IAM821- Owner Helps Busiest People Get an Easy Healthy Meal Prep
Podcast Interview with Dee Dee Eberle
Dee Dee Eberle is the Owner of Your Wild Pantry Meal Solutions. She works with the busiest people in the world to help them get an easy, stress-free and healthy meal on the table so they can spend time where it matters most!
Through her business offerings, she provides concierge-level meal prep, pantry management, cooking classes, and guided meal prep to clients virtually and in person. Dee Dee works with clients to find the best fit for specific diets, food allergies and grocery budgets, providing customized meal plans that help clients stay on track with healthy meal options with recipes, nutritional info, grocery lists and prep tips.
- CEO Hack: Taking my own advice
- CEO Nugget: Trust, try, thinker
- CEO Defined: Every single day conquering fear
Website: http://www.yourwildpantry.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourwildpantry/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourwildpantry/
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Full Interview:
Transcript
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00:02 – 00:29
Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:30 – 00:38
Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Deedee Everly of Your Wild Pantry Meal Solutions. Deedee, it's awesome to have you on the show.
00:38 – 00:40
Dee Dee Eberle
Glad to be here, glad to be here.
00:40 – 01:06
Gresham Harkless
No problem, super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Deedee so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Deedee is the owner of your Wild Pantry Meal Solutions. She works with the busiest people in the world to help them get an easy, stress-free, and healthy meal on the table so they can spend time where it matters most. Through her business offering, she provides concierge-level meal prep, pantry management, cooking classes, and guided meal prep to clients virtually and in person.
01:06 – 01:21
Gresham Harkless
DeeDee works with clients to find the best fit for specific diets, food allergies, and grocery budgets offering help beyond basic meal planning that includes Customized Grocery Shopping and In-Home Meal Preparation Services. Dee Dee, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
01:21 – 01:24
Dee Dee Eberle
I am. I am. That in-person stuff. We'll definitely talk about what that looks like.
01:24 – 01:37
Gresham Harkless
Exactly. I'm sure there's been a little bit of shifting and changing here and there. But before we jumped into that, I wanted to kind of rewind the clock a little bit. Could you take us through your CEO story, how you got started, and what led you to do all those things you've been doing?
01:37 – 05:55
Dee Dee Eberle
Whew, so yeah, never in a million years did I think that CEO would be next to my dede. So my background is in disability and aging. I worked in the nonprofit sector for 20 years. I have my undergrad in special ed and nonprofit management, and then my master's in public administration and healthcare. And so I did that for 20 years. My husband was in the military so we moved around and I was fortunate to be with a nonprofit for some time that allowed me to telecommute a couple of different times but 1 of the last times that we were getting ready to move away from the DC area for the umpteenth time because that's what the military does to us. We get voluntold to go to our next whatever our next adventure. I was really burned out. I was really burned out. And so we moved back to Texas for the third time because apparently once isn't enough. I have a lot of opinions on that. And my husband's like, just do something else. Do something else. Okay, I've been doing this for 20 years, but I'm just going to do something else.
And so long story short, I started a food blog. I was bored. I'm an extrovert, which is not hard for most people to figure out about me. And I needed an outlet and I like food. And so I just kind of taught myself to build a WordPress site and kind of sort of dumping recipes on there and never really monetized it, but kind of like, and then I started working with an organic food company, providing healthy meal solutions to people. It was more of a teach-the-person-to-fish model where I was showing people how to do those things. We always knew we were going to come back to the DC area when my husband retired from the military. And so when we did that 2 and a half years ago, I really kind of launched, I kind of foresaw what I wanted this to be. So I really launched your wild pantry at that point, providing that concierge-level support and service that is more common in larger metropolitan areas like the DC area. Busy people mean they need services.
