Casey Berglund:
Today's guest has a good problem every entrepreneur dreams of: more clients than she could handle. But there's a turning point point every founder's journey when you realize that doing it yourself isn't necessarily a strength. It's survival mode. Today, I'm in conversation with Lauren Bordon, founder of Your Trilingual Support, a company that offers fractional executive assistant services to international CEOs and high-net-worth individuals in three languages: English, French, and Spanish. Lauren shares what it was like to be doing the work of four people while building her business. The journey of finally bringing in a team when she was already overwhelmed with client work and what shifted when she could finally breathe again. We explore the double roller coaster of entrepreneurship and overseas relocation. The importance of asking for support before you're desperate and what it means to build a sustainable business that doesn't require you to sacrifice your life. This is a conversation about the reality behind the "be your own boss" dream. The power of vulnerability in building community and the fun that comes from finally having the space to boost.
What does it really take to create calm, purposeful success that feels good in your body? I'm Casey Berglund, TEDx speaker, author, coach, and your host of the Purpose Map podcast, brought to you by Worthy and Well.
Welcome back to the show. Before we begin this episode, I want to invite you. If you've been finding value in these conversations, would you please consider following the show? And if you feel moved to leaving a review, that support truly means everything. It helps me continue creating these spaces for real, honest dialogue and it helps more people find these episodes. Thank you so much for being here. Now, let's dive into the conversation with Lauren.
One thing that I have noticed about you over the last many months is how you've gone from what appears to be from the outside really being in a hustle mode. Really having your head down and being on a call and like you're here before I arrive and I leave and you're still here. And so I feel like I witnessed you in the first part of knowing you and you really like having a mission. And then I have noticed a shift more recently where you seem a bit more open, more relaxed, a bit more spacious. So I'm curious if you could just tell me what has been going on. What have I been witnessing this whole time?
Lauren Bordon:
You probably met me when I was at my absolute busiest in the process of kind of trying to stay afloat within my business. So, yeah, it was a really, really difficult time. I was carrying too much client workload. I was doing the work of four people, basically. Which was a good thing. You set up your business, you want it to be successful. You want the clients to come your way, but you never know how or when they're going to come your way. And I had the good problem, the problem of the business really taking off all of a sudden when it was just me, it was just I. And rather than say no to the client, no work away, I was like, "Sure, no problem. We can do that". And in the simultaneous lane, I then started to bring in support within the company, my own team. And that was definitely a work in progress. You can't just bring in a great team overnight. And I needed probably four new team members ASAP. And now, you probably see I think six months later, we're great. We're in a fantastic position where we have a great team. Our clients are fully supported. And I am not the only one carrying everything within the business. And so, in the past, I'd say eight weeks now, I can start to breathe.
Casey Berglund:
And just live a better work life and personal life. And it feels fantastic. I love this for you. I'm just going to readjust my chair. I'm a bit more comfy because like we're in an, um, okay. I love that you shared this journey and I'm going to invite you to slow it down a bit because you said at this part, you were doing the work of four people and that I witnessed you with your head down, kind of like hustling, getting through what you needed to get through. Now you said in the past eight weeks, you've had this spaciousness to breathe and you've hired people and you've brought on team. And it feels like that happened all relatively fast. So can you take me on that journey a little bit more slowly? Like start with, well, what your business is and what four roles were you doing just as a solo person when you first started? And why was that important?
Lauren Bordon:
So my business is Your Trilingual Support. We provide fractional executive assistant support to international CEOs, family offices, high-net-worth individuals across English, French, and Spanish. And the support we provide is virtual and fractional. That means the client chooses the number of hours that works best for them, whether it be in the business or their personal life. And when we crossed paths, I remember the first time we met, it was a Friday night and you just, you just started or you just, you just, you know, and I was that person working until 9 p.m. in June or here on a Friday night because I was just carrying everything and mainly English was client work. So, a lot of client work had to work their way, too much for one person. So it was basically the work of four executive assistants, really. Because whenever I would get a new inquiry or there'd be a new copy that needs to be sent out or an introductory call with a potential new client, that really sent me over the edge. It was a good problem to have. But I just didn't have the energy or the time or the space to be dealing with that really at that time. But now that we have the team in place, I can now focus on business-to-business, which has started literally in September. It feels fantastic to be able to focus so much more on business development. Yeah.
