SoulStirred: Stories of Growth And The Human Experience

Emily Garcia (00:03)
Welcome lovely listeners to SoulStirred Stories of Growth and the Human Experience. I'm Emily Garcia. And I'm Kasey Clark. We will be your guides on this journey. We are so glad you are here. Each week, we'll come together, sometimes with other incredible thinkers, creators, and adventurers, to generously share stories of self-discovery, recovery, triumph, and what it means to live a life on purpose. No matter where you are in your own journey,

connection is here for you at SoulStirred Settle in, take a deep breath in, and let's inspire each other. Welcome to SoulStirred

Emily (00:48)
Welcome back, SoulStirred listeners. We are excited that you are here today. For any of you that have been listening, you know that Casey and I love gratitude and talking about gratitude. And for that reason, we are hosting a 66 -day gratitude challenge. That is the average amount of time it takes to create a habit. And gratitude is a habit that will help you with your emotional health, your physical health, your relationships, and your overall well -being.

You can sign up for the free gratitude challenge at tribemindbody .com forward slash gratitude. And we want to thank a couple of our participants who are involved in the challenge. Starla Kizar and Victoria Chavez, thank you for joining us.

Today we are here with Marta Spurk, a Brazilian singer and entrepreneur who embodies resilience and determination in the pursuit of dreams against all odds. A TEDx speaker, award -winning author, and visibility strategist, Marta empowers individuals to use their voice and gifts to shine via her keynotes, The Empowered Woman podcast, her bestselling book, The Empowered Woman, The Ultimate Roadmap to Business Success,

and the Empowered Women's School membership and workshops. Welcome, Marta.

Marta Spirk (02:06)
Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to chat with you ladies.

Emily (02:09)
Yeah. You have such a cool story. And because you moved to the US from Brazil, we'd love it if you could start with telling us about your experience and what brought you to Colorado and the experience before that.

Marta Spirk (02:25)
Yeah, definitely. Well, from a young age, I was very passionate about America in so many ways. I had friends making fun of me saying I wasn't patriotic because I loved listening to the music, watching movies, TV shows, which are very popular down there. Obviously, we have huge American influence, but I really took it to the next level. I was really interested and I picked up English very easily. I liked, you know, copying the accent as much as possible so that I wouldn't have an accent, which...

many people praise me for to this day. And some people are like, I can notice it sometimes, but it's really faint. And I'm very proud of that because I worked hard on it. But I really saw Americans as like celebrities because of the TV, you know, TV and movies. But when I was very young, my mom got involved with American ministers. So she was attending church conferences in Brazil that...

Kasey (03:05)
Hahaha!

Emily (03:05)
How?

Marta Spirk (03:22)
were put together by American ministers or somebody that would host them here or down there. And eventually she started hosting these ministers. So we would take them to the hotels, we would talk to them the entire time. And I really wanted to practice my skill and it was really satisfying to see these grownups being like, you're amazing, you're only 14 and you can speak so good. So I...

started seeing that there was something there that I really enjoyed. And then later on, we started coming as a family to church conferences in America. And it was amazing to just see a little bit more of the lifestyle, not just come as a trip to go visit Disney or something like that. Even though we were staying in a hotel, we were going to church and we were visiting these people's houses. I got a little bit more of a taste of what it would.

feel like to live in America because we were going in Tulsa, Oklahoma of all places. So there was nothing really to go see sightseeing wise over there. So it really felt like, hey, this is what it feels like to be, you know, American. And it was really neat. It was a really neat experience to the point where, you know, I started flirting with some boys in church here and there. And eventually I started dating long distance, who is now my husband. And.

Kasey (04:32)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (04:46)
We dated for five years long distance, which was tough, you know, broke up, and here and there, it was kind of strange to be so far away. And because then at the point where I was like, I'm actually taking this seriously and I want to get married, my family wasn't really on board. And now as a parent myself, I understand. But as a 20 year old, you know, 20 some year old, it's like, screw you, I'm going to fall in love. What's the matter here?

Emily (05:12)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (05:14)
And I did. So we dated for a while, but then eventually he was like, well, you need, cause we broke up. There's a long story in there when I was like, maybe you're not the one for me because of pressure from family and church people. And eventually I was like, no, let's do this. And he's like, well, then you need to come and you need to come by yourself and we're going to get engaged. And that was hard to tell my mom of all people, you know, I'm going to go see this guy.

I was barely allowed to do sleepovers with my friends when I was growing up, you know? And I did, and at the time he was living in Colorado. So he's from Nebraska. I met him in Oklahoma, but he was living in Colorado. And I came in February right around Valentine's Day and it was magical to see snow for the first time. Like it was everything I had dreamed of, you know? Like I'm living the American dream.