And so I began offering customized meal solutions for people who have dietary restrictions, difficult likes, dislikes, picky eaters and everything in between. Now, caveat, I am not a dietitian. I am not a nutritionist. I'm not a medical professional, but I am somebody with an autoimmune disorder that has figured out over the years that clearly I'm not going to live forever. And so eating better was probably not a horrible idea. And how could I also then use that experience to help other people? And so I'm where the rubber meets the road. People work with a dietitian or work with a doctor or work with a medical professional that says you should eat this way and they say oh, yep And then Nothing happens like I'm overwhelmed. I don't know how to do it. So I'm I'm kind of that bridge the gap So I will work with folks who have, I was working with a potential client this morning. They have no allergies in the family.
There are 6 people in the household, 2 of whom are vegetarians. Mom and Dad are really trying to get healthier and trying to figure out with a couple of other restrictions how to do this. You know, high protein, lots of proteins and vegetables, not, you know, not a lot of carbs, not a lot of other sides, and go. And so I'm working on a draft that would be breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snacks a day that really help people meet that. You know, here's the nutritional stuff you're looking for and here's what that looks like. Here are the recipes, and here are the grocery lists. Can I order your groceries for you and have them delivered to your home? And then providing kind of a guided meal prep that's now virtual, because now we're not going into people's homes. And so I've launched that kind of service, that wraparound service in what I call meal prep pods.
And so people who are all trying to eat the Mediterranean diet, or all trying to eat, you know, with an autoimmune protocol diet in mind, or they're all trying to do low carb or whatever that is, so that there's a sense of community, they're getting that support, they're being given an opportunity to also shop their own pantry and shop their own freezer and refrigerator, given that we've all overstocked everything, you know, how do you use those things up and do it in a way that's going to take, take the stress off of meals, which everyone's having to cook all of the time right now for all of the people. And so, that's a very long story short as to how I went from 1 career to now being the CEO and growing this company and providing those services in a manner that really hopefully meets people where they are.
05:55 – 06:41
Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I absolutely love that. And having been to 1 of your virtual events as well too, just the creativity that's required to be able to kind of, you know, make that transition. And I think you spoke to something that I think we often forget so much in business. It's kind of that human aspect of business. And obviously, you know how to, for example, run a business. You know, you need to do this, that, and the third, but to actually execute that is another story. So the same thing when you're talking about, okay, you have this, you know, maybe nutrition adjustment you have to make or how exactly does that happen?
And of course, you know, okay, you can't eat this, you can't eat that, but just that community that you spoke to the actual ways that you're able to do it, maybe even doing it in a time like this that's already stressful. How do you do that? So that's why I love how you do that rubber meets the road, create that connection so that not only do you know what to do, but you can actually execute on that as well.
06:41 – 07:53
Dee Dee Eberle
Yes. And you get the support to do it. So then if you're in this meal prep pod that is eating a certain way And there are several other people doing the same thing. You get a sense of what's working, and what's not working. What are the tweaks that have to happen? And what stresses are you guys experiencing? Are these meals helping? Are they not helping? What are we, and how do we help solve those things? So it's not just about feeding physically, it's feeding everything. It's a little more holistic approach to feeding the soul. So it sounds very cheesy. It's like, I think I need a bumper sticker.
Yeah, that kind of a thing. I think that that personalized component is important because it's about individuality, but it's also about individuality knowing that you're not the only individual dealing with this. Yeah. So I think my background in disability really still helps me focus that way because in disability, it's all very individualized. You're about an individualized plan. You're about measuring what the goal is and how you're going to get there and what that looks like. And how are you strategic in building those skills so that the outcome is hopefully, eventually stress-free? And so I think that I take that and apply it to this kind of a thing as well.
07:53 – 08:26
Gresham Harkless
It's funny you said that because I was definitely gonna ask you just if you saw that kind of overlap or that transition because I almost feel indefinite, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you find this, you know, with your clients or even in your background that a lot of times it's even more difficult when you're trying to, I guess, you know, achieve a goal or do something where maybe it feels as if nobody else is doing it by having that opportunity to be part of that pod, knowing you're not by yourself, even though it still might be difficult, you're more likely to succeed because you're not going at it alone. You have other people to lean on to talk to, to kind of bounce ideas off of. And I feel like it increased the likelihood of being successful.