Casey Berglund:
So at the start, I mean, a lot of a lot I know would love to have that problem. Too many clients, like too much work. "I'm too busy". And so how did you actually add to those clients? So if I understand properly, I mean, you're trilingual, which is insane to me as someone who's like sort of struggled to learn just one more language. So I can see the unique kind of value proposition that you hold speaking multiple languages. And you said executive support and personal support. So how did those initial clients come to you? Like what was it that led to that overload or inquiries coming in, left, right and center?
Lauren Bordon:
It's so crazy when you start your entrepreneur journey. That is a whole journey and it can be such a roller coaster as well. You never know how or when it's going to grow. You can prepare for it. And that's what my advice would be to anyone. And you try and be one step ahead and do your research, your conversations with people , but you're ready to bring in the right people at the right time. But yeah, my clients came from ex-colleagues. Before I moved over to Spain, I worked in Mayfair for a major US hedge fund providing bilingual executive assistant support to the CEO and founder. So some clients came through that environment, ex-colleagues, ex-contacts. Another client was literally through LinkedIn , present on LinkedIn and then came about the business. That was actually a New York family. A family came that way. And my main client was that I started through an agency to a business. My business has now become an agency, a boutique agency. I started working within an agency and that was one of my first clients. And we just had a fantastic connection. We were a perfect match for each other. And we've been working together now for three years and it's just grown and grown and blossomed from there. We're the most perfect match. They are a tech startup. They need support. They're business-to-business. They have endless field trips, events, take place, events to attend, meetings to be scheduled. Endless international travel. The executive support they need within their business as a startup and as a fintech company is substantial. And well, it's the kind of company that doesn't want an extra headcount. So they love to have the executive assistant support without being an additional headcount. So they like the flexibility that we bring, the fractional support. And yeah, that company we, me and my team support two CEOs and three directors. Wow. That's really, really growing. Really, since we first came into each other's lives, really. Yeah.
Casey Berglund:
So what I'm really hearing there, and I think that there's great wisdom for the listener who is starting a company and wanting to attract more clients, is you had referrals that came through contacts that you'd made when you were working as an executive assistant. You had a presence on LinkedIn. And so people saw what you were posting about there that drew in people. And then you also worked for an agency that helped to, finally, work your way and that makes perfect sense. But then, you know, build on building an exponential way to then kind of kick off the flow of clients your way. And based on the types of clients you were sharing, I can just imagine all of the different administrative tasks, scheduling tasks. Like an executive assistant, and you tell me if you have more to add to this, but really is here to support all the different elements of the business that are great to take off the seat off those hands so that they can focus on what they're really what they're at.
Lauren Bordon:
110%. You're the right-hand person to the CEO. This is trusted right-hand person as well, it's an important word. Because I think what helps, what happens in the executive assistant space is that I come from an Interpol background.
Casey Berglund:
So what's my own translator? Interpol? I don't know what that is.
Lauren Bordon:
International Police. The Police. Okay, great. In London, the London translator. And that was back before I became an executive assistant. And I think that really helped me transition nicely into becoming a bilingual executive assistant , supporting high-net-worth individuals, family offices , because trust is so, so important. Having someone as your right-hand person, your strategic partner, who operates with integrity and having that background was fantastic to get me into the executive assistant space. And also now to have the business. And so basically, you're the trusted right-hand person to the CEO, your strategic partner. That's to facilitate their life within that business, within, within that life as well. There's so many entrepreneurs who operate across new countries. They'll have an office in Monaco, an office in London, an office in New York, home in all three places as well. To have that multilingual right-hand person supporting them within that, within their personal lifestyle management support. That just takes up so many hours and alleviates the load.
