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Profit With Purpose by Anna Goldstein

Anna Goldstein is an NYU certified coach, entrepreneur, Huffington Post contributor, former nationally ranked tennis player and author. The Profit With Purpose show is an informative and uplifting podcast where Anna dives into lives of entrepreneurs, healers, and change-makers who are making money through living their purpose. The goal is to provide practical tips to inspire you to be profitable living your life’s purpose. As a student of psychology, new age thinking, meditation, mindfulness techniques and yoga, Anna weaves these spiritual principles into her show. Guests on the podcast have been Mastin Kipp, Kate Northrup, Jairek Robbins, and more. Find out more at: annagoldstein.com
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Profit With Purpose by Anna Goldstein
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Now displaying: 2017
Jun 29, 2017

Natalie Pierson is a certified personal trainer. Natalie has been a long-time fitness trainer as well and also participated in a figure competition a few years ago. We talk about her life experiences in this podcast and how she ended up traveling to India to dive deep in her own spiritual healing and helping people around her to find their inner self through meditation and praying.

 

What influenced your decision to participate in figure competition?

She received an invitation from her friends. Natalie had been a personal trainer for two years back then and felt connected to her body. She wanted to see the possibilities she could do with her body and if she could stick to a clean diet for the competition. Natalie hired herself a coach to prepare for the competition.

 

What did your clean diet look like?

Natalie had a regimented diet plan. She would have timed meals for her. In breakfast, she would eat three eggs along with spinach. Three hours later she would eat four ounces of fish with green beans followed by three-ounce chicken three hours later. Everything was super precise. It was very hard initially but Natalie fell in love with the process later. The actual experience of standing on the stage comes and goes, but the effort that she put in leading to the competition was worth it. Natalie used to train twice in a day, in morning and in evening. She would help her clients in the afternoon as well.

 

What was it like to stand on the stage and be judged for your external image?

There was a part of Natalie liked it because she worked and trained hard for it. Although at one point she did realize, she started to view herself as an object as well and had to make sure she was in the best shape of herself so people would look at her and appreciate her based on external appearance. Natalie was in the top ten in the competition and performed very well for a beginner.

 

What did you learn about yourself in the process?

Natalie enjoyed the process of training. Natalie learned that she had the ability to adapt herself per the situation. She realized that when she sets her mind on something, she can achieve it. She realized she could discipline herself and put all her focus on things she really wanted to do. She realized she always wanted to learn more about her core, her deep inner-self and the competition helped her in this regard. The continuous struggle to know more about her core values led her to practice yoga.

 

What did you do after the figure competition?

Natalie got into yoga practice. She had been doing it for 12-15 years but was not a regular practitioner. She had heard of some of her friends who had traveled to India to learn yoga and she wished she could do the same. She eventually packed her bags and left for India exactly seven months after she had participated in the figure competition. On her arrival in India, Natalie went straight to an ashram and lived there for some time. She left behind her job and her apartment.

 

What is it like to live in an Ashram?

Natalie met people from all over the world in the ashram. It is like a house where you must do chores. You have certain duties to perform and should not expect someone else to do your work. There is a schedule that you must follow.

 

Describe a typical day in an Ashram:

Natalie would wake up at 5 in the morning and would follow all the Ayurvedic practices like cleansing her body, taking a shower early in the morning. After that, she would gather with her group in an outdoor courtyard where they would meditate and perform mantra in a group. After that, Natalie used to walk by the Ganga River which was near the ashram. She would connect with nature, and come back around 8AM back to Ashram. In this time, she could go to the nearby shops, prepare food for her lunch or attend lectures by a lady in Ashram. She would talk about Bhagavad Gita, a classic book written in Sanskrit.

 

How did it feel to come back to New York from India?

It was hard for Natalie to come back because life in New York is a fast-paced life. In New York, you have to make things happen, there is no room for error or mistake. In India, she was taught to just sit and be with herself, learn about herself and it was completely different. She had learned these new tools like yoga and meditation but did not know how she could integrate them into her practice. With the help of a few private clients who had known Natalie from a long time, she was able to resume her practice in Ney York as a personal trainer. Slowly and gradually she started to bring in more yoga elements in her practice and in her personal training program.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you?

Living her purpose means living authentically and living a transparent life that she is satisfied and happy with. She loves what she does and she thinks that is her biggest achievement.

 

What is the best advice you have been given?

The best advice for her is to come back to yourself, to come back to your heart. You are responsible for your joy and happiness. The key to happiness is to take that self-responsibility and realize you are solely responsible for your own joy.

 

How can we connect with you?

 

You can follow her through her website. Her website’s URL is

http://integratedform.com/

You can also register for an upcoming event of personal training from the following link.

https://whoami.nyc/

Other Links

Modrn Sanctuary 

12 West 27th St. 9FL. NYC 

To Book :  (212) 675-9355 

Monday  12-8pm 

Thursday 12-8pm 

 

East River Pilates

235 S. 1st st. Brooklyn

Take a Class with Natalie 

 

'WHO AM I?'

Next Event : July 29th 

6:30- 8:30pm 

Sacred Sounds Yoga 

163 Bleecker St. 

 

Kahlil Gibran - POEM

'On Love'

Read this, and memorized it while in India. 

My favorite poem. 

Jun 22, 2017

Arlene Alvarez is a financial advisor, financial coach and an author of a book as well. Arlene talks about her childhood, the struggles she faced initially and how she has transformed her life to become a successful entrepreneur. She has been working within the financial services industry for almost thirty years. She has been a Financial Advisor since 1997 working at both Wells Fargo Wealth Management (2005 – 2015) and Citibank/Citicorp Investment Services (1993 – 2005). Prior to that, her background was mostly in Retail and Private Banking with a few years of experience in Human Resources. In 2015, Arlene made the decision to take the entrepreneurial route and establish her own Independent Wealth Management Practice with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Inspired by the opportunity to establish her own business under the renowned integrity of the Raymond James brand; Arlene runs her practice utilizing a “financial coach philosophy.” She tailors each client’s individual financial plan according to their experience, investment psychology, and risk tolerance and strives to educate, clarify and review in detail all investment options so that clients feel comfortable with the important investment decisions they are making.

 

Arlene believes in living life to the fullest and is dedicated to helping her clients to do the same. She recently became a member of the United Way Women’s Leadership Council and obtained her Certified Divorce Coach Certification to better represent the topic of her book which focuses on empowering women. She is happiest when inspiring others and is dedicated to purposefully maximizing her roles as a mother, Financial Advisor, Author and Coach to making life a richer experience for everyone she meets.     