08:26 – 08:40
Dee Dee Eberle
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, we all, I think everyone is so isolated right now in their own ways. You're isolated together. But when you can just kind of reach out and kind of and just have a brief conversation with somebody that goes, been did that got the t-shirt.
08:41 – 08:42
Gresham Harkless
And the bumper sticker.
08:42 – 09:35
Dee Dee Eberle
Yeah, exactly. And so there's that sense of camaraderie and, you know, that it's all we're all in this together. Whether it's, you know, all the way across the country because that person is, you know, lives over here and you're over here, but it's that idea of connectedness. Food brings people together, whether its food is because it's just a bodily requirement because we enjoy it or because it's for health reasons whatever it is food brings people together and I want that to be at the core of what this is. Whether it's I'm helping somebody who lives by themselves or someone who has a full household those needs around meals that make you feel good literally and figuratively are common and we all have that.
09:35 – 10:09
Gresham Harkless
Yeah, absolutely And I love how you mentioned how it brings all of us together because sometimes we can kind of forget that, but get around, I always, some of my most favorite times personally have always been around family getting together around the dinner table and just, you know, laughing, enjoying really great food and all of those things. So I'm sure there's definitely a lot of people that can relate to that. So I love how you bring everybody together. So I know you touched on it a little bit. Did you have anything additional as far as like how you serve your clients you wanted to touch on it? And I wanted to ask too, like, what do you feel potentially is your secret sauce that a thing you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?
10:09 – 10:43
Dee Dee Eberle
Well, I mean, what sets me apart, I think is that nobody else is doing what I'm doing. Not in this particular part of the niche of the meal solutions world. And everyone knows the different meal kit services or people who are personal chefs or prepared meals. That's covered. That's covered. And then there's the whole Pinterest crowd of the black hole that is, and I love Pinterest myself, but like Pinterest is a black hole where you just get sucked in and 5 hours later you're still looking for, you know, that's like make macaroni and cheese and now you don't even know what you're in there for.
10:43 – 10:44
Gresham Harkless
Right.
10:44 – 11:12
Dee Dee Eberle
So, you know, How do you take the stress out of it, those search functions, those many tabs that you have open in your head and say, okay, let's focus. Let's still give you the opportunity for choice and for variety and all those things, but how do I teach you to fish, but at times also fish for you? So that's where, you know what, sometimes I will order, if I'm working with an individual client, not in the pods right now, but an individual client, I'll order the groceries and have them delivered to their house.
11:13 – 11:23
Gresham Harkless
Absolutely love that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
11:23 – 12:29
Dee Dee Eberle
Oh, effective and efficient. I miss those. So disclosure, I have ADHD. So those things can be a challenge for me. But it's, for me, given the nature of what I do is even I fall into the, it's 05:00, What the heck's for dinner? Which is a hilarious irony, I think. Or if like, you know, the doctor healed myself. Yeah, copper's kids. I mean, yeah, so it's a little, and so my hack is taking my own advice. And I think that it's really easy when you're in a leadership position, whether you're leading just yourself, because the company is me, or you're leading others, is instead practice what you preach to a certain extent, you know, do as I say, not as I do. You don't want it to be that. You want it to be, when I say, plan your pantry, I need to plan my pantry. Like when I, I need to take my own advice because I know from my clients that it's great advice. They tell me like, oh my gosh, where have you been? This is so great. I love it.
12:29 – 12:40
Gresham Harkless
Awesome. So now I want to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client, or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business.
12:40 – 13:10
Dee Dee Eberle
So I've been working with a business coach, for about a part of 9 months. She's amazing and she has definitely made sure that I didn't just when COVID hit go that's it I give up. I was like have you lost it? No. But recently she said something, she admitted she thought this wasn't her nugget but it was from somebody else it really resonated with me. It was trust, try Tinker. And that has become my mantra.
13:10 – 13:18
Gresham Harkless
Now I would ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Didi, what does being a CEO mean to you?
