The Inner Work Behind Outer Success: Authenticity, Creativity & Personal Sovereignty |T Keaton Woods

Jared Zuckerman: Now, hello everyone. Today's guest is not a life coach in the conventional sense. She's not a business strategist, but she's someone who works with artists, creatives, and founders on the thing that everything else depends on. Who you are when the pressure is on. T. Keaton Woods founded the Tea Hive after years in the music events world before realizing that the most important space a creator can build isn't a platform, isn't a brand, but it's an inner environment strong enough to sustain everything that they're trying to build. Welcome to show, T Eden Woods. How are you doing today? I'm great. Thank you so much for having me. Anytime. And one of the first questions that I love to ask each and every single person who I do have on the podcast is this if you were at a huge dinner, let's say red carpet, med gala type settings and you went there in a work capacity, how do you introduce yourself to the guests who are around you? Hi, I'm T. I am a sole personal trainer. Everything I do and everything I believe in in life is about orientating each of us as individuals to our own personal sovereignty. Whoa, okay. And when you say personal sovereignty, what does that mean? What does that actually mean in like the day-to-day life of every business owner, every person living? Yeah, I think that each human incarnates with a North Star. There's a reason, there's a something that we want to come here to heal, to transform, to do, to move through, to create. And you know, freedom, the concept of freedom is this beautiful thing. that isn't free, right? There is cost, there is wars rage, there's people fighting, there's all kinds of different things. And so when I say personal sovereignty, it is not looking to the outside conditions to tell you who you are, but to say, hey, what is this spark that I came forth with meant to be? Okay. And then what that is amazing. Actually it's you actually be came through the music and events world as a producer, presenter and artist manager. Which is one of the most externally focused industries that there actually is. Everything's about the show, the audience, the performance. At what point does it not just music, actually actors? So that like is even more Yeah. So talent manker for actors and theater. So I just want to like clarify it's not like music primarily. I have worked with the last few years, but like, yeah. It's also actors as well. Okay. Whoa. And so at what point did you realize that the most important work was a work that was happening inside the artist, inside the actor, inside the people that were actually in those spaces rather than on the stage? And what actually changed once you decided to work on what is happening inside as opposed to now the external sides of things? So I worked with my own coach. For many years, people had told me I needed to be a life coach. And I was like, ew, no. What do you mean? and then a few different things happening. I was a talent manager, ⁓ living and working in LA. I still have a few. clients there who I'm so honored and proud to work with. And then I was sitting having a drink with a really good friend and she had been looking for a coach. And it was like one of those like spiritual things where I was like called. I had had a conversation like over the previous days with another really good friend of mine who's like a front woman in a band and then one of my actors and then this friend. And it was like the succession of those like calls and conversations was like no one is sent to me. And focusing on these people who they're like, entertain me, but they're they're asked to cut themselves open and bleed to show you all of their inner workings and how are we holding them? The same with the founders, right? Like they're investing all their time, all their energies, all their monies. They're trying to say, Hey, this is the next thing, risking everything, sometimes sacrificing family and all of these things to do it to bring forth and keep us moving forward as humans in society and I didn't know who was holding them. And I'm really good at being the person behind the people. And it's where I really feel at home. And so I said, how do I sit and get into these conversations with these people and remind them that like their vision, their offer is the most important thing. Wood. Would. And you described the moment as founding the teahive, as realizing that the most important space, literally just as you said, has to be what's inside of That it's and that's a very profound reframe when it comes to someone who's spent years building external spaces for artists and actors to perform and thrive. So what did you see breaking down? Like what are the pain points where you saw where creatives were and where creators and founders that were around you that made the realization feel urgent rather than just philosophical? The moment where you're like, Okay, shit, this is broken, this is broken, this is broken, it's all because of the way we're treating you. Well The second we start commodifying humans and saying there's their worth. So like whether it's a musician, it's putting out an album, like we just talk about how their movie flopped or how their album flopped, right? Or we ask actors to constantly like get up and perform and dance and sing. And then somebody says, Yes, you're good enough, or no, you're not good enough, or I pluck you. I don't So watching people go through a series of