Casey Berglund:
So much for them. It makes so much sense to me. And something I'd like to highlight for the listeners, because I know that the people listening to this podcast, they want to be on a purpose-driven path, whether that is in a corporate space or in a business, starting their own business, growing, scaling, pivoting. We have a lot of entrepreneurs in this space. And it is so apparent to me with you, and honestly, every person, how these dots connect in every time. Like how in this moment, you listener, are having an experience that is important and is directly connecting you to something in your future, whether you see it or not. Like when you shared, Lauren, about your work with the International Police, and you share how that experience made you like trustworthy and obviously the speaking multiple languages, and that that's a big part of the support that you offer. It's like one interesting dot that connects, you know. And everybody has their own unique story and path. And it's fascinating to me how that random job when you were a teen or that quick career that you loved and then hated, how you learned to learn, and there's a transferable skills is guiding you on your aligned path to the truly the most wonderful and purpose-driven work that you're here to do. And it doesn't always feel that way. But it makes sense in the end and that's already becoming so apparent with you with your share, the start of your jump into even getting into the executive assistant space , but then also still your own agency. You had an experience being on the other side of being employed or contracted by an agency. And so you get to see from that perspective, but I would imagine that that gives you insight into how to treat your team members within your own agency and how to like make sure that they're building trust with their clients as well.
Lauren Bordon:
I think sometimes along the journey of life, there are times how you can't really see the wood for the trees, so to speak. And I remember when I was in my 20s, I didn't really know what I wanted to do at that time. I loved languages, I loved Europe, I loved the international life. That was so crystal clear for me. What particularly did I want to do as a job with my career? I didn't know. I didn't know that, should I say, I didn't know when I was in my 20s. And then I kind of went to France, went to France, went to France some more, really enjoyed it. But I wasn't really finding my career, my break, my groove. And it wasn't when I turned 28, I think the opportunity came. 27, may 7. A good friend of mine, as chance would have it, saw an advertisement in the Guardian, in the newspaper , that was for Interpol and the serious organized crime agency looking for a translator. And she saw an advertisement. She thought of me. She sent it to me. And I would never have seen the ad about it if it hadn't been for her. What a chance. It's kind of like by the grace of God, sort of like a synchronicity that you didn't plan for, but it's those magical moments that can complete and can pivot or redirect you on your path. Such a magical moment for me because I thought, "Wow, an opportunity". And as luck would have it as well. Normally they would ask for a Master's in Translation. And I had a degree in translation and interpretation, which is not easy to find. Normally people don't have a degree in translation. I had that. So I was the perfect match. And they didn't, I didn't have to have a Master's like some people might have or would need to have. So I applied. I thought, "Okay, nothing ventured, nothing gained". Took the train down to London from London to the job interview. And I was offered the job. I was a perfect match. And I didn't think I would get the job, to be honest. But I'm always somebody who's nothing ventured, nothing gained, let's go. And yeah, and that's when I then got my first career breakthrough, so to speak. That's when I moved to London , had a fantastic, fantastic years working as a translator for Interpol. And then after that, that was a perfect maneuver for me to then kind of transition into executive and executive support.
Casey Berglund:
I love that. It makes so much sense. And I appreciate you kind of even kind of making us backtrack a bit further to getting into this industry in the first place. And I would also love to ask an ask point about the team side of things. If you shared that you had clients coming to the clients, left, right and center through various portals, really. And it was too much for one person. So what did you do to begin to source for team? What was that process like for you?
