Episode 2: Why I Left Teaching

TRANSCRIPTION:

Welcome to the Sonia teaches video podcast, where we talk about launching YouTube channels, that you can start generating more sales in your business without working more hours. Welcome to the show.

I'm really excited for today's episode, because I want to talk about my story and what brought me to where I am today. And I hope that you can resonate with this story. And if you do make sure to send me a message on Instagram. At Sonia_teach and tell me what you thought and how you can connect with my story.

So it all started in 2014 when I was a first-year teacher. And I started experiencing a lot of health issues where I wasn't sleeping at night. Um, I was extremely stressed and anxious. I was experiencing knee pain and it was difficult to walk. It was difficult to climb stairs. There was just a lot of things that were kind of like piling on top of each other to a point where it became.

On sustainable for me to, to be in the classroom. And I ended up going on sick leave before the year ended. So I did not complete my first year as a teacher, but I did try to go back actually. So I did ended up going back for my master's degree in special education. And I went back into the classroom thinking like, okay, now that I have my master's degree, It's going to be better this time around, I'm going to try this again in a different environment, closer to home and see how this goes.

So I ended up getting a. Teaching assistant job. I didn't get a full-time teaching job right away. And while I was doing that, the same issues came up, uh, lots of anxiety, lots of tension, that pressure that I was putting on myself to, you know, be the best teacher I could be even as an assistant, um, feeling intense pain in my knees, difficulty walking, standing, things like that.

And it just got to a point where I was like, I, I don't know if I could do this anymore. And. I had, at the end of that school year, I had applied for a teaching job in my district. I didn't get it, but they did offer me a long-term substitute position. So I initially accepted that offer. But then over the summer, my health just completely just got worse.

And I was like, I couldn't drive. It was hard to like, hold the steering wheel. I was experiencing so much pain and I knew that it was time to just. Leave this dream behind and quit and, you know, hope for the best. At that time, I figured I would go back at some point, just maybe part-time or something like that.

And at the same period of time, I got engaged to my now husband and he was living in another state. So I was able to kind of use that as a reason why I was quitting teaching and saying no to the substitute job that I initially accepted. So when that happened, I moved to this new state where I currently live and I.

I was initially looking for jobs outside the home, but then I was in a lot of pain still. So I was like, okay, let's consider something that I could do online. How about online tutoring? And I came across this coach that was tutoring online and teaching other teachers how to do so. So I really resonated with that.

I ran my online tutoring business for a year. And during that time I got married, I got pregnant with my son and. While I was pregnant with my son, I was going to physical therapy. I was experiencing a lot of pain. And during that time, the physical therapist was actually like, Hey, you got. This condition, you have this chronic health condition that's, what's causing your pain.

And it was really a turning point for me because I was like, oh my goodness, I have been suffering for so long. Um, so many people just told me, you know, it's anxiety, it's stress. That's what's causing your knee pain. That's what's causing the physical pain and you're suffering. It's, it's basically like, kind of like they were saying, like, I'm just, it wasn't real almost.

Um, and for, for the first time in my life, Someone was validating that what I was experiencing was real and that it had an explanation not to say that anxiety and things like that. Aren't real because I struggle with that as well. But it was like someone saying, Hey, you know, your knee pain, the physical pain that you're experiencing, there's a reason for it.

It's a genetic condition. It's, you know, your body is structured differently than an, a normal person. This is what's going on. And it was so reassuring to me to get that information. Not only that, but after I had my son, you know, this particular condition gets worse, uh, during pregnancy and after having a child.

And I didn't know that I didn't know what this condition was until I was pregnant. And I'm just going to call it a connective tissue disorder because that's what it is. And so basically. After having my son, I was, you know, still a lot of pain. That's kind of a common theme here. Lots of chronic pain. And it was no longer feasible for me to sit in a chair for long periods of time.

Previously, I was able to. Tutoring sessions on my computer. I would be able to sit for an hour work with a student. And then after I had my son, it was just so painful for me to sit in the chair for more than like half an hour. And my physical therapist was also telling me like, Hey, you need to move around.

You shouldn't be sitting for long periods. You need to get up every 30 minutes. You need to do this and that in order to feel better. So I was realizing like, Hey, this tutoring thing, it's not working. And at the same time, I noticed that a lot of tutors while I was running my online tutoring business were kind of imitating the things that I was doing.