And he did propose and then I went home and I told my mom, I'm doing this. And in three months, she then finally realized there was no turning back. That's what my dad said. He's like, when I realized you weren't going to change your mind, I decided to support you. But in the back of their minds, they thought this is not going to work because of obvious reasons, right? But here we are almost 14 years and counting and it has worked out. It hasn't been easy.

Emily (06:21)
I'm sorry.

Marta Spirk (06:35)
But this is how I came to move to the United States was three months later, we had a ceremony in Brazil and I moved. And then there's a whole like immigration status story too, because I actually came on a student visa, because that was a compromise with my parents. It was go get a degree, because just in case this doesn't work, that's how much they didn't believe it was going to work out. Go get a master's, you know, and then at least you come back with a diploma if you don't come back with a husband.

Emily (06:57)
Hahaha!

Marta Spirk (07:04)
And then what happened, what ended up happening was I got my masters and then we moved to Brazil together to try out living down there, because my parents wanted us to try out living close to them. But yeah, it was quite the adventure.

Emily (07:18)
Wow. Such a cool story. Yeah, you've been all over and I think the rebellious spirit, but you were also really thoughtful in how you did it. It's not like you just overnight picked up and moved to the US. You were like, okay, five years and if we're going to make it work, we're going to make it work. And the willingness to do something that you had no idea what the outcome would be. That's pretty cool.

Marta Spirk (07:44)
Yeah. And it was crazy too, because I think from the perspective of adapting, right, as an immigrant, I had come here several times, but not for an extended period of time. So then finally getting to the point where I'm going to go grocery shopping, you know, I'm going to learn how to do my laundry, because that was the other culture shock is coming from Brazil, middle class, you know, you have people doing things for you that is very common to have people to clean the house, that do your laundry, sometimes people to cook for you.

If you live in a bigger house, you have people that do your yard work. You have people, which you have here in America too, but it's just different. Like even people that are not super well off, they have these things. Like they're more of a service. They're used to those things, you know, they don't want to do it themselves. And then here I come, I had never lived with a boy before. I have an older sister, so I was not used to this at all. And all of a sudden I'm cooking meals that I didn't really know how, like it was a huge.

Adjustment and hanging out with lots of men because he had his friends, you know that were either single or just had girlfriends He was the first one to get married. I think most at least from the local ones, you know and It was challenging but it was it was also fun. It was something that I pursued You know, it was a voluntary challenge which we'll talk about an involuntary challenge soon, but I Was up for the task, you know, and my parents really thought well, we know we raised you and you're not gonna make it and I was like I will

Emily (09:00)
Hahaha!

Marta Spirk (09:09)
And I'll prove it.

Emily (09:11)
Yeah, I'm going to make it happen. and you challenged me? Double dog dare me. I'll do it. Yeah. Well, tell us about the involuntary challenge.

Kasey (09:11)
it.

Marta Spirk (09:15)
Thanks, back. Yep, yep, pretty much. That's how I roll.

Yeah, so the involuntary challenge was when we moved back to Brazil, so then it was his turn to show his love, right? Leave everything behind, which for him was a lot different because he had come and visited Brazil, but he didn't speak Portuguese. He hadn't been there, you know, or hadn't even come as many times as I had gone to the US. He didn't grow up listening to Brazilian music and watching Brazilian movies, you know what I mean? Like it was a completely different situation. And all of a sudden he's...

Emily (09:46)
Yeah. Yeah.

Marta Spirk (09:50)
sort of depending on me and on my family. So I know how hard it was for him. It was a complete 180 for him. And then I thought, well, this is the perfect time for me to start trying to get pregnant because I'm living by my parents. I will have the emotional support, the financial support. And so I did. And after about a year, I had really irregular cycles. It wasn't really happening. Because you have those stories of, you stop taking the pill, it's like,

Overnight you get pregnant and it didn't happen with me and I waited for a year to be like, okay Something is off even after going to the regular OB -GYN and you know gynecologist and everything it wasn't it wasn't really going and so And then I sought help of a specialist because I had a friend that was Almost 40 and she had struggled as well getting pregnant She went to the specialist and she got pregnant like within a few months and I was like, well I'll go see this guy see what he has to say

And so I got all the tests, all of the things, and it was determined that I had a mild case of endometriosis, a couple things going on. And after going through a hormonal stimulation treatment, I got pregnant with triplets within a month. And I could have never expected, because when you go through the treatment, they say there's a chance of twins because you're stimulating your body to produce and to ovulate and all those things.

Emily (11:03)
Wow.

Marta Spirk (11:16)
And when I went to the ultrasound, because I had been going there every other day to check, you know, let's see if the eggs are growing, all the things. And some of those visits, my husband wasn't going with me because he was at work and I knew the drill, just go, they'll check, ultrasound, all good. So when I, after I took the P test, the blood test, and I knew I was in fact pregnant, I went to that first ultrasound appointment by myself because the schedule didn't allow, you know, for him to go. Cause it was like routine and it was super cool. I was just going to re -

affirm that I was pregnant. I already knew. No big deal. And then when I went, the doctor's like, yeah, so you see there's three circles here. Well, that actually means that three took, which means there's three babies, which means it's triplets. And it's like, what, what? And he's like, yeah, you're probably not gonna make full term. And it was one of those doctors like super blunt, like.