Lauren Bordon:
I love people. I promise that I'm the same. But I love reaching out and having conversations with people. No conversations always stay calm. So if I ever I was liaising with an executive assistant within another company , and I'd think, "Okay, she's great. I want to have a telephone call with her". I just like to have a good relationship. And then I was like, "Which company to call ?" So, I have a conversation. Just different moments like that. Different people I've come across and that helps me find the right people in the right way at the right time. And I had a kind of bench already in place. I was like, "Okay, further down, further down. When the right client comes my way and we need additional support. That's the kind of person I want". That's not really in it, so already we have a place. So, when new clients come my way, we could match the right people with the right super assistant support. So, I think my advice definitely, definitely be one step ahead. Do the research, have in mind who you will bring in.
Casey Berglund:
It sounds like it was a really organic process for you though too. Like did you create a job description and a broad public posting or was it more just through these connections?
Lauren Bordon:
With my connections , conversations, seeing people that caught my eye. Yeah.
Casey Berglund:
So you were more like a recruiter than posting a position.
Lauren Bordon:
It was more about relationships and you're going to know people and being ahead of the game and thinking like, "That person, when it's time, that person". And then it sounds like you pulled in the right people at the right time and they were also in the place where it must have been a. Yeah. And I'd say it's not, it's not just the bringing in people who have the fantastic corporate executive assistant experience at CEO level in London, like Mayfair , or people who are used to the high-net-worth individual environment. People who have the right character. When you bring them into your company, bring them into your agency, they've got that life, that lives and that business experience and executive assistant experience , but they're also. You need people who can adapt to adapt to your work ethic, your business, and also your finance business. And on top of that is, but I use as well, bringing in the people with similar values to yours. There's so many different elements to be considered when you're bringing people into your business.
Casey Berglund:
What specific are your values and what are you looking for from that like character trait perspective out of adaptability?
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah, I'd say the main ones, main, for sure. Integrity and professionalism. Adaptability, to be honest. Because it can be difficult to find the right, find the person who has the correct corporate experience and life experience, but is also adaptable. Sometimes people can get a bit too stuck in their way of doing things. And yeah, when you're working with somebody else's company, supporting CEOs, you have to be extremely adaptable.
Casey Berglund:
What are some of the hardest things that you've navigated in the part in this of hiring team?
Lauren Bordon:
Just being let down sometimes.
Casey Berglund:
Tell me more about that.
Lauren Bordon:
You can kind of, a lot of time and energy, bringing in who you think would be the right person , only to find that maybe four months down the line, they could then be venturing for something different. Maybe they've gone through a bad time, don't no longer want to be working from home anymore. They don't want to be working virtually. They want to go back into the corporate world and be working from an office again. Or something else has popped up as personal life. Their mother's got an operation coming up. And you could have spent hours and hours finding, training and getting everybody up to speed with the client , how they need to be supported , to then know a bail, really. So that can be the frustrating. Yeah, that's a hard thing.
Casey Berglund:
There's a huge investment up front in hiring people and training them and finding the right people. And yeah, sometimes it's a stroke of luck or bad luck in your life that then creates a shift. And I mean, at the end of the day, many of the things are not in your control. And how do you navigate that when it's time for that person to move on? What happens inside of you?
Lauren Bordon:
I think if they've been with the company for a good year or two, I mean, that's fine. You don't feel the hit quite so much. If it's only a space of a matter of two, four months. I put a lot of work into this. And also when you're already kind of struggling to keep afloat and you're so busy with the client work and so busy with the business , that is, you know, 30 hours that you just didn't have free. And then you've got to, again, find the next person. So that's definitely been one of the biggest challenges. But I think when you get the right people, people are so grateful and you look after them. Yeah. Yeah. Look after them tenfold.
Casey Berglund:
So speaking of having the right people and being grateful and circling back to what you shared at the beginning, in the last couple of months, you've had this space to breathe. What have you noticed in this space to breathe? Like what is it not for you as you've transitioned from, you know, head down, being the person at Juno for the longest day? Yeah. I had that title. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Over a period of eight months. I might as well have just slept here overnight. I know. I'm like, "Okay, you're here and you're here and you're always here". Yes. I just love this. So the moment to breathe, like how has that changed your habits, your life, your patterns?