 

Background

 

Arlene was born in Miami, however, her parents were originally from Cuba. When her parent left Cuba for the USA they left all their riches in Cuba as well. Her parents did not know much about the USA, about the language and culture when they moved from Cuba. Her family had to start over in the USA, her father’s first job was that of an accountant. Arlene had a difficult childhood in terms of money. However, she believes her parents worked hard for their children and made sure they get proper and good private education. Nevertheless, Arlene spent her teenage years dealing with money crisis and was only about 14 years old when she started working part time to buy herself good clothes and things her parents could not afford so she could keep up with everyone in high school. Arlene says she learned the value of a dollar very early in her life and how important it is to be independent in your life.

 

Can you tell us a bit about your first job?

 

Arlene was 14 years old when she started working for herself. She would do some modeling work on the weekends, put on some fashions shows. She also worked in stores, spraying perfumes and worked in a retail store. Arlene had barely graduated from high school when she started working in a bank so she could afford her college education. It was a full day job and she had to attend her college at night. She would come back home late at night around 10 pm. Arlene says she learned a lot of things during these arduous periods in her life. She believes these experiences make you strong as an individual and define your character.

 

Were you financially empowered when you got divorced?

 

She wasn’t making a lot of money back when she got divorced. She was also studying for her investment licenses and had just started working as a financial advisor. When she split, she didn’t go after her husband’s family money. Arlene felt extremely motivated after the divorce realizing she could not rely on anyone and work hard for herself. The year she split with her husband was the year she made six figures.

 

What mindset helped you earn six figures as a single mom?

 

Arlene says she raised the bar for herself and she knew she could do it. She started following financial advisors who were already successful in their field and had already done wonders in it. She would meet with them, interact with them and ask for valuable suggestions. One of these financial advisors would turn out to be her future husband who Arlene believes helped her a lot to become a successful financial advisor.

 

What advice has helped you become a successful financial advisor?

 

Arlene says he taught her the basics and the most important aspects of a good financial advisor. He asked her to be transparent to her clients, explain properly what it is you are offering and why. Make sure to always listen to them, that is the best thing you can do with your clients. You want to know about their fears, their goals etc.

 

Can you give us an example of what you do?

 

There are a lot of people who invest in different businesses and firms but are not happy with the results. Arlene’s clients are almost always people who have had to experience an unsuccessful investment. She acts as a consultant to these people, helps them identify their problems. In her first meeting with the client, Arlene prefers to listen to her client, take a lot of notes and then bring up the solution to the problem. Arlene believes there is a big need for people to understand their finance now. People need to understand what their investments are worth.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you?

Arlene says she tries to live every day of her life to its fullest. She tries to make sure she contributes somehow every day. She tries to learn something new, tries to do something great every day and make sure she enjoys the day. Living life to its fullest and not thinking of the future, rather investing all her time and energy in that day is what living her purpose is all about.

 

What is the best advice you have been given?

 

Her father once told her that if you cannot say something good about somebody, don’t say anything at all. The second-best advice is something she got from one of her earliest clients who said, “Arlene you have a great light inside yourself, you have great energy, there is so much you want to say, just take the time and say it slowly so people can understand and learn from you.” Arlene says she used to speak very fast and the way she speaks now is nothing compared to how she used to speak a few years ago.

 

How can we connect with you?

 

Her website’s URL is

 

https://www.raymondjames.com/enrichmentwealthmanagement/

 

Jun 15, 2017

Brigit Viksnins specializes in aligning bodies with blueprints of health, and releasing held traumatic imprints. Brigit created the professional training program Alchemical Alignment, which uses interactive, awareness-oriented bodywork, metaphysical and Aikido principles, and verbal trauma resolution skills.  She attended Georgetown University for both undergraduate and graduate school.  

Since 1996, Brigit has had a successful private bodywork practice.  Her work helps decompress, organize and heal the various deep levels upon which the physical body is based. Her latest projects include developing in-person and online Quiet Empowerment classes for everyone, as well as a six-level professional training program for some of the deepest patterns in the core of the body -- with a colleague, Kate White -- called Pre and Perinatal Dynamics for Private Practice

When did you realize you wanted to become a healer?

Her grandfather was a healer and lived in Soviet occupied Latvia. People would come to him for help and bring with them eggs and chickens from the farm as a gift. Brigit says she spent her childhood listening to these stories related to her grandfather. There was this moment in her life when she almost had a revelation that she should follow her grandfather’s footsteps and become a healer as well.

Brigit first went to a massage school and studied about details of pathology. She then learned about biodynamic craniosacral therapy.

What is craniosacral therapy?

There are two main schools of craniosacral therapy. Brigit studied and practices biodynamics craniosacral therapy. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy is about a person’s health.  Our body is intelligent and has an inherent blueprint. Biodynamic craniosacral therapy is a hands-on treatment for the whole body, especially the nervous system. Brigit says that when a person experiences a shock or a trauma, your body starts making compensations for it. People with hands-on skills can feel where energetic blocks are within your body.

Can you talk a little about our body’s security system system?

Brigit believes our bodies are sentient, conscious and intelligent on all levels. Our bodies are designed in such a way that you can interact with them, as well as interactively work with other person’s body to see what is going inside their body. Whenever we experience some sort of injury or a shock, our body withholds the effects of it.

Can you share your experience of your scar work?

Brigit has done a lot of scar work. Brigit invites clients to share details and memories of the event or accident that resulted in the scar. Sometimes it feels like if the scar is holding all the memory and by a gentle touch, you may enable the patient to relive the whole moment again.

What are your best practices for maintaining your own energy?

In her earlier days when Brigit started her practice, she started experiencing a tingle up her arm and felt like she had activated her inner energy. She was working with an intense client who was in a lot of pain. The buzzing went up her shoulders, and one night it hit her in the heart and it was painful. She really had to learn many things so how she could work with people and not suck things out of other people and take on their experiences.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

Living her purpose means being in alignment with what she does and following what she loves to do. She talks about self-care, her continuous growth as an individual and living a healthy lifestyle for which she practices Akido every morning. Brigit says if she can maintain that kind of lifestyle for herself, for her students, clients and her children, then she is living her life to its purpose.

What is the best advice you have been given?

Brigit firmly believes in the following quote by Gandhi

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” She believes the real change starts from within ourselves.

How can we connect with you?

You can know more about her work through her website. Her website’s URL is

http://maintainalignment.com/

She also has a Facebook page.