I had a tutor that completely copied my website. And at the time I was so. In theory, but then I took it as like, you know what people are imitating me because they are seeing what I'm doing and they're seeing that it's working. So what if I kind of transitioned into this coaching role where I can help people that are teachers who want to starting tutoring business, I can help teach them how so, you know, I'm getting, I'm monetizing the fact that they're just kind of.

Imitate me what I'm doing basically. And I started taking on coaching clients and it was just a whole game changer for me because my lifestyle really changed. After that point. I was no longer, you know, doing tutoring sessions all the time. I was just meeting with a few clients, you know, charging like a thousand dollars for a three-month package when I started and.

I also started selling digital products. I launched my first course, social media summer kickstart in the summer of 2019. And that was really fun. I had, I think, four students join and then I started selling a digital product starting in September, 2019. And it was a $27 product is still on my website today.

And it changed my life because at the time it wasn't selling super frequently, but. Then the pandemic hit in 2020. And all of a sudden my YouTube channel just blew up. Like before that I only had a couple hundred subscribers and that's amazing if you haven't many. Um, but it just completely took off.

People were desperate to figure out how to tutor online. And they went to my channel. They found my channel as a resource to help them. I actually had someone email me, um, and say that it completely changed his life because he and his wife had lost their jobs. They didn't know what to do. And they were able to set up an online tutoring business just based on my videos, just based on my free content.

And I thought that was so incredible. Like I could just cry thinking about it. Um, Just to know the amount of impact that I could make with a YouTube channel, like people all over the world, we're finding these videos and being able to just continue their careers because of it. And like, you know, having such a monumental impact on their lives lives with.

Such incredible feeling. And not only that, but my digital product started selling a lot. Like the volume of sales became a lot higher and then all of a sudden it went from like, you know, very sporadic to like very consistent because people were seeing a need for online tutoring. And it was really exciting for me.

It was like really exciting experience and. That's kind of what brought me to where I am today. I, you know, initially when I had my YouTube channel, I started it in 2018. I didn't really have any specific goals or plans for it. It wasn't until the, the pandemic, when all of a sudden people really needed the content that I felt inspired and motivated to start creating content on a more consistent basis and really.

Share value with people, help impact people's lives. And then since then I kind of transitioned out of helping teachers started tutoring business. I was kind of getting bored of that. I didn't really want to help people that were just starting their business anymore. I wanted to help establish business owners.

So that's how I got into helping people want you to channels. And that's something I'm really passionate about because I've seen the change that's happened in my. By generating passive income with my digital products. You know, it enables me to just supplement my husband's income because he's the primary income earner.

And it just feels so amazing to wake up in the morning and see that someone has purchased something that I created. Years ago, you know, it's an, a really amazing feeling. I want to empower you to have the experience of making money in your sleep, because it is so powerful and it will change your life.

And before. I started selling digital products on a consistent basis. I didn't think that it was possible for me to sell and make money in my sleep. I was like constantly journaling and writing affirmations about making money in my sleep and money coming easily, but it wasn't quite a reality yet. Um, but now it's become a reality.

It took time, but my YouTube channel, you know, the videos that I've created 20 19 22. They still generate so much traffic for me today. And people continue to buy my tutoring related digital products, even though I'm not talking about tutoring anymore. Like I have completely transitioned to teaching people YouTube.

And my tutoring products still sell consistently because of my old videos. So that's why YouTube is such a powerful tool. And that's why I'm just like telling people, like, please just give this a try. If you enjoy creating video. If you have, if you feel comfortable in front of a camera and you're already being consistent on social media, you know how to create content.

You've been in business a couple of years now, and you're ready to start generating passive income. You're ready to bring in more income streams. Then YouTube is a great avenue for you. And I, you know, I'd love to support you in launching your channel. And I just hope that. Continue to listen to these episodes.

So if you found this episode helpful, make sure to tag me on Instagram, share a screenshot and let me know what your thoughts were. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you in the next one.

I hope you enjoy the show. And if you did remember just subscribe and to stay updated, head over to my Instagram at Sonia underscore I'm Sonia, and I'll see you next time.