, on crutches
for the next six weeks and on an unplanned hiatus from work while being forced
to heal.
Crying and daytime TV got old after a week. So I started
reading through some idea journals that I had kept over time.
Then I saw it!
“Paws to Talk,” my idea for an advice blog written through
the voices of our family’s beloved standard poodles Bella and DiDi.
I envisioned the blog being in a “Dear Abby” format but instead
of Abby’s answers, Bella and DiDi would dispense their wisdom one bark at a
time.
So I started writing. I felt alive for the first time in a
long while.
Little By Little
I made a goal for myself to write one article a day. Because I didn’t have anyone (yet)
asking the dogs or me for advice, I picked a topic, made up a submission and
then had the dogs answer it in their wise voices.
After 30 articles were completed, I got a logo designed and
built the blog’s webpage.
New Priorities
On a cold Sunday in late February 2012, I launched Paws to
Talk with no clue that it would change my life.
The blog gained a small and loyal following at first and
then began to grow.
Soon, I was released from the purgatory of the knee brace
and crutches.
Also, with the
help of incredible family and friends, I moved to a new apartment that wasn’t
full of broken dreams and heartache.
I happily took a step down the TV Production corporate
ladder to work as a Series Researcher/Interview Booker so that I would never
have to experience 21-hour workdays and babysit the expensive equipment again.
My career in TV became just a job. One that I did exceptionally
well but Paws to Talk was the reason why I got out of bed in the morning.
Stuck Again?!?
Nine months later, my blog growth hit a plateau. Plus, earning
an income from advertisements on my website had not panned out.
I was stuck again. I believed with every bone in my body
that Paws to Talk was something special.
But there are a lot of good ideas out there that never work
as businesses. I didn’t want that to happen with Paws to Talk.
How would I keep the original Paws to Talk concept of
helping people through the simple and smart dog point of view?
I sought help.
What the Hell is a
Life Coach?
I was sitting in the plush office of a career counselor on a
rainy Friday night when after a careful evaluation of my skills and resume, the
words “life coach” floated from his mouth to my ears.
Life coach! What? Isn’t that for Hollywood actresses?
Nope, it is about problem solving with clients so they can
feel better in their lives.
If I could run highly successful and expensive TV shoots on
2 hours rest where virtually every minute a solution needs to be found then I
could do this work.
Plus, in a way I was already doing this work through my
blog.
I finished 80 plus hours of life coaching school (and
counting) and hammered out a business plan with multiple revenue streams, while
still working 50 hours a week at my day job.
My Dream Come True
Then the day came this past spring.
I strolled into my boss’s office (not the one who was acted
like such a you know what during my worst hour) and took a long look out at the
Empire State Building and New York City glistening in the sun while she
finished up a phone call.
With more confidence then I have ever had in my life, I gave
my notice.
A month later, on a cloudy Friday evening I would leave the
epicenter of TV Production.
The next Monday I entered my dream come true, my first full
day of work as the creator, owner, CEO of Paws to Talk, “Life Coaching For Dog Lovers.”
And I haven’t turned back since.
By Margot Ahlquist, creator of Paws to Talk,
professional life coach and blogger. She has helped hundreds of people live
happier and simpler lives by solving problems using a dog's point of view. Margot
has a forthcoming book and podcast.