Following is the URL

https://www.facebook.com/AlchemicalAlignment/

Jun 8, 2017

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E®, a time coaching, and training company that empowers individuals to achieve more success with less stress. She has worked with coaching and training clients on six continents and is the author of The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment published by McGraw-Hill and How to Invest Your Time Like Money published by Harvard Business Review.  Elizabeth is a contributor to  Lifehacker, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and 99U and has appeared on ABC, CBS, and FOX Business. She also has spoken to thousands of individuals, including speaking after Steve Forbes at a business retreat. Stiletto Woman named Elizabeth one of the “Top 25 Amazing Women of the Year.”

 

Background 

 

Elizabeth started out as an entrepreneur in 2007. She started her work in journalism, would write for different newspapers. She had this amazing talent of photo styling so she was also working for some magazines and marketing companies. Elizabeth loved doing her work, had a lot of clients and was the owner of a flourishing business. However, after about two years in the business, she experienced a burnout because of the fact that she was always burdened with her work and barely got any time left for other activities in her life. There was no concept of a holiday or a weekend in Elizabeth’s life. That is when she realized she needed more control and grip on her life than she already had. She made sure she disciplined her working hours, would only work for a fixed number of hours per day and indulge in other important activities of her life. Her other entrepreneur friends were impressed with how Elizabeth had transformed her life and was making the most productive use of her time through proper time management. They asked her to train them as well and that is how this facet of her business was born. She has been coaching people from the beginning of 2009 and has helped clients all over the world.

 

What strategies do you employ to help people manage time:

 

The very first thing you need to clarify is your priorities. In her book ‘The three secrets to effective time investment’, she talks about clarifying action-based priorities. Each person has different priorities and Elizabeth helps them put their priorities into action. Look at things from most important to least important, organize things per that criteria and then invest your time in different activities in accordance with the priority associated with that activity.

 

Why do so many people find it difficult to manage their time properly:

 

Many people have a time problem and do not have enough time to do things. The reason they do not get time to do enough things is because they refuse to prioritize. It is always better for people to say something is not a priority rather than not being able to do it and then feel guilty about it. Elizabeth says that you either make it a priority and do it or not, just live your life guilt free. She shares her experience of how she loves doing exercise but it is not at the top of her priority list. So, when she does not get a chance to do exercise, she does not feel guilty about it because Elizabeth has set her priorities accordingly.

 

Can you speak a little about mindset around time and the how to overcome the crippling emotions:

 

Elizabeth talks a lot about these crippling emotions in her book ‘The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment’. She talks about the guilt and fear and about the healthy positive emotions to have like realistic optimism. You can find a lot about overcoming guilt and fear in her first book and all those things. The best way to deal with these emotions is to think realistically and accept the fact that everything won’t work out the way we expect it to be. Do not become a victim of the circumstances. Realistic optimism means you are willing to prioritize things, manage your time and try to spend more time in activities you love doing, but you also accept the fact that it’s not easy to make changes, it’s not an easy thing to establish new habits, to stay focused. You need to keep trying, you can only fail when you stop trying.

 

In her upcoming book ‘Divine Time Management: Replacing Control with Trust, Love, and Alignment with God’, Elizabeth talks more about a spiritual approach to managing your time. She talks about how important it is to believe that there is a higher power who loves you, cares for you and we should stop being the god of our lives. Elizabeth had this limiting belief that in entrepreneurship you should work very hard and put in a lot of effort to get the right results. But she says that if we believe in a higher power, things get easier for us. She shares her experience of writing this book. She didn’t rush herself into things, would work on the proposal every Wednesday and thought to herself that she would complete the proposal only when it is meant to be completed. It took her 4 to 5 months to complete the proposal and she got a publishing contract with Hachette. She felt like it was God all along helping her achieve all this at a steady pace and not rushing into things.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you:

 

For Elizabeth, living her purpose means being aligned with God and with her faith and doing her time management coaching. She loves helping people deal with stress and deal with time management issue.

 

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with the listeners:

Elizabeth talks about trying new things in life and to be not afraid of failure in life. She says we can learn a lot from failure and come back stronger next time. Elizabeth says she encourages people to take actions and to bring change in their life. Success is not guaranteed on every attempt but every time you come across a major setback, consider it a stepping stone towards success. Failure is nothing but an opportunity for you to overcome your weaknesses and come back stronger

 

How can we connect with you:

 

Her website’s URL is

http://reallifee.com/

You can also communicate with her via her email. Her email id is

esaunders@reallifee.com

 

Apps mentioned:

https://trello.com

https://wunderlist.com

https://en.todoist.com

https://www.focuster.com

 

 

Jun 1, 2017

Rachel Harvest grew up as a dancer but eventually left the dancing world. Rachel is now an entrepreneur based in New York. She is a health and lifestyle coach, dietitian and founder of ‘The Harvest Method’. We talk about the harvest method in the podcast as well. Rachel also talks about her eating disorder that led her to leave the dance world and talks about her treatment for the disorder.

 

When did you start dancing?

 

Rachel was a middle kid in the family, she had an older and a younger brother. She also recalls that there were no girls in the neighborhood as well. Out of the fear of Rachel becoming a tomboy, her aunt took her to her first ballet class when Rachel was only three years old. Rachel was seven years old when she realized she loved ballet dancing and hoped of becoming a ballerina one day. By the time she was ten, she would dance every single day.

 

How did you think growing up as a dancer impacted your life?

 

Rachel says she learned a lot of things when she took the path of becoming a ballerina. She says she will forever be grateful for the discipline she learned through her dancing. When you dance, the idea of perfectionism and technique and the way it is meant to be done, it is so ingrained in you. You are constantly taught that you can always do better, there is no limit.

 

What did your lowest point look like when you had an eating disorder?

 

The lowest point for her was that she knew she had suffered a lot of loss and pain in her life. She had convinced herself that her joy lied in becoming a ballerina. All of it turned into a nightmare, she had pushed her body to extreme limits for ballet dancing and it was all for nothing. Rachel developed an eating disorder in the meantime and had to seek treatment for her compulsive behavior towards food.

 

What does your spiritual practice mean to you?                 

 

Rachel defines her spiritual practice as something that has helped her to connect with herself and people around her. Rachel says she has had different moments in her life, ups and downs both. There was a time in her life when she was an aspiring ballet dancer when she had a great relationship with her mother. But things change, and they changed for Rachel as well. It is during these moments when she let loneliness creep into her life and suffered from confusion and disillusion. Rachel says she is in her best spiritual practice when she does not feel alone or in illusion when she can connect with herself, with people around her and find meaning to different things in her life.