rejections and then founders go through a series of failures and like It's or like writers having to like go over and like get all the rejection lovers from sending in their novels or like pitching the same project for ten years to different producers and studios or you know, VC watching founders like go to VC after VC and then like sitting around their kitchen table trying to get money from like mom, cousins, aunts, uncles to like do the thing, right? I think the imposter syndrome is so real. The ⁓ do I need to shift my offering and make it something else? So somebody wants it and wants me, right? How do I contort myself to be the thing that gets chosen? So when you're sitting and witnessing that a lot, it's like, okay, wow, okay, capitalism. Okay, like these concepts and these ideas that are telling us all we're not enough. Our voice doesn't matter. And then I say, okay, let's look at the number of people on the planet, right? And let's look at the number of people who actually really want to do these things. There's enough for us all to be successful. There's enough for us all to have fans. And there's only very small percentage of people who benefit from everyone not understanding that. Whoa, that is that is actually crazy. When it comes to most brands, we're building conversations. They usually start with positioning audience content strategy. And you actually start with the inner environment. Like it is the center of everything that you do. So make the case that I So why does a an internal why does a founder's internal state actually determine the ceiling of what their brand can become? And what breaks in the business when that inner foundation of a founder is like shaky, even if the external strategy is solid. Mm-hmm. Show me a founder's values and I'll show you their company's culture. If you've got a founder that their only concern is making coins, I'm gonna show you a toxic company culture. Yikes. Right? If you've got a founder that says, I want to f Create like magic and community and you know, changing the world are my values. I'm gonna show you a cover where everybody's sleeves are rolled up and people are investing in each other to co-create and build. So because I came from the not-for-profit theater world, I when I'm dealing with like corporate clients, when I'm dealing with business owners, I say, okay, what's your mission, vision, and values? Both personally and for the thing you're trying to build. So that is the ⁓ It's like sure, we can get onto all that brand and what's the niche mark and the niche in the market you're trying to fill and all of that stuff. Great. But what is it you actually have to offer? Let's start there. And then why is it of import to you? What is the import of it to you? What makes it matter so much? And let's go through each piece of that and then build something. And then what you're trying to offer is so solid, is so realized. Think about them putting that into the marketplace. Think about then releasing that album, that film, that book. That's the stuff that changes hearts, minds, gets you fans, gets you loyal customers. Right. Is there on the joint? It does. Yeah. It does, 100%. And you actually talk about helping clients move out of survival mode, which is a state that many founders tend to normalize or tend to be in without even realizing it. So what does survival mode actually look like when it comes to a creative or an entrepreneur and why is it Very dangerous, especially for the people who are building something that requires them to be genuinely and consistently themselves across each of the aspects of their aid. Well, I have this thing that I always say, and I don't even know where I heard it or when I came up with it, but I've been saying it for years and years, and it's we want to be hungry, not thirsty. Okay. So drive, ambition, yes, get it. Let's eat. Let's put stuff on our plate and like be like, yes, yes, yes, right? Thirsty? Yeah. You're not even opening your mouth when it rings. Literally. You have not even understood the basics to simply be here. And that's what survival mode feels like. It's beyond that starvation. It is the, you know, clawing on by the tips of your fingernails, like just like gripping anything. And so you're constantly reacting. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Right? You're not responding. You're not in flow and exchange and conversation. You're just like, okay, let me exactly. I see exactly what you mean. What sticks? Yeah. I mean, it might work or two, but it's not sustainable. It's not sustainable in the long term at all. No. And so that's what I mean about moving out of survival mode. It's saying, okay, what am I scared of? Who instilled this fear in me? Is this actually a condition that I truly believe? Is this a place I want to stay? Right? And then understanding that maybe I don't believe this. Maybe I heard this. Maybe I read this in that like one self-help book. Maybe I like you know, read leaders for tomorrow and it's like, okay. And this idea gets in there that if I don't do it perfectly, if I don't do it the way that that person did it before me, my way isn't valid. All of those things are simply you're trying to survive. Literally. Each and every single one of them. How does one create from there? Makes sense. And you've described your work as working one on one with transformational as one on one in transformation. Because you help clients reconnect with their authentic creative spark. So I want you to walk us through what that actually looks like