Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karina Baldwin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Karina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

In order to be successful, you have to be willing to fail. So many business owners are doing whatever it takes to succeed, placing pressures on themselves to show up and perform their best, but with the dark thought of “what if I fail” creeping in.
In order to succeed you have to be willing to risk it all.

I nearly dropped out of my graduate school program, my Masters in Sport & Performance Psychology [yes that degree that I still use today]. I didn’t feel like my mentors or my program was the best fit for me after the first semester. It was only after I spent Christmas break reconnecting to what set my soul on fire that I gave myself permission to drop out.
I let my ego go. I let my worries of what people would say go. I allowed myself to risk failure. I made a promise to myself, I was going to give it one more semester and if I still didn’t connect, I was allowed to drop out.

We know the ending- I connected, I loved it. I found athletes I loved to work with and finished my degree and continued along in the field.

It wasn’t until I gave myself permission to fail, did I find the path to success.

You have to be willing to risk it.
Risk it, and it will pay off.

And if you fail, then you learn, adapt, and grow from the experience.

Karina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

You know when you get into a room, and you are just vibing with everyone in it? The energy is palpable, the people all have something in common, and you get the I-don’t-want-to-leave-this feeling.

Well, I started the True Adventure Collective because I couldn’t find that room I just described. It didn’t exist for me.
So I said f*ck it, I’ll create it myself.

Now I get to fill meetups, retreats, and coaching containers with my people. I bring together high-performing female CEOs and leaders–ones who are mentally and physically tough, willing to get uncomfortable, say yes to adventure, and achieve all their goals in life without burning the hell out

I have my Masters in Sport & Performance Psychology from Florida State University, a Top 4 program in the field. I spent 2 years there working with collegiate athletes followed by 3 years working as a civilian contractor with the US Army. I spent over 200 hours studying yoga and the benefits of it on a daily practice. In my time working with the Army I worked with thousands of soldiers in group and individual trainings to assist them in becoming the best possible soldier they could be. I have worked with over 30 one on one clients over the years, hosted 12 retreats, and taught over 100 yoga classes.

It was only when I began practicing what I had been preaching to athletes, soldiers, and clients that I started to feel what a sustainable life truly feels like.

→ I learned that I can’t stop stress from happening, but what I can do is recognize it and start preparing myself.
→Instead of waiting for the crash and burn, I learned when it was time to actually take a break. I discovered what I specifically needed to truly fill my own cup.
→I learned if I didn’t spend time out in nature, with feet in the dirt and sun on my skin, it didn’t matter how much I worked out, my stress never went away.
→I begin to regulate how I spoke to myself and about myself. I looked for hard facts, evidence, that I was the person I wanted to be.
→I learned how to let go of other people’s opinions of me and say f*ck it. I went on adventures of my choice.
→I quit jobs that did not serve me, and I let go of friends that did not support me. I left a relationship that did not support my goals.
→I found what gave me my dopamine hit (the happy hormone) and I filled my days with it!

I left my job with the US Army to become a Mental Performance Coach for badass female leaders and CEOs. Between the research and science-backed theories I learned in my master’s program in Sport & Performance Psychology, two years working with collegiate athletes, three years working with US Army Soldiers, and two of teaching yoga, I now put all my energy into helping people, like you, be more successful than you could have ever imagined.

I created the life I’m obsessed with. Now I want to help you do the sameI want you to fill your day with adventures that max out your dopamine levels. When you learn to master your mind, you will have complete control of the thoughts that come through your head. Then YOU get to choose which ones you listen to, which ones support your goals. That is when you will be able to create the results you’ve always wanted.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn [the hard way] more hours of work does NOT equal more success. I grew up with a dad who was a very successful business owner and he would work till 8pm during busy season and be gone in the morning before I woke up for school. I struggled for most of my life thinking that if I just punch the clock with busy work, I will be more successful because Im working the long hours that I saw people in my past do.
Nope!
It wasn’t until I started seeing clients come in from avenues in my business that felt easy to connect to. It wasn’t the hours I was putting into my socials, it was the easy lunch dates with business friends that brought in the money. I made connections that aligned with me, I made sales that felt too easy for me to credit my work.
I started seeing results come from a place of ease, calm and alignment.

The phrase “work smarter not harder” became present in my life and now its time to pour fuel on the fire.

Any advice for managing a team?

Working with business owners who have a team, is some of my favorite work because it’s just like creating a team culture in the athletic world. Focusing on building expectations from the ground up is crucial in culture creation. If your team culture is not what you are wanting, first step is to look at your leaders. And if it’s you, its time to get to work.
What expectations are you setting for yourself and your team? Are you following through yourself? Are you reaching out for help? Are you continuing to educate yourself to ensure you’re not stuck in one way of thinking? Do you teach your team to think for themselves instead of telling them what the answer should be? Deep dive into how meetings are held and how time is managed. Business is about human connection, and in order to have the dream team that can read your mind, you have to first get crystal clear on what you want to create.

Because the reality is, they can’t read your mind. So it’s your job to train them to do the next best thing- think for themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trueadventurecollective.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trueadventureco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-baldwin-m-s-778ba5ab/
• Other: Podcast: https://trueadventurecollective.com/podcast

Image Credits
Caitlynn Weeden, Weeden Wanders Photography