 

What is the harvest method?

 

The name harvest method is like the face of her business. Rachel’s last name is also Harvest so it is with reference to her name as well. In short, Harvest method is a program, a collection of methods that Rachel use in her client’s assistance. After she left the dance world, Rachel became a dietitian and a behavioral health coach. Harvest method is a program that helps you put your life on a path full of wellness that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit. In this program, Rachel brings in all her experience she has gained as a dancer and afterward as a health coach. This program involves one on one nutrition, lifestyle and mindfulness coaching along with physical fitness coaching including Pilates and movement classes.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you?

 

For Rachel, living her purpose means the ability to express herself and be herself in everything she does. Rachel believes her purpose is also to inspire other people through her actions, loving herself and the people around her and helping people find the right balance in their lives.

 

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

 

The famous quote by Thich Nhat Hanh “No mud no lotus” is Rachel’s favorite quote. She says she has come across many challenges and difficulty in her life, and there was this specific moment in her life when she almost submitted to her challenges and difficulties when one of her close friends shared this quote with her. From that day, onwards, this quote has become more of a mantra for Rachel.

 

How can we connect with you?

 

Her website’s URL is

www.theharvestmethod.com

 

You can find more stuff on her website, know about her upcoming programs, sign up for newsletters.

 

You can find her on Instagram. Her Instagram handle is

https://www.instagram.com/theharvestmethod/

 

You can also follow her on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Harvest_Method

 

For her Facebook page, visit the following link

https://www.facebook.com/TheHarvestMethod/

May 25, 2017

Jennifer Racciopi is a Duke Certified Integrative Health Coach, a Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor, a Registered Yoga Teacher, a Women’s Hormonal Health Coach, and has deeply immersed herself in the transformational studies of positive psychology. She combines her love of evidence-based science with a profound understanding of the ancient science of the stars. She is the creator of the Lunar Logic Methodology, we’ll get to know your authentic, deep down, self—your strengths, your weaknesses, your truths and your mission.

 

Background

 

Jennifer talks about her childhood in the start of the podcast. She says she was always adventurous and curious, even as a kid. According to her sister, Jennifer wanted to be a life coach from her childhood. Jennifer says she had a complicated childhood, especially during her puberty when she felt like her body was not ready to enter the next phase of her life. Jennifer says she had irregular menstrual cycles, was sick for most of her teenage years and certainly was not a happy teenager during that phase. The hormonal deregulation that Jennifer had, turned out to be a precursor for cancer and Jennifer was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer during her teenage years. Jennifer had various surgeries in her treatment, which had some serious side effects. One of these surgeries put her in menopause and she was just nineteen at that time.

 

How did you begin your healing process?

 

Jennifer says healing begins when we decide we have to heal. It comes in many ways; she thinks she is still healing twenty years later. She felt like she had to get back to her life and do things the normal way but soon she felt like there was no life to get back to, her purpose had been decimated. During this phase in her life, Jennifer traveled a lot, from Africa to Europe and finally settled down in West Coast, permanently moving to San Diego. Jennifer says living in San Diego helped her a lot to find her purpose and to recover. Probably, the biggest change in Jennifer’s life was when she became obsessed with the moon and her cycles. Jennifer was able to synchronize her life and her

activities, with the phases of the moon. It helped her regrow, and become herself again.

 

What does it mean to live life according to lunar cycles?

 

The moon has a new phase, a waxing phase, a full phase and a waning phase. It is very important to understand these four phases and they synchronize perfectly with a woman’s body. Learning about these phases for Jennifer meant learning how to artificially recreate what she lost from her hormonal rhythm. Jennifer realized that since she had gynecological cancer and no ovaries and uterus, so she did not cycle at all, as a normal woman does.

New phase corresponds to menstrual phase, slowing down a bit and nurturing your body. The waxing phase corresponds to follicular phase; the full moon corresponds to ovulation. The waning phase follows the full moon and corresponds to luteal phase. Encrypted in these phases are the patterns and rhythms that can help us live our lives properly. The cycle of creation is not linear. When Jennifer realized there is a lunar influence on her behavior and how her body behaves, it helped her work with her mood and body, helped her create her life in a way that had rhythm and purpose.

 

How can you help someone find his or her rhythm?

 

Jennifer specifically talks about Corporate America while answering this question. This is because working in a 9 to 5 job requires you to put in a lot of hard work and energy. You have to work around the clock and sometimes it becomes difficult to find the right rhythm for your body while working in big corporations. Before working as an astrologer and a life coach, Jennifer worked in the corporate business in America. She loved her work ethic and routine. One of the reasons she left corporate America was because she had a massive burnout. Jennifer shares her story of how she loved working with her headphones on, listening to music and that increased her work productivity. When a newly appointed superior posed objections on Jennifer’s method of increasing her work productivity (the usage of headphones), Jennifer felt like her personal space had been violated. Jennifer says she had this moment where an inner voice asked her to stop pushing for more in the corporate world because it was not meant for her. Finding the perfect rhythm in Corporate America is a bit tricky. It is tricky because there is just too much workload and you are expected to be at work at 8 am in morning and work till 7 pm. Things can be done to schedule our time, some of it has to do with what your position is in the corporate world. If you are new in the organization, relatively junior in terms of authority and rank, you have to push yourself harder for a better position. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to be compliant and there is no other option, make sure you do not stress out. Stress itself is not a threat to our health; it is how we perceive it that matters. Jennifer talks about Dr. Kelly McGonigal’s book, ‘The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It’. She talks about productively working with stress in the book. In the corporate world, you will often find yourself in a position where you have to be compliant and it will mess up with your rhythm, so in such situations try to understand the end game. Ask yourself questions like why do you need to be compliant? What is the upside of working contradictory to your body needs? So do not cause additional harm to your body. Lack of recovery from stress also causes damage. Talk to yourself positively about how to withstand the demands on your body.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you?

 

Living her purpose means understanding and honoring her values, giving herself the permission to change her purpose. Jennifer says she has a different purpose for different circumstances in her life. Jennifer says living her purpose means having a purpose for everything she does in her life in accordance with her core values.

 

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

 

The best advice she has been given is a quote from Warren Bennis in which he talks about leadership. According to Warren Bennis, leadership development is personal development and leadership is knowing who you are and being who you are.

 

How can we connect with you?