Emily (11:49)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Marta Spirk (12:12)
I'll just tell you what I'm seeing, no big deal. Because he had seen this before, you know, with twins and everything. And he's like, I'm not going to make it full term, especially because you're small. And I was like, what do you mean? And I had already talked to a different, so I had already decided that I wasn't going to do the delivery and everything with that specific doctor. I was going to go with somebody else. And another friend had recommended that was like home birth or super, you know,

natural delivery because I was super into that and As soon as I left that appointment, I called that doctor and he's like, yeah we're not gonna be able to work together anymore because now you're you're officially a brisk pregnancy so and That was at seven weeks by the way, so it was very early on and that was something else I left there and that doctor said it doesn't really mean that they'll take that they'll continue because it's so early on we don't even have a heartbeat So, you know in about three weeks or so you can come back and we'll be for sure

if they're good. So there I go for those two, three weeks thinking, do I really even want this? You know, what if I lose all of it? And it was just so strange to be walking around knowing that that was happening inside of me, which is pregnancy in general terms, but especially in those.

Emily (13:17)
Yeah. Yeah.

Well, yeah, and you don't want to get your hopes up. That first trimester, the first 10 weeks is so precarious. But for you, when you've walked out of the doctor's office and the doctor has said, they may not take it anyway, you don't want to get your hopes up. So you have to tell yourself, maybe this isn't going to work. Maybe I don't want it anyway.

Marta Spirk (13:31)
Yeah.

Exactly. So all scenarios were going through my head. And when I told my husband, because he wasn't there, he was excited. He was like, my gosh, that's exciting. We're going to have to. So now I'm like, yes, but I'm the one who's carrying them. And that's extremely scary. And it was my sister that really reassured me, because she was one of the first people that I told as well, with us being super close. And she's like, that was one of the things that I carry with me forever. She said, Marta, if anyone can do this, it's you. And.

And I was like, all right, we're going to handle it, whatever happens. And that's what we've been doing.

Emily (14:21)
There is something really amazing about, you know, when you find out you're pregnant and I had the experience, my first pregnancy with my daughter, that you spend all this time preventing pregnancy and then you're like, well now this is real and it's like, this is scary and it's real, but for you, it's like, this is real. My life is gonna change. What was going on in your mind?

Marta Spirk (14:33)
Thank you.

Mm.

real.

So it was tough because I had, it was the whole process of, okay, I was working at a job at the time and it had been a year. And it's like, well, now I can think of, I don't need to be doing this as soon as I deliver, you know? Like I was already making plans of, I can be home for a little bit and then I'll go find something else. And then all of a sudden it's like, I have no plans anymore. Like whatever thing I had thought of that I could do, I don't even know if it's gonna pan out because I don't know what's gonna happen. It was really like going in the dark, which again.

That's what pregnancy and motherhood is. But it was so exacerbated that it was very overwhelming. And especially towards the end of it when I was in bed rest, like modified bed rest because it was such, you know, heavy weight that I couldn't be on my feet for a very long time. The only thing going through my mind was I can't be negative. I have to think of everything is going to be working out for their benefit. So whatever it is that I'm feeling,

Because you know, they say you pass it on and I was like, I will do my best because that's in my control. And that's really continued on with my coaching and with everything that I do is I can control myself and they are inside of me for now. So I'm going to do my best here to really channel this positive energy of they're gonna grow healthy. You know, I remember I would, I bought, my sister actually bought me one of those like prayer books, the different prayers you can do for the baby.

And I would say, you know, their lungs are being formed, especially the scary things for, you know, triplets and premature, premature it is the their lungs are formed and their heart, all of all of the organs, everything is going beautifully. And I was really focusing on that so much that I really did not. And that came afterwards in the postpartum, which we can talk about that I didn't really afford the time for thinking this sucks. You know, I I just.

want this to be done. Like I would really rein myself back in for their benefit because I really wanted everything to go well, especially once you know the risks. Once I learned I was having triplets and I was far along, I joined all the groups, I connected with other triplet moms and mothers of multiples and you start seeing some horror stories, you know, of losing one of the babies once you're farther along and having to wait until the delivery to remove the... Like...

things you don't even want to think about, you know, but when you're in it, you're like, I need to be aware, but I don't want to focus on that. So that was tough.

Emily (17:15)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (17:17)
you

Emily (17:20)
It is like the power of your mind. You hear those stories from people who have been in a horrific car accident and are told you're never going to walk again. And they go, yeah, I will. I will walk out of here. And then a month and a half later, they're walking out of the hospital. And you made a choice while you were pregnant with them that you were going to do what was in your control and create healthy babies. And that's really powerful. Yeah.

