ENTREPRENEUR INTERVIEW:
Pam Moore
I was introduced to Pam through her email newsletter Real Nourished and was immediately inspired by her breadth of career and personal endeavors: occupational therapy, motherhood, writing, endurance sports, group fitness instruction, intuitive eating, creativity, stand-up comedy, Judaism, community buildingā¦just to name the the ones Iām aware of from the newsletter!
She has an open and honest way of communicating that I really connected with; it was a delight to learn from her more directly in this interview.
You are involved in so many spheres, each of which is sort of its own universe with a lot of breadth and depth. Iām fascinated by the variety and how youāve created that in your life.
Where do you see/have you seen connections, similarities, or common threads between your different disciplines, in terms of what they offer you or you offer them?
PAM MOORE: Iāve actually asked myself the same question many times, usually late at night, crying, with my journal or chocolate, or both. As in āWhat am I even doing with my life!? I am too old to still not know what I want to be when I grow up!ā
But when I am in a good headspace and Iām able to zoom out, I see a couple of prominent common threads in my winding path: creativity and connection.
The endeavors Iām drawn to requireāand actually thrive onācreativity. That can look like designing and fabricating a custom splint for a hand patient in the outpatient occupational therapy clinic. But it can also look like finding an out-of-the box way to engage a TBI patient with cognitive impairments, designing a workshop that sparks discussion and community for a group of Jewish women on a Zoom call, or taking a fresh perspective on a mundane part of motherhood to write a joke that gets a room laughing.
Meanwhile, Iām a huge extrovert who doesnāt care for small talk. I like to dive right in and connect on a deep level with people (if theyāre down!)...and everything Iāve done professionally reflects that. The saying āNo one cares what you know until they know you care,ā is certainly true in the helping professions, and has served me well as an OT and as an intuitive eating counselor. I may bring the same technical skills and clinical knowledge as any other professional in my fields, but none of that matters if you havenāt created a dynamic where your patient or client feels comfortable.
And whether Iām writing or doing stand-up, the more specific I am about my own weird quirks, the more an audience sees themselves in my work. Additionally, itās so important to get to the point fast. Whether Iām setting up a joke, writing a service journalism story on how to do a proper deadlift, or writing a Substack newsletter about the time I bombed in a brewery, I always bring empathy; theyāre busy. Theyāre distracted. How can I make an impact in as few words as possible?
I see a couple of prominent common threads in my winding path: creativity and connection. The endeavors Iām drawn to requireāand actually thrive onācreativity.
On the other hand, where have you seen completely unique or different facets when pursuing a new vocation/avocation that your current pursuits didnāt have overlap with?
PM: My first big pivot was when I moved from healthcare to freelance writing. The adjustment from working in a huge institution where I had dozens of colleagues, a standing lunch date with my teammates, and clear expectations of how to spend my time, to running my own small business, plus the impostor syndrome I battled as a freelance writer without a journalism degree, was incredibly challenging.
That experience taught me so much about leadership, boundaries, and communication. I have to give a huge shout-out to my husband who encouraged me and served as my on-call business coach through all of it.
Iāve also noticed a huge difference between the experience of writing for the page versus the stage. While the writing process can be very similar, whether youāre writing a personal essay, a service journalism piece, or a joke, the connection with your audience is very different. Itās one thing to receive responses to a newsletter or engagement in the comments section of an article. Itās delightful, for sure. But there is no high like the feeling of connecting with a live audience.
When youāve started something new, was it more often because it had some common ground with what you were currently working on, or because it offered something completely different that was otherwise missing?
PAM MOORE: A little of both. Iāve noticed thereās always some common thread from endeavor to endeavor, but thereās also something intoxicating about the novel aspect of the new thing.
I find, in general, I tend to prefer having lots of loose ends resolved before I start something newāthe upside is less fractured focus, the downside is not acting on as many ideas when I have them and missed windows of opportunity.
Most entrepreneurs and business owners I work with are the opposite: they thrive on a near-constant influx of new ideas and starting new projects. How do you approach starting new things to give yourself the best chance of success? Does starting something new energize you, or require a lot of energy from you?
PM: Iām learning to approach new things with a spirit of experimentation. That way, the bar for success is simply, āDid I go for it?ā And then from there, I can ask, āWhat did I learn?ā
If my definition of success hinges on revenue or signups or followers, or anything else thatās not entirely in my control, the pressure can be paralyzing, and getting started is very draining.
On the other hand, when I say, āThis is grabbing my attention right now, it feels aligned with my values and skills, Iām going to try it and see what happens,ā diving in is exponentially easier and more fun. That was the approach I took with changing the direction of my Substack newsletter from intuitive eating to creativity, community, and Jewish identity, creating a virtual Artistās Way group for Jewish women, and comedyāall of which have felt like huge successes.