Lauren Bordon:
It's wild, to be honest. I'm just, I'm me, myself and I first. I think I got pushed so far in the overseas relocation , in setting up a business , in making it successful , in bringing in a great team and having to deal with so much of the clutter for so long and struggling to keep afloat, but determined to not turn away client work. And I'm glad I did that. But it feels so good now to breathe again, properly , because I was just stuck on the hamster wheel. And because so much came before me, Lauren, as a person. I'm now like, "Me and myself and I first". Because you can't really tend to anybody else properly if you're not looking after yourself first. And it feels, it feels fantastic to just breathe properly again and have a work-life balance. I still work a lot. You know, I still work full-time and probably more on the business, the client work, business-to-business , but it's more in balance now and it's healthier. And you can't, and you continue like that, juggling so many balls for such a long period of time. A ball, a ball will drop. And you don't, you don't want to have a negative effect on yourself. You don't want to make a huge mistake. That's the, that's the detriment of your business or one of your clients of your businesses. You want to have space to welcome, to welcome clients and to grow. You want space to think, focus, be creative. And when you're that busy, you just don't have the time to do that. And also it affects your personal life. You're like up to, you know, an event with friends on a Friday evening and not properly present because you are exhausted or there's a work problem on your mind. And it just has such a spectrum of different areas of your business and personal life. So it feels, I feel fantastic to have a more normal life, life-life balance again. I still work life balance again.
Casey Berglund:
It sounds more sustainable now.
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah, it's healthier. Yeah.
Casey Berglund:
I'm also hearing that you don't regret the imbalance, let's say the season of the hustle , because in a relatively short period of time, you did relocate to another country , start a business in that country and build a team, like fast. And so you get to reap the reward of some fast at the sacrifice, maybe of your personal life or your health or time for yourself or being able to breathe. But it sounds like for you, for that season, was worth it. And you're also aware that it was never sustainable and this is sustainable now. So what does that mean for you, Lauren, to have time for yourself? Like what do you do or not do for self-care or to maintain or hold that work-life integration or balance or whatever it is you want to call it?
Lauren Bordon:
Well, finally, I'm now able to be like every business owner and every founder likes to be and have some time for themselves and have that Friday and a bit more like, "Okay, I want to have calls with certain people , getting ready to bring in more members into the team , get my LinkedIn marketing ready for the upcoming week ." And also, in the afternoon, have time for me, nobody, no clients, no husband, no friends, just me to go and have a walk through nature , have a beautiful swim in an outdoor swim pool here in Spain and then have a nice walk home and just feeling so relaxed, fresh and grounded. And also, that's just not fantastic for you to then have those moments or realizations about what maybe you want to do in your business or your personal life. If you're hustling left, right and center , you just don't even have time to think. And it's just those moments now. I now have the opportunity to have time back for myself , which I've been out on tenfold within my personal and professional life.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah, absolutely. It's in the moments where the nervous system is more grounded, and you're more relaxed, the creativity can come through. I recall years ago, I recorded a podcast episode with a brilliant neuroscientist. I don't think I ever published it. And I'm sure if I still have it somewhere. I was preparing to launch this podcast, The Purpose Map. And I did a series of episodes, I planned to launch. And then something happened in my life. And it was like two years went by and I don't know, they never like made it out, made it to be open. But I will never forget this conversation that I had with this man. And it was while I was preparing to do my TEDx talk. I remember telling him that I was trying to do all the things right. I was trying to follow all the TED rules. I was trying to like script out the talk because that's what they were asking for. And I was like thinking about it so much. And I said to him that my talk was like writing itself when I was in a massage work session, or I was in a meditation , I was in a massage or out on a walk. And for me, that felt really aligned because the talk was about embodiment. And so it's like, of course, that's how these insights are going to come through. And I remember him telling me what scientifically was happening in the brain when we receive insights or downloads. He said that in order for insight to happen , blood needs to rush back to a specific part of the brain. So if you're thinking, thinking, thinking, there's like blood, there's a , blood vessels that are really like highlighting a certain part of the brain. You take a break , like you go for a walk for a swim. It moves the blood to a different part of the body. And that opens up the capacity as the blood to rush back. And he said it's the movement of like oxygen through the blood back to that part of the brain that creates this like insight or this download. I could explain this much more fluently. He would probably explain it much more fluently. But that all that stuck with me that like we entrepreneurs, we want the downloads, we want to create new sights, we want the ideas for how to grow , we want to live this big fulfilling life. But, and when we are like in the hustle and constantly struggling , and you use a term like just just trying to get your head above water. Yeah, and on the hamster wheel. You don't have the opportunity to be in the relaxed state for the energy to come back quickly. In other words for that insight or that creative download, creative to drop in. So I love that you love experiencing that in this season of being able to be and having a bit more spaciousness.