in practice. When a client comes to you feeling stuck, blocked, or even in survival mode, what's the first thing you do and where does the process usually go from there? The first thing we do is they answer a little questionnaire. And one of my favorite parts of the questionnaire is it's like a self-inquiry guide, is what I call it. And there's a question on there that says, at the end of this process, What is something you want to make sure that you don't lose? Yeah. And through this process, what are you willing to like? Yep. Yep. Yep. Whoa. That's the that's the first thing. That's where we start. That's before we have our first moment, like our first call. That's before we can walk in together. Right. Yeah. Yeah. And then and how does it usually continue from there? And then from there we start having sessions and we start A process of self discovery. A lot of people think the work that I do is about me being an advisor and the person who knows something and all of that. I don't know anything. Yeah. That's first foremost. The only thing I am here to do is say, Here's what you've offered me. Let me reflect this back. Is this what you thought you were offering the world? Is this what you thought you had shared? Right. And then people hear it back and sometimes they go, Yeah. But when you say it like that, I don't think that's the right term that I was aware that that's what I was putting out there, right? So I call the work I do container holding and serving as a looking glass. ⁓ yes. So it's like it's all about like meeting oneself and then saying, Am I wholly expressing myself, my hopes, my wishes, my desires, my truth in a way that I want to be. Well, if this is actually how I'm coming across, that's not how I want to be seen. What's the truth? ⁓ I have like all these shields and these walls. I thought they were protecting me. I love a boundary. I'm a boundary girl, right? Yes. Walls and boundaries are not the same, right? So that's the process. So we start crumbling those walls. We start founding a foundation. We weed the garden of our lives. Start figuring out what do we actually want to be planting and growing. And that's the process. Ooh, that is amazing. And you call yourself a sole personal trainer, which implies that what you do is rigorous, ex progressive, and measurable rather than just exploiting and supportive. So when it comes to the clients, how does the coaching actually function? And how do you hold clients accountable to growth in their inner environment when you can't necessarily track that through metrics? I think like you do track it through metrics, and it's funny that you say that because I woke up with two beautiful Text messages this morning, one from somebody I've been working with for about nine months and one with somebody I completed with six years ago. And they both like had these moments and they were these beautiful moments of like gratitude. And I was like, ⁓ yeah, right. This is why I'm in a the correct place for me. But yeah, it is curious. Like looking at yourself closely and then also sharing that with another human who often is a stranger. And then letting that human say, Are you sure? Is that what you really meant? Right. Right? That's rigor. Well, think about what a personal trainer does. They can't do the reps for you. All they can do is show you correct form. Exactly. Yeah. So that's what the work is. But you gotta do the lifts. So as far as accountability, it's like Yeah. You've paid money, you've made a commitment. It's like buying that gym membership and never going. Literally. So when you stay accountable is like we negotiate an alliance and a way we work together. And then inside that I get like like I sometimes I make offers of homework at the end of sessions and say, Hey, in the next between now and our next call if you want to work on this and sometimes people do it and some p times people don't. And sometimes folk take it even farther. And ⁓ the accountability is really however the client requests. I used to have a client a couple of years back that they like to send me a weekly update of how they have done over the last week. And it was very cool to get these ⁓ progress emails. And at the bottom they would tell me whether they wanted like simply holding celebration or like curiosity. Right. And they could make so it's all co designed and co-created because it's not Yes. It's not a one size fits all. If I want to orientate you to your sovereignty, I have to be able to in and witness solely with you. I can't bring anybody else's plans along for you. And that's how the work that I do differs slightly. Nice. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah. And and you've worked with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs across multiple countries as a digital nomad. So when it comes to like I guess the most universal creative brook. Brock, block you've encountered, regardless of industry, background or geography. Like what's been the biggest creative block that you've encountered? That I've encountered. Yeah. This is so wild, but it's been coming up a lot lately. And it's like fear being seen, which like, excuse me. But like like I'm holding myself back from releasing this song or posting or sharing this new work, right? Especially if they've had work that has been successful. And then sophomore junior work that then wasn't as successful, that like getting back out there or that entrepreneur who has had like, you know, had a series of successes and then they've decided, ⁓ I want to move