13:18 – 13:44
Dee Dee Eberle
Think being a CEO specifically a CEO from the entrepreneurial end of it, and to be a CEO of something that you're starting from scratch is very different than taking over for something that's already there. Both have their benefits, but it's different. I think that it's about every single day conquering fear.
13:44 – 13:57
Gresham Harkless
Dee Dee, truly appreciate that definition and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic so to speak just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and of course how best they can get a whole view and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.
13:58 – 14:16
Dee Dee Eberle
So I think what people need to know is that it's all gonna be okay. Like, we're all gonna get through this. And if that means that you now are, because you panicked at the beginning of the pandemic and you have 8 cases of beans, it's gonna be okay. Come on, people out there who are listening, they know I'm right.
14:16 – 14:18
Gresham Harkless
They know what you're talking about.
14:18 – 15:44
Dee Dee Eberle
You know what I'm talking about. But if you have too many beans and you don't know what to do with them, then perhaps we should chat. So people can reach me in a couple of different ways. They can reach me via my website, which is yourwildpantry.com. And like business, like the world, it is an ever-evolving thing at the moment. Or they can reach me at info at yourwildpantry.com or they can give me a call and the number is 703-342-9605. Always to reach me. On my website, in the Contact Us section, there are people who can schedule a free 30-minute chat with me.
Kind of what do you need, what are you looking for, what are the opportunities that are there for them, what fits best for them? So they can schedule easily via a link there as well. But I'm excited about being able to, like I said, bridge that gap between what people are telling you you should do and actually being able to do it and connecting you with ways to do that in a more healthful way while being honest that I'll hook you up with other medical professionals on those if that's what is needed. I am not going to tell you what to do. I'm going to help you do what you need to do.
15:44 – 16:09
Gresham Harkless
That's extremely powerful and we will definitely have the links and information in the show now but I definitely appreciate that. Dede, so many times, you know, when we're trying to go from A to Z or A to B or even B to C, so on and so forth. It's, we often forget that we can reach out to help we can have people, you know, help us to get to that level. And I think that's 1 of the things we forget in business, obviously, when we're talking about nutrition as well. So I appreciate you being that person to help out as far as bridging that gap. So those actions that people wanna take are actually able to take and of course, to make sure that they can leverage and use all of those means as well too. So I truly appreciate you again, Dee Dee, and I hope you have a great rest of the day.
16:22 – 16:57
Outro
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
00:02 - 00:29
Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:30 - 00:38
Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Deedee Everly of Your Wild Pantry Meal Solutions. Deedee, it's awesome to have you on the show.
00:38 - 00:40
Dee Dee Eberle
Glad to be here, glad to be here.
00:40 - 01:06
Gresham Harkless
No problem, super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Deedee so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Deedee is the owner of your Wild Pantry Meal Solutions. She works with the busiest people in the world to help them get an easy, stress-free, and healthy meal on the table so they can spend time where it matters most. Through her business offering, she provides concierge-level meal prep, pantry management, cooking classes, and guided meal prep to clients virtually and in person.
01:06 - 01:21
Gresham Harkless
DeeDee works with clients to find the best fit for specific diets, food allergies, and grocery budgets offering help beyond basic meal planning that includes Customized Grocery Shopping and In-Home Meal Preparation Services. Dee Dee, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
01:21 - 01:24
Dee Dee Eberle
I am. I am. That in-person stuff. We'll definitely talk about what that looks like.
01:24 - 01:37
Gresham Harkless
Exactly. I'm sure there's been a little bit of shifting and changing here and there. But before we jumped into that, I wanted to kind of rewind the clock a little bit. Could you take us through your CEO story, how you got started, and what led you to do all those things you've been doing?