What did your life look like after they were born?

Marta Spirk (17:53)
my gosh, so the first six, seven months was a complete blur because then there was the pressure of, I still want to breastfeed. Like all the plans that I had had for the delivery were out the window, obviously. They stayed in NICU for three weeks. So that's an important point because that was very hard. Like that was, I mean, you can't explain it. It's one of those things, like unless you are a NICU mom, which then I got that badge, unless you're a NICU mom, you just don't understand what it's like to leave the hospital.

after carrying your first child, which in my case were three, and not have anything to show for. And I remember, it even makes me emotional because the first couple days I was still there because it was a C -section, right? But I remember it was a Wednesday. I think I had gone home either on Sunday or Monday. And then I was going back to the hospital every day to stay there all day. And I remember Wednesday when I came home, I just cried like for hours, because it's like...

Because again, I was really wanting to continue that positivity, right? But now it was almost like I gave myself the permission. They're outside of me. I can feel this. That's something else we can talk about. I've been really good in holding my emotions and not processing my emotions in many ways. And in going into NICU, you see these babies, there are singletons, right, with heart conditions, open heart.

Emily (19:08)
Thank you.

Marta Spirk (19:20)
surgery and brain conditions and In my babies were fine. They were just small. They just needed a breastfeed, you know the basics But still I was in that room with all of those people and I'm like, I'm glad You know, that's not our situation. But then that Wednesday I came home and I was like I don't care that they don't have a hard condition or whatever. I just want them here. It sucks that

Emily (19:46)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (19:47)
this is the life that I'm living. And yes, I need to be grateful that they're alive, that my pregnancy, you know what I'm saying? Like the two sides of that gratitude too, like I just want to be allowed to say this sucks and I did not for this.

Kasey (20:00)
Yeah.

Emily (20:00)
Yeah. Yeah. It's the mixed bag because the trauma that other people are experiencing doesn't make yours any less.

Marta Spirk (20:04)
Thank you.

Exactly. Yeah.

Emily (20:12)
Yeah. Wow. It's such a powerful thing to have triplets. I mean, the fact that you were able even after that doctor told you, you know, it's probably isn't going to happen. They're probably not going to take. And then you were able to bring these babies into the world and that they stayed in the NICU, but they were overall okay. But it's still just that emotional toll that it takes on you.

Marta Spirk (20:36)
Right. Yeah. And something that you can prepare yourself for, right? It's just, it happens. It's like, what are you going to do with it?

Kasey (20:38)
And.

Emily (20:44)
Okay, so tell us about your career because I know that you said I got pregnant and when I realized I was having triplets, I thought, all the things, the hopes and dreams I had are probably out the window, but clearly in your bio, they were not. I don't know if that's what you were hoping and dreaming for is all the things you've done, but you have done incredible things. So how did that happen after having triplets?

Marta Spirk (21:13)
Yeah, so I think in many ways, it was the defiant side of me, like watch me now, because then many people would say, this is it, right? Or even when people would say, you're not having any more. Right? And it's like, well, you don't know, you know, what if I want to? Like, I just needed those assumptions that people would hate me. Yeah, which I don't sometimes, you know, now that

Emily (21:30)
Yeah!

do what I want.

Marta Spirk (21:37)
They're eight, so it's been a long time that I've actually been around a baby baby. I'm like, aw, that'd be nice, but I like my sleep way too much, so it's probably. Well, when they were about eight months, we moved back to America, which that is a whole other story in itself. Like we had wanted to move back once they were like school age, because they wanted, we wanted them to grow up here. There were so many factors that expedited our move back, which made it a lot harder with them being so small.

Emily (21:47)
too.

Marta Spirk (22:06)
but my father -in -law was terminal with cancer. My husband ultimately did not really adapt to Brazil. And to be honest, I didn't either. I really enjoyed, I mean, again, I told you in the beginning, right? I really enjoyed the culture. I enjoyed living here. And then after living here and then going back to Brazil, I started comparing. Like, yeah, I grew up with this, but I really liked this other thing over here and I can go back if I want to.

And so we moved back when they were eight months and right, like, I don't know, a couple of weeks after, it was 2016. So direct sales was all the rage, which I know it's still out, but network marketing was really huge. It was like the beginnings of network marketing plus the internet, you know, and social media where everybody was with some company or switching companies or with three companies at the same time selling something. And it was that promise of your stay at home mom.

Emily (22:52)
Right. Yeah.