to a new industry, right? And I don't have brand identity and brand reputation here. And it doesn't how does it transit? So it's like see me differently. Right. So that's I think the thing that I come across most and that most people Which actually really upsets me, get incorrect about people. Okay. Right. They think they're just a show offer. They want to be famous. And I'm like, no, most of these people are offering you their essence. Right. So when you describe their album or their film or their whatever as a flop, right? You're like saying, Yeah, you no longer matter. Right. Yeah. Think about how difficult it would be to get up and go back outside to try again. Think about the like mental fortitude and resilience that that takes. You would need yeah. You would need a ton, my gosh I see exactly what you mean. So it's like it's like it's game work. Like you know what I mean? I don't wait. And so what does it actually mean? Like what is the work of actually ⁓ pushing through those blocks and pushing through those boundaries? What does it look like, especially s once you've actually come on the other side? What does it look like when you've come on the other side? Yeah. It's it's really wild what I'm getting ready to say. And audience, like it's kind of just true. It's like, I don't care. Right. Yeah. It's no longer I'm doing this so that they validate it or prove it. It's like I'm doing this because I can't contain it inside here. And this is the gift. This is the truth. This is the what I have available that I want to share with the world, no matter what. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what it looks like. And I'm not gonna measure like, yeah, sometimes gonna do great, sometimes gonna whatever, but I am no longer going to let the measure be how loud you cheer. I am going to let the measure of my success be that I stayed. I did it. Yes. Whoa. That is that is a truly, truly life changing measure. What? Okay. And when it comes to sustainable brand building, that's a phrase that is used a lot in practice, very rarely. Because most founders tend to build for speed and scale rather than longevity and integrity. So what does a brand that is genuinely sustainable actually look like from the inside and what has to be true about the founder's relationship to themselves for the for that type of brand to actually be possible? Yeah, great question. So one of the things I like to think about and I like to talk about is like what is a brand, right? Like especially a personal brand, identity and reputation. It's cumulative. So when I was first out in LA And before I got my first job, right, I was very young and somebody was like, Are you that nice? Cause I I'm kind, but I don't consider myself to be that nice of a person. But they're like, You are like baristas, they spell your name like crazy, they like make things up. I got this one Starbucks cup once hilarious. And they like tried to fundly spell out T like the letter on the cup. It was very funny. That's funny. Armed. Like this is cute, right? And I was like, nice. And the friend that who I was with, and we were having this conversation. I was like, that person may be running a studio. Yeah, literally. In six months, in six years, and whatever. I treat every single human as a human who is someone who matters, whether I'm ordering a coffee from you or whether you're the CEO of whatever, and that is part of the rep. I've built for myself. I mean, I'm not a pushover by any means. And if something goes wrong by every ⁓ reason necessary. Right. We're gonna have a conversation, but it's going to be respectful, right? And it is going to be like actually constructive. And so that's the reputation part. How are you treating everybody from the moment you started to becoming a multimillionaire, a multi billionaire, whatever your how are you showing up with everybody? Because that's cumulative cumulative. And whether even the questions you're asking me, right? This is like cold from probably like all the different things, right? Like that I've put out there and the ways I've shown up in the world and the work that I've offered. And having moved industries and having pivoted what I've done, the one thing that I've probably maintained is like consistency and quality, right? Like and so those things are part of my brand reputation. Whether I'm in non for profit theater, wedding planning, talent managing, producing, personal training, right? The different the different essences. Yes. And then it's the who am I? Yourself always comes along. So the reason it's so important to do this inner work is if you identify that your work is who you are, or this product or this song that you put out into the world is who you are. And then it's not a success. It doesn't Do the thing you thought of, what's gonna happen to you? Right, right. I no longer matter. I don't exist here because people didn't say the thing that I offered the world was great. Yeah. So the interfoundational work is know who you are. Yes. And depersonalize it from what you're offering. Not saying you're not pouring your heart and soul and blood, sweat and tears into it, but depersonalize it. Yeah. Know who you are and how you want to show up. And that's the foundation for sustainably building not just your personal brand, but the brands you want to offer. Right. Yeah. What ⁓ that is that is actually really, really cool. And when you were actually working as a digital nomad, which means that you actually had to build a coaching practice that was completely