01:37 - 05:55
Dee Dee Eberle
Whew, so yeah, never in a million years did I think that CEO would be next to my dede. So my background is in disability and aging. I worked in the nonprofit sector for 20 years. I have my undergrad in special ed and nonprofit management, and then my master's in public administration and healthcare. And so I did that for 20 years. My husband was in the military so we moved around and I was fortunate to be with a nonprofit for some time that allowed me to telecommute a couple of different times but 1 of the last times that we were getting ready to move away from the DC area for the umpteenth time because that's what the military does to us. We get voluntold to go to our next whatever our next adventure. I was really burned out. I was really burned out. And so we moved back to Texas for the third time because apparently once isn't enough. I have a lot of opinions on that. And my husband's like, just do something else. Do something else. Okay, I've been doing this for 20 years, but I'm just going to do something else.
And so long story short, I started a food blog. I was bored. I'm an extrovert, which is not hard for most people to figure out about me. And I needed an outlet and I like food. And so I just kind of taught myself to build a WordPress site and kind of sort of dumping recipes on there and never really monetized it, but kind of like, and then I started working with an organic food company, providing healthy meal solutions to people. It was more of a teach-the-person-to-fish model where I was showing people how to do those things. We always knew we were going to come back to the DC area when my husband retired from the military. And so when we did that 2 and a half years ago, I really kind of launched, I kind of foresaw what I wanted this to be. So I really launched your wild pantry at that point, providing that concierge-level support and service that is more common in larger metropolitan areas like the DC area. Busy people mean they need services.
And so I began offering customized meal solutions for people who have dietary restrictions, difficult likes, dislikes, picky eaters and everything in between. Now, caveat, I am not a dietitian. I am not a nutritionist. I'm not a medical professional, but I am somebody with an autoimmune disorder that has figured out over the years that clearly I'm not going to live forever. And so eating better was probably not a horrible idea. And how could I also then use that experience to help other people? And so I'm where the rubber meets the road. People work with a dietitian or work with a doctor or work with a medical professional that says you should eat this way and they say oh, yep And then Nothing happens like I'm overwhelmed. I don't know how to do it. So I'm I'm kind of that bridge the gap So I will work with folks who have, I was working with a potential client this morning. They have no allergies in the family.
There are 6 people in the household, 2 of whom are vegetarians. Mom and Dad are really trying to get healthier and trying to figure out with a couple of other restrictions how to do this. You know, high protein, lots of proteins and vegetables, not, you know, not a lot of carbs, not a lot of other sides, and go. And so I'm working on a draft that would be breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snacks a day that really help people meet that. You know, here's the nutritional stuff you're looking for and here's what that looks like. Here are the recipes, and here are the grocery lists. Can I order your groceries for you and have them delivered to your home? And then providing kind of a guided meal prep that's now virtual, because now we're not going into people's homes. And so I've launched that kind of service, that wraparound service in what I call meal prep pods.
And so people who are all trying to eat the Mediterranean diet, or all trying to eat, you know, with an autoimmune protocol diet in mind, or they're all trying to do low carb or whatever that is, so that there's a sense of community, they're getting that support, they're being given an opportunity to also shop their own pantry and shop their own freezer and refrigerator, given that we've all overstocked everything, you know, how do you use those things up and do it in a way that's going to take, take the stress off of meals, which everyone's having to cook all of the time right now for all of the people. And so, that's a very long story short as to how I went from 1 career to now being the CEO and growing this company and providing those services in a manner that really hopefully meets people where they are.
05:55 - 06:41
Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I absolutely love that. And having been to 1 of your virtual events as well too, just the creativity that's required to be able to kind of, you know, make that transition. And I think you spoke to something that I think we often forget so much in business. It's kind of that human aspect of business. And obviously, you know how to, for example, run a business. You know, you need to do this, that, and the third, but to actually execute that is another story. So the same thing when you're talking about, okay, you have this, you know, maybe nutrition adjustment you have to make or how exactly does that happen?
And of course, you know, okay, you can't eat this, you can't eat that, but just that community that you spoke to the actual ways that you're able to do it, maybe even doing it in a time like this that's already stressful. How do you do that? So that's why I love how you do that rubber meets the road, create that connection so that not only do you know what to do, but you can actually execute on that as well.