 

You can find her on her website. Her website’s URL is

http://jenniferracioppi.com/

 

You can also find her on Instagram. Her Instagram handle is

https://instagram.com/jennracioppis/

May 18, 2017

Priscilla Stephan is an Intuitive Business Strategist and Leading From Your Soul Facilitator. She helps leaders who have hit an upper limit in their businesses step into their next level of leadership and create more impact and revenue with grace, joy, and ease. She believes that the most important quality in business (and in life) is the courage to embrace all of who you are and to embody your mission unapologetically.

Background

Priscilla is in her third iteration of her current business. Her first business was importing fashion accessories and handbags from Brazil. Priscilla was born in Brazil and she loved the fashion accessories over there. Back then, she had a regular job and Priscilla would feel her creativity did not have a proper outlet to be expressed and that is why she started that business. Her first business lasted for three years and it took her about five years before she started her second business as a health coach in which she helped women with emotional eating. When she came to know about Akashic records and its power of how it can help her and people around her, she rebranded her business and became an intuitive business strategist. She mainly helps her clients connect with themselves at a deeper level and expand their business by being aligned to their true deeper desires in accordance with their souls.

How would you advise someone to connect deeply with their soul?

You can connect with yourself at a deeper level through many ways. The best way is to get quiet whether it just means sitting on a chair and breathing, or lying down in your bed or walking. Priscilla is able to generate ideas and connect with her soul by walking quietly and contemplating the meaning of life. Meditation can also help you increase your focus, concentrate on things and connect with your soul at a deeper level. Yoga can also help to connect with your inner self.

Just like your body, your soul is always there to talk to you. A great way to connect with your soul is to ask questions from your soul.  You can ask the soul of your business. You can ask the soul your soul. You can ask the soul of a book, of what would you like next.

What does ‘leading from your soul’ mean to you?

Leading from your soul means knowing that you have an amazing truth within you and you can turn incredible ideas into reality with your abilities. It means using our talents and abilities to change the world. It means understanding the fact that you are naturally designed with unique gifts, motivation, purpose, strengths and challenges and that you are supposed to make a great contribution to the betterment of this planet.

What are the Akashic records?

Akashic records are also known as ‘The Book of Life’. There is space in the ether; it is like a library of your soul. It contains all the information about all the experiences you have had in your life, all the thoughts that have crossed your mind, every action you have taken. Anyone can be trained to access his or her Akashic records. There are 28 different archetypes in Akashic records. These archetypes help you understand how you are naturally designed to lead in your life.

What does it take to be a great leader?

To become a leader you must have the willingness to be a leader.  Priscilla believes leadership is about contribution, and she believes everyone is a leader because we all contribute. Even a homeless person is a leader because they contribute to our desire and willingness to be generous to them. A schoolteacher, a president, a CEO, a coach, a healer, all our leaders because they all contribute to a greater cause. However, we have to acknowledge the fact that you are contributing to this world one way or another. The ultimate concept of leadership is about knowing that we have the potential to expand beyond our businesses and to contribute to the greater good in this world.

Do you think leadership is a skill people can develop?

Priscilla believes we are all born to lead because we all naturally contribute. Many of us have a disempowering perception about leadership that you are supposed to have some sort of experience to become a leader or to accomplish something great before becoming a leader. Leadership is just a desire to change the world, no matter how big or small the desire is. You just have to acknowledge that you can contribute to someone in this world with your talents and abilities.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Priscilla, living her purpose means being happy, being herself and never giving up. Her life’s mission and purpose is very simple and she believes the most profound things in life are simple and we do not need to overcomplicate them.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Her mother asked her to always trust herself and believe in herself. This is what she teaches her clients as well, to know what you know and trust what you know.

How can we connect with you?

You can find more about her from her website. Her website’s URL is

http://priscillastephan.com/

May 11, 2017

Divya Alter is the Co-Founder & Director of Ayurvedic Health & Culinary Arts at Bhagavat Life. Divya has cooked in yoga ashrams and temples in India, Europe and the U.S. for 25 years. She has been teaching Ayurvedic vegetarian cooking in New York City since 2009 and is a regular faculty at the New York Open Center. She and her husband recently opened New York’s authentic Ayurvedic café in Manhattan called Divya’s Kitchen. She also is the author of the new book What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen - 100 Seasonal Recipes.

 

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is the oldest holistic healing science in the world. It was originated in what is today known as India about 5000 years ago. One of the goals of Ayurveda is to help human beings maintain balance at emotional, physical, mental and spiritual level. It helps integrate ourselves at all these levels. The concept to maintain balance varies from person to person. Each one of us has our own reference for balance depending on our body type and depends on the lifestyle we have. Each one of us has our balancing factors and we have our stressing factors. What is balancing for one person might not be the same for someone else.

 

How would you know where to start if you want to become more balanced?

The first step is to identify your needs, identify what is missing in your life. Divya particularly focuses on Ayurvedic aspects of food and she helps people identify what food is good for them and can help them create more balance physically and mentally. The best assessment would be to have a trained Ayurvedic practitioner read your pulse. A practitioner will be able to identify what energies are out of balance, what you need to fix them. In her book ‘What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen’ Divya takes a very simple journey of how food can help you maintain balance on four different levels. She talks about four different types of digestion according to Ayurveda. It is easier for us to identify what digestion we have rather than what kind of body type we have. Divya helps people identify their digestion so they can eat according to their digestion.

 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to eat according to the seasons?

Divya says that as we need to change our clothes according to the season, it is very important we change our diet with the season. Like in the spring season, when the temperatures warm up, there is more humidity in the air and the atmosphere is heavier than usual, it is better if we eat food that is lighter in fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Leafy greens are very good for the spring season. They are detoxifying as well as good for the digestive tract. Divya says we should also eat food more spicy food. We should cook with more spices because it will help us to release any sluggishness we accumulate during winters. We should also have lighter grains like millet and barley. They are very nourishing and lighter for our system.

 

Where does meat fit into Ayurveda?

Ayurveda never supported meat industry and the concept of all the slaughterhouses. In Ayurveda, meat is prescribed as medicine, not as mass consumption. Ayurveda also says that if someone is trying to become more compassionate and go deep in his or her spiritual journey, then a vegetarian diet is more recommended because it is the least cruel diet.

 

How did you get started on the entrepreneurial journey?