Marta Spirk (23:02)
You can make money off your phone while your babies are napping. And that was me. So I was like, huh, I can do this, you know? Well, while they're sleeping, I can create some posts and see if I can make some sales. But it was in that process that I learned a little bit more about personal development, because that's a lot of what they encourage in those companies. Like, it's all mindset. So if you decide you want to make millions, you can, because, you know, it's all in your mind. And I was like, yeah, I could do this. And,

And there was another side of it that was really attractive to me was being the person that delivered that encouragement. So being on the receiving side, I thought I could do this. I could be one of these people that wrote books and that would just be called by these companies to encourage the consultants and the people in the company. I don't want to be just one in the crowd. I had already, you know,

lived that with being a part of church and being involved in church. It's like, I don't want to be just another one in the company. I want to be like one of the top earners. And I also want to be like, I wanted to be all of it. Also want to be one of the people that mentors or that gets called in like Rachel Hollis or Brenda Bashar, like these big people. Why not me? And I remember I told my husband this in the beginning and he's like, so basically you want to be a motivational speaker. That's going to take you years. And I was like, well,

Emily (24:08)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (24:25)
I have to start somewhere, so let's do something. And that morphed into what I'm doing today. So it's been essentially eight years of, you know, seven -ish, of me figuring out, okay, what am I gonna talk about? What are my topics? And it has a lot to do with my story, right? I share my story and I say, these are the lessons that I learned from this and...

then mentoring women entrepreneurs. At the beginning it was a lot of postpartum moms, because that's where I was at. And I was like, hey, you got this. I have triplets and I'm at it. You can do it too. And then I started focusing more on entrepreneurs, because I understood the moms that were already looking into starting a business were a lot more self -motivated. And that's my kind of people. I realized it's a lot more fun for me to talk to people that are already seeking.

Emily (25:00)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (25:18)
for this encouragement than to convince somebody that they need the encouragement, you know? So it made a lot of sense to just focus on women entrepreneurs. And then it evolved into the visibility work that I do now because I started getting more visibility because I pursued it and people started asking me, how are you getting all these opportunities? Well, I can show you. Here's my coaching package, you know? And so that's what I've been doing.

Emily (25:43)
Yeah. Well, let me just add full disclaimer. I hired Marta to help me with my like figuring out my public speaking and she did an incredible job. So I can say just firsthand that working with you, you helped to create clarity around what is it that I'm talking about and how do I say that to people and what is the thing that I'm asking them for and how do I negotiate? So, I mean, you do a great job of helping

women to figure that out and put themselves out there. I think one of the cool things about you is all of the national anthem singing that you've done. Tell us about that.

Marta Spirk (26:26)
my gosh, yeah, so that was something else that, because again, I've been obsessed, okay, since I was young. And I remember, do you remember Napster days when you could download things like music at your fingertips? Like that was marvelous because I started finding artists and songs that weren't playing on the radio that I could just find because it was available for me to download for free. And I remember,

Emily (26:36)
Illegally too, yes.

Marta Spirk (26:51)
downloading whole albums because that was the other thing before you had to go to the store by the CD and all of a sudden you have this whole album of artists and I remember downloading an album from Lee and rhymes and one of the tracks was the National Anthem and I was like wow this is such a beautiful song and and I loved singing I already sang in church and But it kind of stayed there once I did my masters here at CU Denver

At one point they sent out an email saying, we're looking for students that would like to audition to sing the national anthem at commencement. And I was like, I'm not even a citizen, but I will, I mean, is there, you know, can I audition? And they were like, sure. And I auditioned and I didn't get selected, but it was kind of like something that was in the back of my mind that I wanted to do just because of listening to it, you know, years before. And then another contest.

happened years later after having the kids and moving back, I heard on the radio, so it was the country station here in Denver said, audition to sing, let's do a contest and whoever gets more votes gets to sing the national anthem at a rodeo for the National Western Stock Show. Because they have, you know, it's like two weeks, 20 days, however many days of rodeo, so it's like one of them, a weirdo goes and sings like no big deal. You know, it didn't have to be a professional, it's just literally send in a video and people will vote.

And I won. I got all the internet voting for me. Many Brazilian friends were like, I'm so proud of you, blah, blah. We're voting for you, we're rooting for you. And then after that, I started getting people in my network because of my business that I was building at the same time, right? Saying, hey, I manage events for the town of Superior in Colorado. Do you want to sing the Ashland anthem for Fourth of July parade? Sure. And then it kind of started going that way.

And then I started posting on social media too. Hey, I wanna, summer's coming up. I know there's lots of events. Does anybody know anyone that you could connect me with? I have a friend that is a chaplain for the Colorado National Speedway. So he prays with the racers, with the drivers, every race. And he's like, we do races every Saturday. I'm sure they can book you. So I sang for a couple of those. And then the most fun one, I mean, all of them were fun, but this was like, wow.

like you never know who you know. My husband once told our neighbor across the street, we're gonna go to the National Speedway, my wife is gonna sing the National Anthem. A couple weeks later, whatever, this neighbor walks across the street and he's like, hey, I was in my drive and he's like, do you wanna sing the National Anthem for the Denver Nuggets one day? And I'm like, sure? He's like, yeah, one of my best friends books the stuff for, you know, the talent for the Nuggets and...

just send her an email, I'll get you the information. And he gave me her email address, I sent her an audition video, and I've already gotten to sing twice for the Nuggets, and then I've gotten to do it for the Rockies as well, so it's been really amazing. Sort of.