Lauren Bordon:
You'll actually find many CEOs who will take work calls as they're going for a walk or what will make it a telephone call rather than a Zoom call. And that way, they can walk, walking in nature. And they just get more clarity and they're more relaxed. And it can be much more productive to do that. And every CEO as well in the world should have focused time. Because if you are back-to-back every day, all day, you know , you don't have any moments to think , you don't have any moments to get that clarity, clarity and focus on other things other than meeting, meet, develop your business, be creative, to solve problems, you know. Problems can come up in the centre and be careful not to be being back-to-back, back-to-back all day, every day is only going to, you know, bite you at some point. So the hustle is fine. But for not too long. You need to be bringing in reinforcement, bring some other support, other structure with your business as soon as possible.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so I love, I love that we went there because as someone who works with high-net-worth CEOs who have homes in multiple countries who require your trilingual support, you get to see the inside of. Successful successes and how successful people at least at the capacity , obviously we can define success in any way, but a certain level of success, monetary success or business success. That's important to point out because like we would also be considering like the love in our life, our connection and our health. Health is the number one thing. Exactly, health and peaceful, peaceful and connection and community. Exactly. And enough money. Yeah, so much your life. I think that's the number one thing. Yeah. Yeah. But also like having a look inside, a peek inside of high-net-worth CEOs' lives and obviously without declaring anything that you shouldn't be declaring on a public forum. I'm curious, curious what you've been inspired by to do. And also you've been inspired not to do from there.
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah, good, good point. So for sure, money breeds money, breeds, you know. That's a harsh, a high CEO life. Hard work pays off, those equally. Think investing in property as well. That's one take on today because I supported in the past a family who were extremely well known in Monaco and I was supporting one of the, one of the family of the members in their Mayfair office. And that was very, that was property-related. And yeah, it can be, can reap the rewards if you, if you're investing in property, for sure. That's one of all that takeaways and something that inspired, spiced up my property journey as well. And one takeaway that I, two takeaways that I have as well is always look after people. You know, treat people with respect. That would be number one. And number two was, I mean , you don't need more, more money. What's more important to you? Money or your family life? And I think let's get too carried away. You know, don't forget what's the most important. You know, your children and your partner or more money? I'd say, you know, your partner and your children, children for more money.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm reading between the lines and reading your energy too, as you share that, where I imagine that you might have worked with people who are like beautiful, warm, family-oriented people and have that and people where the driving for more money actually takes away from the family life. Like where, where it's really illuminating. Like, "Oh, I don't necessarily want to follow in that person's footsteps". Yeah.
Lauren Bordon:
Because if you're traveling left and the center and you're spending more time out of time than you are in time , I know I took the phone and you are at home with your partner and your children. That's going to have an effect. I mean, if you do it for a certain amount of time, time , but if it becomes the regular thing.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. And I guess, I guess everyone has their own values, right? So we're obviously not here to judge or shame anyone either for their decisions , because if that's in alignment with their value system , you said that's perfect. And knowing the listener of this podcast, we're really like holistic people. Like I would say most women and mostly women who kind of want it all and want this interested life where there is, you know, success and wealth and, and aligned work. While, while having presence and good health , maybe a spiritual practice and this time in nature , you know, calm purpose, all success, not just this chaotic, hustle-oriented success. So I think these insights are really valuable.