Divya’s cooking journey began when she was 18 years old. She was looking for a yoga studio in Bulgaria. Back then, everything spiritual in Bulgaria was forbidden so Divya had a lot of trouble finding a yoga studio. She eventually found an underground yoga studio in Bulgaria and became an intern in a kitchen of that studio. In the process, she fell in love with cooking and she would cook for 30 to 60 people. Her love for yoga and eagerness to learn it took her to India where she lived and studied yoga for five years. She continued to learn cooking in India as well. During her time in India, she became very sick and came across an Ayurvedic doctor who helped Divya eat the right food for her body. That is when she first experienced food as a medicine for her body. When she came to New York about ten years ago, she started teaching cooking classes along with her husband. She gradually grew in her business and now she has her own cooking school. Her focus in these classes is to teach Ayurvedic principles for cooking food. She opened her Ayurvedic restaurant six months ago and she is the executive chef in the restaurant.

 

What is the simplest easy meal that someone can make and is clean to eat?

First, select the best quality ingredients for your food. Do not use canned or frozen food. You can make soup as it contains a high amount of proteins. You can make any vegetable dish as well. There is a dish in Ayurveda and it is called Kitchari. It is very quick to make, nutritious and easy to digest. You can make Kitchari in 30-40 minutes.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Divya, living her purpose means doing what makes her happy and fulfilled. She says she needs to have a continuous feeling of being in service to others if she is living her life to its purpose.

 

What is the best advice you have been given?

The best advice she has been given is to be herself and to do what she loves doing. She believes she can only live her life on purpose if she stays natural and authentic.

 

How can we connect with you?

 

Her website’s URL is

http://divyaskitchen.com/

 

You can also find her on Facebook from through the following URL

https://www.facebook.com/divyaskitchennyc/?ref=bookmarks

 

Her Instagram handle is

https://www.instagram.com/divyaskitchennyc/

 

You can find out more about her book from the following link

https://www.amazon.com/What-Eat-How-You-Feel/dp/0847859681

May 4, 2017

Jen Mazer has helped dozens of women entrepreneurs live out their dreams by helping them manifest their biggest dreams. Jen is known as ‘Queen of Manifestation’ among her peers and friends. This is because Jen herself has dreamt of some unbelievable adventures and managed to live them out.

How do you describe manifestation? 

Jen says we are all manifesting whether we realize it or not. Jen believes manifestation is co-creating with the universe, setting your intention to what you want and then allowing it to come into being. Manifestation is your thoughts creating your reality, and if you set the intentions for what you want in your life, you can co-create it in the universe. The thing about manifestation is that even if you are not consciously setting your intentions, your thoughts are still unconsciously creating your reality. Jen believes manifestation is a very easy process than we make it out to be. All manifestation comes from our imagination.

How can you help someone know what they want in their life?

You do not need to overcomplicate it. Start with small things, things that make you happy. Think of a few things that you can do for hours and not get bored with it. Think of things that people come to you for and ask for your advice. Try to look for things that give you joy. The things that excite you differ for every person so you have to figure it out yourself.

How can someone open up his or her imagination?

Jen has specifically talked about this in her book ‘Manifesting Made Easy.' There are ways through which you can open up and get a clear perspective on what you want. Journaling is one of the best ways to clear your thoughts and think properly. Get a paper and write down things that you love, divide things into categories of your life like your health, home, your relationship, your career, your community and then think for every category and write it down. This activity really helps you get a clear perspective, especially for people who are having trouble knowing what they want in their lives.

What do you do if someone has a desire to manifest something but fear stops him or her from manifesting?

 

All of us have limiting beliefs. One should not feel bad about these limiting belief or be afraid to embrace them. Our limiting beliefs always help us grow and learn. Although it might seem like an obstacle, it is an opportunity for you to grow as an individual. Every obstacle is always an opportunity. Sometimes, these blockages and limiting beliefs are because of the people around us. It might not be your limiting belief; it could be because of your parents, or something someone told you. If it is your belief, you can use various methods to let go of this belief. Two famous methods are Sedona Method, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT uses your acupuncture points.

 

What is the wildest thing you think you have manifested?

 

Jen has manifested quite a lot of things and that is why her friends gave her the name ‘Queen of Manifestation’. Jen lived rent free in Manhattan in an apartment in the East Village for ten years. She tells her amazing story in the podcast of how she got to live rent free in an apartment and how that led to her creating websites for all the vegan restaurants in New York. Creating websites helped her a lot when she started her own business as she could create her website on her own and maintain her social presence on Internet.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Jen, living her purpose means feeling good about what she is doing and waking up every morning having that feeling that she is aligned with her work. She feels like she has to fulfill different roles in her life as an entrepreneur and as a mom. As an entrepreneur, she thinks she has to help her clients remove all the blockages and manifest things they desire. When she is with her daughter, it is her purpose to help her. Jen thinks it is very important to be present in the moment. 

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

The best advice she has been given is to follow her heart and do what she loves doing in her life.

How can we connect with you?

Her website’s URL is

http://queenofmanifestation.com/

You can find more about her work through her website. You can also find more information about her book ‘Manifesting Made Easy’ via her website. You can also read a complete chapter of her book free.

You can also find her on Facebook.

 

https://www.facebook.com/QueenOfManifestation/

 

Her twitter handle is

 

https://twitter.com/jenmazer

 

You can also find her on Pinterest.

 

https://www.pinterest.com/jenmazer/

Apr 27, 2017

My guest for today’s podcast is Ali Rittenhouse who helps entrepreneurs in marketing. She is an online business coach and a launch strategist who has helped thousands of entrepreneurs set up their business in online domain and convert their programs into profits. Marketing is one of those things that help you uniquely identify yourself in the market. The principle that forms the basis of marketing is that you do not have to wait for people to come to you for your services; you have to be out there and promote your business.

Background

Ali is a high-school dropout, a college dropout and a teen mom as well. The year she started her business is the year she got divorce as well and moved in with her mother. There were many reasons that led to Ali making these rash decisions and it goes on to show that sometimes, even smart people take wrong decisions.  Ali knew she had much more potential than just being a high-school dropout.

She started getting her GED in the meantime.  She went to the nearest library, got a GED preparation book. After the birth of her daughter, she could not really take things further with her GED. Ali realized she had to change the way of things. She had a job where she got 6 dollars per hour and she felt miserable. She decided to enroll in a GED class in a nearby school. Within a few months, Ali started college and for her, it felt great to back in school and work hard for grades. The problem, however, for Ali was that she still had no idea what she really wanted to do with her life and taking all of these classes meant nothing. Through this process, Ali found a job that introduced her to the world of technology and she eventually took some web design classes at college. Life again rather took over, her daughter was starting school, and now she had to drop out of college. Ali felt like she had no purpose at that point in her life. Someone suggested her to look into the broader domain of virtual assistance online. Ali spent quite some time researching about virtual assistance and wanted to start a virtual assistance business. She eventually had to take the leap and find ways to start her business.  She got a 20-week training of starting virtual assistance business and that allowed her to start this business.