Emily (29:54)
Wow. You're a local celebrity. Well, I know that TEDx was a really big thing for you. How did you end up getting into or even deciding that you wanted to be on the TEDx stage?

Marta Spirk (30:06)
Yes.

Yeah, so that was, I think, one of the items in the checklist for me getting into this world of personal development, right? In the online world, you start seeing people, hey, I did a TEDx, or you start seeing this as a possibility because you're a speaker, you know, I've published a book, I can go and I share my story. And I had started applying to several at one point, like I...

was working with somebody that was like, this is how you do it. I already got to do mine and I can help you. And I got called back actually for one here in Colorado in Grand Junction at the time. It was in 2018. My kids weren't even or they were barely two years old. And at the time, pre -pandemic, they wanted to do an in -person audition. So it wasn't even, they called me back. They were like, we really like your application. We want you to come in person to audition. And I remember at the time,

being like, there's no way I'm gonna drive three hours to audition when I have three two -year -olds. Can I do it virtually? And they said no, and it was just devastating, because it's like, here's my chance, you know? But then at the same time, I was like, it's gonna happen when it's supposed to happen. I'm just gonna focus on building my business, because I need to bring in income with this. I need to figure out my path. And so I never minded it for a while. And then,

I subscribed to several newsletters from local events also when I was applying and I got this email from a local one, so the TEDxCherry Creek, which is here in Denver, saying we need volunteers for our next event. And I was like, huh, I've never been to one in person. At the time my kids were in school, it was a day event. It wasn't like on a weekend or anything. So I was like, I'll volunteer. And they said in exchange for your time, we will give you a Zoom training, a group Zoom training with all volunteers.

telling you how to refine your application. I was like, I'm all in, let's do this. So I volunteered, I did the training with the people, the curators, and they said, if you're really serious about it, email us and we can do a one -to -one Zoom and talk about your topic. So I did that too. Like whatever they were giving me, I took it. And a couple months later, I got selected. And I really do think that it had everything to do with me choosing to get involved. First of all, waiting.

because then I had a more refined message and I knew my story better than before. But also this is what I teach now, people that are interested, which is a different approach. I had never heard of anybody else teaching it this way, because usually they say, get the spreadsheet, look at all upcoming events in America. If you get selected for one in Alaska, which I don't even know if they have it, but just as an example, go. And my approach was, I'm a mom to triplets, I'm not going to pay for a plane ticket in a hotel.

because it's a non -paid opportunity and you don't have to pay for it either, but still, I'm gonna do, it has to be local so that somebody can be watching them while I go or whatever. And that's exactly what happened and that's what I've been able to help clients do too is find stuff close to them and it was an amazing experience.

Emily (33:16)
Wow, that's so cool. I know, Casey, you recently have mentioned things about, you know, when it happens when it's supposed to happen and it's the timing. And I think, you know, if you could speak to that because what Marta is saying really is about don't take it just because it's in front of you. Don't take what's like the crumbs or not that it was crumbs, but like what is being offered to you because there's a world of possibility out there.

Kasey (33:42)
Yeah. Yeah. What I hear in Marta that I'm, that I find so remarkable from the move from Brazil to America, deciding to marry the love of your life, live your American dream, have the babies, produce the babies, have them come out healthy to creating your business, to singing the national anthem, to getting on the TED stage. There's been this unwavering belief.

in yourself and that you are worthy and deserving of having what you want.

And that to me was incredible. What is it about you or your background upbringing? Like what character would you attribute that to?

Marta Spirk (34:26)
Thank you, you're making me emotional. It's like, I say this to people all the time, but the reason why I say it is because I need to hear it, you know? So this has been my message the entire time is what better way to hold myself accountable than to tell people, but I need to hear myself. And that's exactly, and it is this belief that you're enough, that you've done enough, that you have what it takes.

Kasey (34:44)
Yeah, we teach what we most need to learn, right? Yeah.

Emily (34:44)
Yeah. Yeah.

Marta Spirk (34:55)
And I think for me, a lot of it comes from, you know, backstory growing up. I was the youngest, I have an older sister and now as a mom, I see things a lot different, but in going back and understanding how I perceived things, in many ways, I felt like I needed to own my space because I came second. And in being like the Lao child and...