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah, because I think it's fine for a certain amount of time. Then you have to be really careful and bring in the order and structure. I would say from my experience, and then already nicely set up and you've already got, you know, your nice, your nice business. Do you need to push it 10 steps further to, to then just spend, to be spending more time, more time from home and away from your loved ones? Then you even need to. I think you need to be careful to make sure you've got that balance. I just think balance is everything.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. Balance is key. Yeah. You're in a season right now of having more space and moment to breathe. Are you, well, to what extent are you kind of looking forward for what's next?
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah, I am. Yeah. A little bit daunting actually, as I transitioned out from being very much very client executive assistant to not all the time, and becoming now more business development. I was like, "Oh, this is new territory". But I'm really, really enjoying it. I think literally just two weeks ago, I got a nice, a good festival in the UK. Ideas, ideas. I really enjoyed going there. They call it the Glastonbury for leaders. So you're in the middle of the countryside of beautiful fields, all different events, talks, music , and a perfect opportunity to mingle and meet other entrepreneurs and CEOs and network as well as have fun at the same time. So that was so fantastic event to be part of. Then there's new one actually coming up next. And then up in Barcelona in a couple of weeks' time , the MBA. We are in the stadium and Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Casey Berglund:
Okay. I think that's the title of the book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. Yeah. Yeah. I'm getting Instagram ads for that event. Yeah. And yeah, I think it's right around the time where we'll be in the middle of a move. So I've been like, "I can't make this". Yeah. So that's fascinating. So it's like the part of you that's extroverted and loves people, peace, connecting with people.
Lauren Bordon:
Because they can be lonely as well. You know, overseas relocation can be lonely. Setting up a business can be lonely. Yeah. And as time goes by, you get your community, you get your support, you get your people. I think that's something that we don't realize or I didn't realize when I relocated overseas. There's the honeymoon period in the first six months. And then the kind of roller coaster. And you have your great moments and then not so many great moments. So, and then same again, same again.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. I just received an Instagram from a former client of mine, where when we were together, well, I was supporting her through this transition of moving from Canada to Australia for work. And I was very much in my roller coaster part of my journey of being here in Spain. And I remember saying to her like , "When you need to talk to this, like I'm here ." It's like, "Enjoy it, be open, et cetera". Anyway, she had listened to the very first episode of the series and sent me a message on Instagram that I appreciated where she's like, "Wow, like, wow, like the community piece and the loneliness piece". And she was like, "I'm looking for my Juno," just my version of that. It was just like, so nice to see how, how that's like one of the biggest, the biggest that I found when I started talking about where I was at with my inner world as a child to living in another country , how, I mean, you were one of the first people, first people I spoke with about that. And you were like, "Oh, yeah, like, I'm," you said, "I'm three years in". And I said, "I don't know if I'm going to be able to do that ." I'm three years in. And I said, "I still feel this like contraction, expansion, wondering, you know". And I took to normalize and validate. But that is so, so important. I'm so glad that encounter. I think that was the time we met. We were both in the communal area here at Juno.
Lauren Bordon:
And what I learned from you is like, "Allow yourself to be vulnerable" and you can reap the rewards for that as well. And you opened up to me and you're like, "It's so tough ." Like it can be so tough. And we had a really had a conversation about the trial, the tribulations of overseas relocation. And yeah, I hear you. I've been there. I still have wobbles now. It was good for me as well. That conversation is like, "Ah, it's pretty standard to find it difficult to have wobbles when you relocate overseas ." And it's the same as a set up a business as well. Yeah. Yeah.