06:41 - 07:53
Dee Dee Eberle
Yes. And you get the support to do it. So then if you're in this meal prep pod that is eating a certain way And there are several other people doing the same thing. You get a sense of what's working, and what's not working. What are the tweaks that have to happen? And what stresses are you guys experiencing? Are these meals helping? Are they not helping? What are we, and how do we help solve those things? So it's not just about feeding physically, it's feeding everything. It's a little more holistic approach to feeding the soul. So it sounds very cheesy. It's like, I think I need a bumper sticker.
Yeah, that kind of a thing. I think that that personalized component is important because it's about individuality, but it's also about individuality knowing that you're not the only individual dealing with this. Yeah. So I think my background in disability really still helps me focus that way because in disability, it's all very individualized. You're about an individualized plan. You're about measuring what the goal is and how you're going to get there and what that looks like. And how are you strategic in building those skills so that the outcome is hopefully, eventually stress-free? And so I think that I take that and apply it to this kind of a thing as well.
07:53 - 08:26
Gresham Harkless
It's funny you said that because I was definitely gonna ask you just if you saw that kind of overlap or that transition because I almost feel indefinite, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you find this, you know, with your clients or even in your background that a lot of times it's even more difficult when you're trying to, I guess, you know, achieve a goal or do something where maybe it feels as if nobody else is doing it by having that opportunity to be part of that pod, knowing you're not by yourself, even though it still might be difficult, you're more likely to succeed because you're not going at it alone. You have other people to lean on to talk to, to kind of bounce ideas off of. And I feel like it increased the likelihood of being successful.
08:26 - 08:40
Dee Dee Eberle
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, we all, I think everyone is so isolated right now in their own ways.
You're isolated together. But when you can just kind of reach out and kind of and just have a brief conversation with somebody that goes, been did that got the t-shirt.
08:41 - 08:42
Gresham Harkless
And the bumper sticker.
08:42 - 09:35
Dee Dee Eberle
Yeah, exactly. And so there's that sense of camaraderie and, you know, that it's all we're all in this together. Whether it's, you know, all the way across the country because that person is, you know, lives over here and you're over here, but it's that idea of connectedness. Food brings people together, whether its food is because it's just a bodily requirement because we enjoy it or because it's for health reasons whatever it is food brings people together and I want that to be at the core of what this is. Whether it's I'm helping somebody who lives by themselves or someone who has a full household those needs around meals that make you feel good literally and figuratively are common and we all have that.
09:35 - 10:09
Gresham Harkless
Yeah, absolutely And I love how you mentioned how it brings all of us together because sometimes we can kind of forget that, but get around, I always, some of my most favorite times personally have always been around family getting together around the dinner table and just, you know, laughing, enjoying really great food and all of those things. So I'm sure there's definitely a lot of people that can relate to that. So I love how you bring everybody together. So I know you touched on it a little bit. Did you have anything additional as far as like how you serve your clients you wanted to touch on it? And I wanted to ask too, like, what do you feel potentially is your secret sauce that a thing you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?
10:09 - 10:43
Dee Dee Eberle
Well, I mean, what sets me apart, I think is that nobody else is doing what I'm doing. Not in this particular part of the niche of the meal solutions world. And everyone knows the different meal kit services or people who are personal chefs or prepared meals. That's covered. That's covered. And then there's the whole Pinterest crowd of the black hole that is, and I love Pinterest myself, but like Pinterest is a black hole where you just get sucked in and 5 hours later you're still looking for, you know, that's like make macaroni and cheese and now you don't even know what you're in there for.
10:43 - 10:44
Gresham Harkless
Right.
10:44 - 11:12
Dee Dee Eberle
So, you know, How do you take the stress out of it, those search functions, those many tabs that you have open in your head and say, okay, let's focus. Let's still give you the opportunity for choice and for variety and all those things, but how do I teach you to fish, but at times also fish for you? So that's where, you know what, sometimes I will order, if I'm working with an individual client, not in the pods right now, but an individual client, I'll order the groceries and have them delivered to their house.