All of that. And in hearing sometimes from my mom saying I didn't plan to have another child because it was a lot of work to have one. And it's like, well, I'm going to stand out. I'm going to make sure people notice that I'm here. And then the other piece of it too was with my Christian upbringing as well, was understanding that everything is up to me now. You know, that is really what I grew up believing and that is what really

helped me and has helped me in those hard times is I am not alone. Everything's already been done. It's up to me. It's in my hands, you know, I get to claim it. I'm not just this little wimpy person pleading and begging for somebody to come and help me. It's already been done. Now it's my turn to really believe that it's been done and to make it happen. So that's what I've been doing.

Kasey (36:17)
Yeah. Well, you do it beautifully. It's like, it's like God prepped the soil. It was my work just to plant the garden and pick the fruit, right? Yeah. You inspire me with this, whatever this quality is in you. Self -belief and bravery is what I'd call it. It's incredible. And your journey's been incredible because it's been you.

Marta Spirk (36:28)
Yes, definitely. Thank you.

you

Mm -hmm.

Yeah. Thank you.

Kasey (36:45)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Emily (36:48)
So uniquely you. Well, now you have combined singing and speaking. What does that look like?

Marta Spirk (36:57)
I know, I tell my husband it's like, what now? What are you doing now? Here's this new thing.

Emily (37:00)
You

Kasey (37:00)
Yeah. Yeah. Where do I grow from here? Yeah.

Emily (37:06)
HAHAHAHA

Marta Spirk (37:07)
I am going to be singing and singing at the same time. Well, I am really excited because I have seen how it really sets me apart. And with what I just told you about my story and how I grew up in my mind, I need to be so different that people will notice me. I need to really make sure I stand out. And for a long time, I saw music as a separate thing. So it started with a national anthem, right? And it's like,

Emily (37:11)
So cool.

Marta Spirk (37:35)
It's gigs that I do. I'm the national anthem person, you know, whatever. And then last year I was like, well, what if I don't want to be just a national anthem person because I can actually sing other things and I have a message to share. So that's when I released my own music. So I wrote my own songs. I put them out there. Just...

without even knowing like what is this leading to? I don't know, am I going to become this Grammy Award singer? I don't know, but I'm gonna put this, I know how hard these things are, first of all, but same thing of the beginning when my husband was like, you know it's gonna take years, right? It's like, I've been through lots of things in the last seven years. I know better that it's not overnight, that it happens when it's meant to happen. Like if you had told me seven years ago, which many people did, but I hated them for it, it's...

going to happen? It's like, no, it's gonna happen right now. Damn it, you know. But now, eight years later, it's like, I'm older. And that's like, it's okay. If I just because this is what I learned in this process is if I keep going, it is going to happen. It may not happen when I want it or the exact way I want it, but it's going to be even better. Because it's going to happen when it's meant to happen. The key is just keep moving forward. So that's what I did starting last year with the music department. It's like,

Kasey (38:45)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (38:54)
I already know how this goes. I will start putting stuff out. I'm gonna meet people. I'm gonna learn things and I'm gonna find clarity. Clarity will come. Clarity comes with action, right? I know better. I've been at this for a while. And it's been an interesting experience because now I'm kind of reliving many things that I lived when I first got started, except I have triple, multiple, the wisdom, you know, of who I need to talk to, how I need to do things, how to not get scammed, you know.

where to put my money and things like that. So I'm very grateful because in many ways it's like, this is what I wanted from the beginning. I've always wanted to be the singer, but I couldn't have started there. I wasn't mature enough. Now I have all this network in this business and this wisdom and I get to add the music and people are loving it because they already know me. So it's like, wow, I didn't know you had this other thing about you. This is cool, you know? So I put out the singles and...

I started connecting with keynote speakers that are musicians and understanding that there's a whole niche out there of musicians that are speakers. And typically what happens is they are musicians, they gig, you know, and they live that starving artist's life until they find the world of speaking in their life. I can actually charge a bunch of money because I'm different and I can speak and motivate, but with music, which is so moving and touching no matter, you know, it's a new universal.

channel. But in my case, I already have the stories, I already have the lessons, I've already been speaking, and now I get to add the music. So I'm learning from these people, but kind of backwards, how I can incorporate both. And it's been really interesting to see how people resonate and respond to it so much. And it's really reassuring to me, because it makes me see how

unique I really am. You know, like it's almost like the uniqueness I've been looking for since I was born. It's been here all along. It's the singing, but with a message. But the message could only come after immigrating, after having triplets. Like I, it's almost like from a young age, I already wanted to do this and I was meant to do this and I wanted it then and there, you know, but I couldn't because I was so young and I didn't have the life experience, but now I do. So I'm excited.

Kasey (40:55)
Mm -hmm.

Emily (41:15)
Yeah.

Kasey (41:17)
Yeah, I love that. It's like I've always known what I want and that I'm worthy of it. What I don't know and can't control is how and when it will unfold. And what you just said is so powerful. My life up until now, like my soul has always known it's built to sing. I'm meant to be a singer. And everything that's happened on the path along the way has helped me in the becoming of what I've always been meant to be.