Casey Berglund:
One thing I love about myself, I'm like really in this season right now of pouring all of the love on myself and versions of me, my inner child, like just like really celebrating myself. So that I've learned through, through, through meeting people like you and the other women on this podcast is that I am a trailblazer in, in opening up real, vulnerable conversation. I go first. I lean. I share my heart. I share. Not just like the good things. And I'm trying to think like, have I always been that way to a certain extent? I've always been that way. But I also think that I've gone through some stuff that has humbled me and really brought me to a place of like, what is the point of pretending to have it all together and to like put on this mask of perfectionism when there's I'm a complex person and there's like a lot that my big old open heart feels. And I've just noticed how deep I've been able to go to people here through leading lead vulnerability. And I, I really like honor myself for that. And I know how with the right people, with safe people, they totally meet me in that space. You were one of those people that met me in the space. And then it got to be a full like healing for both of us.
Lauren Bordon:
Yes. And thank you for leading the way on that because it was a beautiful moment.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah, you're welcome. So we've talked about this about the transition from being in hustle mode to building a team to being in a space and breathing again , to enjoying the business development side of your work and having some time for yourself to go swimming and for being walking to be grounded and present and feel good in your body. I'm curious is what I haven't asked you that you wish I had , or what you would just love to share that is on your heart or your mind connected to this journey of entrepreneurship and specifically in a new industry. Like what else would you love to share or start to like wrap up the conversation?
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah, I would just reiterate, I think with all this idea of "be your own boss" and you set exactly how you work or why you work and you work to a certain extent. Yeah, it's true. But there's a lot of work that's required in setting up with setting up and it can be coming at times and a lot of hard work and it's a roller coaster. And if you do like I did and relocate overseas at the same time, you've got your double roller coaster. So just make sure you've got your support within your professional life , within your personal life , within the business, try and be one step ahead. Have in mind the people you bring in. For every founder, for every founder, they say the three main people you'll need within your business : your accountant, your tech support and your executive assistant. So know that even before you set up your business. That's something I only learned about two and a half years in business.
Casey Berglund:
And I've never heard anyone say that before. Yeah. Those in particular. And it gave me waves of waves because it's like, "Yeah, I'm for that".
Lauren Bordon:
Yeah. So yeah, be one step ahead and have your conversations, do the research and have when you're busy or when you're researching your business, you're not considering all these elements so that you're starting to get busy. You're like, "Okay, let me bring those people in now" rather than when I'm almost drowning.
Casey Berglund:
Yeah. I love that. And in terms of receiving new clients , like for some reason it's coming to me today. I feel like I have people in my network who need your team in particular. And so how do you like people to connect with clients? Like, are you, are you like introducing me via email or like how do that for you?
Lauren Bordon:
Oh, thank you, Casey. Well, yeah, feel free to do an introduction via email or we're present on LinkedIn. We have the website as well. Your Trilingual Support.com. Yeah.
Casey Berglund:
I just think it's so easy and beautiful to see your unique value proposition with the trilingual nature of your work. And I know I've said that before, but it's like, "Oh, person to go to, if there's like multiple languages that really support the flow of a specific process in business".
Lauren Bordon:
And equally and it's just English-based as well. You know, the majority of our team are British, English mother tongue. We doesn't have to even be the language element either. So it could be English only or the trilingual international. There's the most of the angle aspects as well.
Casey Berglund:
I love it. Thank you so much for being here today.
Lauren Bordon:
Thank you. Thank you.
Casey Berglund:
Thank you for listening to today's conversation with Lauren. I know for me, her story reminds me that asking for support is absolutely key to building a building sustainable. If you're an entrepreneur or know someone who is navigating the challenges of building a business while living abroad , please share this episode with them. And if you need executive support for your business or personal life, you can find Lauren at https://www.google.com/search?q=yourtrilingualsupport.com. Of course, the link is in the show notes. Until next time, remember that the support you need exists. You just have to be willing to ask for it before you're drowning. We've got this.