Along similar lines, are there conscious choices or actions you take to manage your focus and energy levels between all the various things you need and want to do?
How do you choose which areas to develop deeper proficiency/specialization, vs. which areas are simply creative explorations to satisfy expression, curiosity, or desire for variety?
PAM MOORE: I struggle with this, to be honest. I have tried just about every organization system under the sun but right now my āsystemā is just doing a big brain dump every Sunday or Monday of all the things I need or want to do, professionally and personally.
Then I organize them on a piece of paper. Work things with a deadline go in one column. Work things without a deadline (i.e. projects or ideas for someday) go in another column. Personal errands, phone calls, kid stuff, and house stuff go in another column.
From there, I try to time block my week and color code it on my Google calendar. I donāt always follow the plan but it reduces my stress.
Things that feel important but keep getting pushed to the backburner go on my huge white board on a sticky note. The board has three columns: to do, in progress, and done. I think this is the Kan Ban method.
Choosing where to develop deeper skills versus what just is simply a creative outlet is, honestly, not something Iāve ever done! I tend to do everything 100%. I think the only things I ever dabbled in were improv comedy for a few months before I had kids, and tap dancing in my early 20s.
I did spin class a few times a week for a few months and within a year I bought a road bike and was riding 100+ miles a week. I did a sprint triathlon and 3 years later I did my first Ironman. I started a blog in 2007 and by 2019 I was a regular contributor to The Washington Post. I donāt know if I am capable of doing anything ājust for fun.ā
Iām sure no one will be surprised to learn I have ADHD. I was diagnosed in my early 40s. Iāve tried a few meds, which I didnāt like. I just started Wellbutrin; weāll see how that works. (Not sure if this is TMI but the ADHD contributes to what I call ātime anxiety,ā or freaking out about whether Iām spending time on the ārightā thing).
I am a huge proponent of meditation and morning pages (journalling practice). I find that my quiet time of tuning into my intuition is GOLD for figuring out what to focus on. I also do some of my best thinking on solo bike rides.
How do you decide when to fully sunset/quit focusing on something, vs. keep doing it, vs. switch to a lower volume/intensity?
PM: Itās a mix of intuition and observation. On one hand, I just feel it in my body when itās time to move on. I also notice a little voiceāagain my intuition, or what I sometimes call a āsoul nudgeāāliterally saying, āThis is not for you anymore.ā
I also pay attention to where there's flow. For example, I took my first stand-up comedy class two years ago. Last month, I was booked on ten shows, none of which I had to pitch myself to. From the get-go, comedy doors were swinging open for me with ease, while trying to grow my intuitive eating counseling practice felt like pushing a boulder up a hill.
Similarly, when I pivoted toward creating community for Jewish women, the positive response was immediate and huge. I filled a ten-person group quickly and with very minimal effort. When you have that experience, itās hard not to want to double down on it.
LIGHTNING ROUND
How often do you get new ideas?
NEVER
coming up with new ideas is a challenge
ALWAYS
my brain is always overflowing with new ideas
How hard is it for you to follow through on your ideas and make them happen?
SUPER HARD
I have to force myself to follow through on things
SUPER EASY
I love carrying out tasks and completing things
What does your work-life balance look like right now?
...WHAT LIFE?
I live at work!
I NEVER WORK
I struggle to sit down and get work done.
Whatās the #1 thing you recommend outsourcing so that you can focus on the parts of your business that really light you up?
Pam: Cleaning! I honestly donāt know if my marriage would survive (going on 16 years) without the cleaning ladies.
Whatās your favorite non-work thing right now?
Pam: Comedy!
CLOSING: Any other thoughts, tips, or getting started advice youād like to share with fellow entrepreneurs & creatives?
Pam: Donāt be afraid to slow down and get super quiet when youāre not sure what the next step is. (Same is true on the bike. I recently crashed because I was going too fast over a rocky trail and failed to slow down and pick a line!)
I had a really hard transition recently. I knew I was spread too thin between the many branches of my business (which included journalism, content writing, PR consulting, and intuitive eating coaching), but I didnāt know what to prune.
IĀ have a real aversion to sitting still or being āunproductive.ā However, I committed to a meditation practice this summer. I allowed myself to stop hustling to find work that didnāt feel aligned. (And I have to acknowledge the privilege that allowed me to do this without a financial struggle.) I carved out the time to journal and make art about my path in life so I could see the themes around what lit me up, what was lucrative, and where I felt flow and an alignment with values.
In that relative stillness, the answers bubbled up, first gradually, and then all at once. When my intuition or my heart or the divine or whatever you want to call it, delivered me the message of what to let go of and what to lean into, I felt it as unmistakable, full-body yes.
Thank you, Pam, for being generous with your time and sharing your perspective and advice!
MEET PAM MOORE ONLINE
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