How did you get your first client?

Ali thinks her first client was a disaster. It was a referral from a friend. Her friend was working with this person and she introduced Ali to a client who she thinks was not her ideal client. Ali recalls it was a terrible experience, and their interaction only lasted for six weeks.  Her fist ideal client, who she found on her own via craigslist, was someone who was looking for a virtual assistant. Her client was relocating out of country and needed someone to handle her business in United States. This client helped Ali to learn a lot about virtual assistance and running an online business.

How do you help you clients use technology for their benefit?

I try to teach people the basics, the starting foundation to what they need and then allowing them to do something more complex. It could be something like asking them to design a simple landing page with an offer or a live stream video instead of highly edited videos on YouTube. She tries to listen properly what they want to do and then a plan is formulated according to the needs. For anything big we want to do in lives, we first have to take small steps and those small steps will be a stepping-stone for bigger success. Ali aims to teach her clients the same principle.

What does your business look like now?

Now, Ali has her training programs, one on one coaching programs and she provides higher end consultancy. She feels like doing these things help her feel aligned and authentic. Ali has transformed from a service-based business to an agency that can help people in different areas and is a media company that produces content and courses for individuals.

What advice would you give someone who has had a rough past and want to move on?

Ali says it is never too late to move forward in your life. Do not live in your past, what matters is your present and your future. Life is always about moving forward. Look at the small steps that can help you rectify the situation. Ali shares her own example of how she did not go straight to college but first got her GED. These small steps will eventually help you towards your main goal. When she got the GED book from library, she knew it did not mean she would pass her test. She still had to work hard for it. In addition, she made sure she looked out for every resource available that could help her pass the GED test.

What advice would you give someone who wants to market his or her brand or product?

You should start having conversations about your marketing with your friends and colleagues. You can use your Facebook feed and Instagram as well. Putting it out there will help you get a boost start in your marketing. Ali says it is the first thing she would do if she were to market her brand or product.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Ali, she feels her purpose is to help people through the work she does. She thinks it is to help people develop plans for their business. She hopes to inspire other people as well to come forward and help people around them. 

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

The best advice she has been given is to stay true to herself, stay authentic and stay exactly like who she is.

How can we connect with you?

You can find more about her upcoming work and past projects through her website. Her website’s URL is

http://alirittenhouse.com/

Apr 20, 2017

Nicole Moore is an NYU Certified Life Coach. She is passionate about helping Women everywhere find True Love and transform their relationships, especially the ones they have with themselves. She committed herself to learning and practicing everything she could about self-love. At first, it was painful; loving herself seemed like the most unnatural thing to do. But the tiny shifts added up and soon she was feeling better about herself more than she ever had. The internal change was reflected in her outside world. She began to look better, eat better, act better and even attracted her soul mate. She believes that when you truly love yourself, everything in your life works.

 

How would you define your personal and professional growth?

 

Nicole says she has done many programs from Tony Robbins and Mama Gena’s for past ten years. She was in a relationship when she started this business. Back then, Nicole felt like she was in the perfect relationship however, things changed drastically when she started her business. The person she was dating became emotionally abusive and very critical. Nicole started to lose her believe in love and its existence. That particular relationship helped Nicole to grow as an individual. When she left that relationship, she gave herself a lot of time to heal and fill herself with self-love. Nicole remembers she actually made a list of ways she wanted to be loved. The list had all the ways she had not been loved and there were total eight different ways. It is crazy but true that when she met Mike, her husband, she realized he does all of those eight things and in abundance. Nicole took a stand for what she deserved and she realized she was meant for much more than what she had been accepting.

 

How did you start the journey of loving yourself more?

 

Loving yourself simply means caring about yourself on daily basis. It is very simple; all you have to do is pay attention to your heart and the thoughts that come to your mind. Look at the conversations you have with yourself. Back when Nicole had not discovered the concept of self-love, she would often say something critical about herself and sometimes her own words would hurt her emotionally. Therefore, for Nicole loving herself more meant paying attention to her heart and her conversation to herself. She would look at her choices and how her choices affected her heart. She had to make sure that she creates her own space in herself.

 

How would you teach someone to find love in his or her life?

 

You should have the ability to make yourself willing to new experiences. Sometimes, finding love in life is not an easy process. The fact is that most of the people when hurt, tend to close their hearts but you have to make a declaration to yourself to be willing to experience more and meet new people. When Nicole broke out of her relationship in New York, she knew this man had cheated on her and it was a lot of pain. However, she still remembers this particular moment clearly, when she left him and was in her apartment when she did that declaration of not closing her heart for new things in life. Many women tend to close their heart when they experience hurt in their love life. We feel like we need to defend ourselves in those situations and that is why close our hearts. You also need to believe in your love vision and in the desire that you have in your heart. If the desire is in your heart, then it is meant for you.

 

Did you have the desire to have a business of your own?


Before starting her own business, Nicole had a job in public relations, but she really did not like it. She would often think to herself that she should be doing something else. She thought of things she liked doing and somehow made a business out of it. Nicole had this vision of working with people one on one and helping them out. She also wanted her work to be location independent so she could work from anywhere. She was in a landmark program where she saw a girl tell her she was going for a life coach certification. That is when she realized she could do it and she did not have to be super-aged to help people. Eventually, she quit her job and decided to enroll at New York University for life coaching.

 

Do you ever have challenges in your relationship?

 

Like every other couple, Nicole also has disagreements with her husband but they are both very good in dealing with such situations. She remembers the time when they had their first baby and were both tired. There were moments when they would say something out of frustration to each other but always dealt with the situation accordingly.

 

Do you believe loving yourself before entering in a relationship is important?

 

Loving yourself before entering a relationship will help you but it is not a prerequisite for entering into a relationship. You can get into a relationship any time. However, if you really love yourself, it helps you relate to your partner and help you in your relationship. Not everyone loves himself or herself fully and in every single area. You do not have to be perfect to find love; you just have to be willing.

 

What does living your purpose mean to you?

 

Living your purpose means all about doing the work that makes you feel good and authentic. You can do it in many different ways. For every person, it is just about figuring that thing you can give back to world. For Nicole, it is self-love and she hopes to teach people to love themselves. Living her purpose means helping people fall in love with themselves.