11:13 - 11:23
Gresham Harkless
Absolutely love that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
11:23 - 12:29
Dee Dee Eberle
Oh, effective and efficient. I miss those. So disclosure, I have ADHD. So those things can be a challenge for me. But it's, for me, given the nature of what I do is even I fall into the, it's 05:00, What the heck's for dinner? Which is a hilarious irony, I think. Or if like, you know, the doctor healed myself. Yeah, copper's kids. I mean, yeah, so it's a little, and so my hack is taking my own advice. And I think that it's really easy when you're in a leadership position, whether you're leading just yourself, because the company is me, or you're leading others, is instead practice what you preach to a certain extent, you know, do as I say, not as I do. You don't want it to be that. You want it to be, when I say, plan your pantry, I need to plan my pantry. Like when I, I need to take my own advice because I know from my clients that it's great advice. They tell me like, oh my gosh, where have you been? This is so great. I love it.
12:29 - 12:40
Gresham Harkless
Awesome. So now I want to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client, or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business.
12:40 - 13:10
Dee Dee Eberle
So I've been working with a business coach, for about a part of 9 months. She's amazing and she has definitely made sure that I didn't just when COVID hit go that's it I give up. I was like have you lost it? No. But recently she said something, she admitted she thought this wasn't her nugget but it was from somebody else it really resonated with me. It was trust, try Tinker. And that has become my mantra.
13:10 - 13:18
Gresham Harkless
Now I would ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Didi, what does being a CEO mean to you?
13:18 - 13:44
Dee Dee Eberle
Think being a CEO specifically a CEO from the entrepreneurial end of it, and to be a CEO of something that you're starting from scratch is very different than taking over for something that's already there. Both have their benefits, but it's different. I think that it's about every single day conquering fear.
13:44 - 13:57
Gresham Harkless
Dee Dee, truly appreciate that definition and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic so to speak just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and of course how best they can get a whole view and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.
13:58 - 14:16
Dee Dee Eberle
So I think what people need to know is that it's all gonna be okay. Like, we're all gonna get through this. And if that means that you now are, because you panicked at the beginning of the pandemic and you have 8 cases of beans, it's gonna be okay. Come on, people out there who are listening, they know I'm right.
14:16 - 14:18
Gresham Harkless
They know what you're talking about.
14:18 - 15:44
Dee Dee Eberle
You know what I'm talking about. But if you have too many beans and you don't know what to do with them, then perhaps we should chat. So people can reach me in a couple of different ways. They can reach me via my website, which is yourwildpantry.com. And like business, like the world, it is an ever-evolving thing at the moment. Or they can reach me at info at yourwildpantry.com or they can give me a call and the number is 703-342-9605. Always to reach me. On my website, in the Contact Us section, there are people who can schedule a free 30-minute chat with me.
Kind of what do you need, what are you looking for, what are the opportunities that are there for them, what fits best for them? So they can schedule easily via a link there as well. But I'm excited about being able to, like I said, bridge that gap between what people are telling you you should do and actually being able to do it and connecting you with ways to do that in a more healthful way while being honest that I'll hook you up with other medical professionals on those if that's what is needed. I am not going to tell you what to do. I'm going to help you do what you need to do.
15:44 - 16:09
Gresham Harkless
That's extremely powerful and we will definitely have the links and information in the show now but I definitely appreciate that. Dede, so many times, you know, when we're trying to go from A to Z or A to B or even B to C, so on and so forth. It's, we often forget that we can reach out to help we can have people, you know, help us to get to that level. And I think that's 1 of the things we forget in business, obviously, when we're talking about nutrition as well. So I appreciate you being that person to help out as far as bridging that gap. So those actions that people wanna take are actually able to take and of course, to make sure that they can leverage and use all of those means as well too. So I truly appreciate you again, Dee Dee, and I hope you have a great rest of the day.
16:22 - 16:57
Outro
vThank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
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Great post. Lots of insights into business and finding opportunities.
Yes, this was a great episode.