Emily (41:19)
It's like.

Marta Spirk (41:28)
Exactly.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah, that's it.

Kasey (41:49)
Wow. Yeah.

Emily (41:49)
Yeah, you're right where you're supposed to be.

Marta Spirk (41:52)
Mm -hmm.

Emily (41:53)
Is there anything we haven't asked you about that you want to share?

Marta Spirk (41:58)
my gosh, I think you've covered everything. Especially with the music piece. Huh?

Emily (42:01)
Yeah.

Kasey (42:01)
I want to hear her sing.

Emily (42:04)
She might need to warm up her vocal cords first. I don't know. I don't know. I'm not a singer.

Kasey (42:04)
I want to hear this.

Marta Spirk (42:09)
I don't know. I guess I could sing one of my songs because that's my property, my intellectual property, because I know at times, you know, with podcasts and things. Well, it's so interesting to what you said, Casey, because I know we don't know each other as much as I know Emily or she knows me. But what you were saying, there is something of this quality about you that I can't put my finger on. And it is a lot of what I've been attempting to convey in my songs and in my lyrics, which again, like I said, it's what I need to hear.

Kasey (42:15)
Yeah.

Emily (42:19)
Yeah.

Kasey (42:27)
Yes.

Marta Spirk (42:39)
But it's through the years when I realized what everybody needs to hear, you know, regardless of their situation growing up, what happened to them, whether they're Brazilian or not, whether they have triplets or not. We all go through challenges and through times when we think that we're not enough, right? That we need to do something else, you know, change something about ourselves. And that doesn't mean we don't get to improve, you know, or look for ways of challenging ourselves, but still. So that's one of my songs. It's called You Are Enough, and I can sing.

few verses.

Kasey (43:10)
I would love that. Yeah.

Emily (43:11)
Where can people find your song?

Marta Spirk (43:13)
Well, they can find it anywhere. So if you look on Spotify, whatever platform you use to listen, iTunes or Apple Music, whatever it's called, you can just Google my name. Just put Marge Spurk and I have two singles out. One is called Show Yourself and the other one is called You Are Now.

Kasey (43:29)
I'm touched. Yes, please give us a line or two.

Marta Spirk (43:30)
I'm sorry.

Okay, well, all right. You are enough, you've done enough. See your greatness, know you're loved. Feel good in your own skin. When everything feels hard, left alone with a broken heart. And no one seems to care. Remember who you are. You have come this far. Count your blessings.

Remember who you are. Look, you've come this far. Sing it with me.

I know

Feel good in my own skin.

Emily (44:15)
Wow, bravo! That's beautiful! yeah, you see, you made Casey cry now. It made me teary.

Marta Spirk (44:18)
Thank you.

Yay!

Emily (44:26)
that's so beautiful. Marta.

Kasey (44:29)
just know your voice is what the world needed today. Starting with me.

Emily (44:35)
You are a gift and there is a thread in everything you do. And Marta also just put out a line of merchandise with you are enough and it really is what the world needs. Thank you. Yeah.

Kasey (44:49)
Yeah.

Marta Spirk (44:49)
Yeah, well thank you for, you asked me, is there anything else? Thank you for remembering, because it's so new I forgot. So yeah, I forgot, you know, t -shirts or I have mugs, all kinds of different things with some of these lyrics that are encouraging and empowering. I have it on my website, marchesberg .com forward slash shop.

Emily (44:54)
Yeah!

Love that. Cool. Casey, anything before I go to our final question?

Kasey (45:11)
I just want to say thank you for tripping into my universe on a day when I really needed medicine that feels like you inspire me.

Marta Spirk (45:19)
My pleasure. Thank you.

Emily (45:19)
Yeah, yeah. So final question, what are you grateful for?

Kasey (45:20)
Thank you.

Marta Spirk (45:24)
Hmm. Well, after all of this, I have to say I'm grateful for my journey, you know, like, gosh, even saying the voluntary challenge, the involuntary challenge, wanting so hard to be where I am today and being like, I needed to go through all of that. And, and I know, you know, like you were saying, whoever's trauma is not doesn't mean your trauma is less or bigger or whatever it is.

I know it's hard for some people to say I needed to go through something tragic, you know, but that's where gratitude really is, is being like, I wouldn't know what I know today had this not had happened. So this is how I find gratitude and that's it. I'm grateful for the highs and the lows.

Emily (46:10)
Thank you for that. That's beautiful. Soulstered Podcast listeners. Remember, you can find us on Instagram. You can email us if you have anything you want to hear about, you have feedback, if you want to suggest a topic for the show, soulsteredpodcast at gmail .com. And please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it just like we did today. Have a great day.

Kasey (46:39)
Take good care of yourselves and each other. Bye.