location independent. relationship first and completely portable. So I want you to talk to us about what living and working that way has taught you about what actually matters and how we build our careers and how we build our lives and why the most why most people who are tied to like a desk or a city never really get a chance to do that type of work. I almost I just got really emotional as you were asking that because I'm thinking about the people and the places that have welcomed me with open arms in the last several years. And the commun and the places I now have community that don't look like me or sound like me or think like me. And how the work that I do requires me to meet everyone where they are. And what I have discovered in nomading is when you meet life where it is, life will come back to you. And I have so many beautiful relationships that I'm now sustaining over years. I have multiple people that like I have like Zoom calls with this and we're like, When's what where are you gonna be? Where are you gonna be? Let's see each other, right? And during that and during that period of time, what did you say were some of the highlights or the moments that you really felt that, hey, this actually was something that you enjoyed again and again and again? I mean, there's been so many little things. There's like the first time you're in a new place that someone leans in and expresses a piece of curiosity about you. And they're like, okay, stranger, because I don't necessarily go to big places. And sometimes I do. Actually, ⁓ about a year ago, I was in a really big city and I had been kind of dancing around this coffee shop and going there like for a couple of weeks. And then finally a the one of the girls who had a counter was like, okay, can I ask you a question? And then we just got into this very lovely conversation. And then it was just lovely. Huge city and it was like one of these things of like you can do it anywhere. I think the thing that most has impacted me is the sameness of humans. Right. Yeah. People want to be happy. People want to receive love and give it. People want themselves and the ones they care about to be safe and secure and help have good health. Yeah. People want to live without fear and without judgment and want a sense of belonging. And I spend a lot of time talking about what belonging is and what it isn't. And so many people thinks think that belonging is fitting in and it's not, it's acceptance. And part of what I try to do in my work is support people and orientating themselves to their own self-acceptance so they can go out and find it in the world. I absolutely love that. Absolutely love that. And when it comes to the next chapter, what is what does the tea hype actually look like five, ten years from now, especially with the AI coming in rapidly changing the game? Tell us what are your plans? There's some plans. I'm it's there some of them are in flux. I'm gonna at some point in the next little bit try to do some writing. ⁓ I have a couple of little things that I'm trying to do and finalize. One of them is a piece of work that is co-created with like one of my dearest friends. I I wanna be able to like do more community setting stuff and do more like bringing people together around table to discuss and action. So I think in the next 10 years, like that's where I want this work to move. And you mentioned like AI. Okay. I mean like I I you could try to AI replace an external perspective, but it's a closed feedback loop. Yes. It's not a completely breathing, living thing. They're all coded to flatter. They're all coded to be agreeable. They are not coded to ask you to stretch and get curious. So I mean, like, so if if you're looking to change and if you're looking to have like impact and like sh expand yourself, that c that call ⁓ that really calls for you to lean into your humanity in a way that I think that almost nothing else does. Right. So we're the thing on this planet besides the like planet, the planet itself and the animals that matter. It's us. We're what keeps it all going. And I think it is each individual's responsibility to never let that be stolen. That's true. That's actually very, very true. I will be accepting new clients in October. So depending on when this comes I am wrapping up a very big project and I with where I have a big full roster, but Yes, I'll be back. That is amazing. Yes. ⁓ So looking forward to it. Yeah. And if person that's amazing. And if a person in the audience actually wanted to get in contact with you or get in touch, what would be the best way to go about that entire process? Drop me a message on the website. Drop me an email. I'm not really precious. I mean, I just love to hear from people and feedback and explore people's curiosity with them. So even like I'm not the right person to work with for everybody, but there's a lot of talented people. Who are not charlatans, who are very committed to doing this work, to supporting other people in expanding themselves. And a lot of us are connected. And so it doesn't have to be me, but like if something in this has inspired you, like, ⁓ I want to get up and go, find that person to like hold you through it. Okay. That's amazing. And what is your website? How can people contact you? It is simply thetehive.com. Okay. That is very, very good. Honestly, tea. Thank you for coming to the podcast. It has been an amazing session and I loved this conversation to the fullest. Amazing. Thanks so much for having me again, Jesse. It was lovely to meet you.