 

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

 

“Quality of your life is dependent on the quality of your mindset”. It is very important to work on your thoughts because they go on to define your life. You should not be ruled by your mind, you should be willing to experience more.

 

How can we connect with you?

 

Her website’s URL is

http://www.loveworksmethod.com/

 

You can follow her on Instagram as well

https://www.instagram.com/nicolemoorelove/

 

Nicole also has a Facebook page with the following URL

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Moore/556721024399266

 

She also has a channel on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/user/nicolemoore1984

Apr 13, 2017

Michelle Goldblum and Ali Leipzig did not begin Soul Camp as a business. Rather, it began as a party, born out of the energy of the girls' joy and excitement at the idea of turning what they'd learned along the path into something they could share with others. Soul Camp is a multi-day, multi-location all-inclusive wellness sleepaway camp for adults. Each camp, between 200-300 campers - just like you! - leave their worries and iPhones behind to gather and participate in dozens of workshops, classes and seminars that nourish their bodies, minds and spirits.  Each Soul Camp takes place in an actual sleep-away camp location, situated amongst sprawling trees, lakes, valleys and grassy knolls around the nation. All meals and snacks include vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options. All camps are drug and alcohol free. Soul Camp believes that at camp, we reawaken to the power we all had as kids that allowed us to dream bigger, jump higher, sing louder, laugh more. We let go of our adult labels, roles and fears, and rediscover who we really are. And we are seen, embraced and loved for being just that. And it is from this place that we can then find purpose, create change, and truly impact the world.

How did Soul Camp come into existence?

Michelle and Ali attended camp Towanda when they were kids. There was a slight age difference in their ages and that always kept them at a distance from each other in the camp. They went on to pursue the same profession, became entrepreneurs and both ran individual branding businesses. Years later, they found each other in the branding business and became best friends and fellow travelers who would attend different events and gatherings for their own business. The idea of soul camp started when their old camp director, who pitched the idea of bringing together a small yoga group to Camp Towanda, approached Michelle and Ali.  They both loved the idea and thought of making more out of this idea. The first camp, back in 2014 was a huge success and Michelle and Ali realized this concept was much bigger than they thought. Soul camp did not being as a business idea but it slowly transformed into a permanent entity. It really was the community and the people who attended the first camp in 2014 that helped this idea to grow. The response was overwhelming and that gave Michelle and Ali a lot of confidence to start this business.

What does a typical day at Soul Camp look like?

It varies from person to person. There is no typical experience; you get to create your own experience. You wake up in your bunk with many other women or you can have your private cottage or cabin if you are in California. You wake up, you smell the fresh air, and you walk outside your bunk. There is a dining hall where there is all sorts of food. There is a specific schedule for each individual. Activities are divided into different periods. There are tons of different activities going on simultaneously. There is Kundalini yoga, oneness meditation, dance, cardio, boot camp, and stand up paddle boarding, breath work, dream catcher creating and much more. Typically, a period is of one hour. The campers get together for a combined activity in some periods.

Can you share a story of how you camp helped people make new friends?

Michelle shares a story of a 62-year-old women named Maria who found out about soul camp. Many people are of the view that it is not possible to make good friends late in your life. However, for Maria, Soul Camp helped her make best friends. She is now a regular visitor of the camp, she comes back to camp every single year. It is special for Michelle and Ali that people through their business have managed to find some people and make friends through Soul Camp.

What has been your biggest challenge with Soul Camp?

Michelle and Ali have faced quite a lot of challenges. It took them some time to find the right people for their business. It was difficult finding the right employees, advisors, finding out whom they work out best with, the kind of skills they need for this business and not giving their power away in terms of finances.  Back when they started Soul Camp, many people felt like their lives were shifted with Soul Camp and they really wanted to be a part of team. However, many of them really did not have the same work ethic like Michelle and Ali. Therefore, they really had to make sure they find the best match for themselves and work with people they were comfortable working with.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Michelle, living her purpose means doing a job that defines her personality and who she is as a person. Back when Michelle worked in pharmacy, it felt like it was just a job and her real life was outside the job. Now with Soul Camp, it does not feel like it is just her job. Soul Camp defines who Michelle is, how she lives her live, how she interacts with people. It is a mission bigger than she is. Every day she wakes up and feels grateful for being a part of something that has an impact on many people.

For Ali, living her purpose means that all of her talents are being used in the best way possible. For her, it means to be in a place where she is continuously challenged and has to bring out her best in everything. Ali believes if you are living a live that helps you grow, overcome your weaknesses and fears, then you are living it to its purpose and that is how she feels at Soul Camp.

How we can connect with you?

You can connect with them through their website.
Website’s URL is:

https://soul.camp/

You can find all the information about overnight camps and day camps through this website.

You can also find them on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/soul_camp/

You can visit their channel on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOIPGEMhJ062j37ZJwUu1ZQ

You can follow them on Facebook as well.

https://www.facebook.com/soulcamplove/

 

Apr 6, 2017

Isabel Foxen Duke helps women stop feeling crazy around food. She has her BA in sociology and received her health coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Through her own struggles with emotional eating, she went on a quest for the solution. She spent several years of her young adult life studying various spiritual practices, including but not limited to Zen Meditation  in Japan, and Transpersonal Psychology in Bali. She is  also the editor of Mirror Mirror: Reflections on the Way We Look, an exploratory anthology of body image related prose. She has very strong opinions about why most people are getting the “emotional eating” conversation backwards.

How did you get started in this business?

Isabel believes the greatest ability to serve other people comes from looking at our greatest pain. For Isabel, it was her struggle with diet control and binge eating. Isabel was only three years old when she went on her first diet. At a very young age, she felt that her body was not okay, the food she was eating was not okay, and her diet was not out of control. She did everything to make sure she controlled her food and her body to the best of her ability. At this point in her life, she tried very hard to eat as little as possible and she was somewhat successful at it. However, it always lead her to those uncalled episodes of binge eating. Isabel always thought something was wrong with her because she could not stick with her diets, she assumed diets do work and that it is just a matter of willpower. Isabel went on a wild goose chase looking for solution, why she cannot control her food and body. She even looked for various treatments for binge eating. It took her years to finally understand that she needed to accept her body’s natural shape, the inherited needs for her body that there was no way that she was ever going to make dieting work.

What was the breaking point for you that helped you deal with binge eating?

There were a few different things. Isabel says the moment that she went to seek the solution was much earlier than time that she actually found one. The problem is that entire clinical system believes thin is good, fat is bad. She would present herself to mental health professionals as someone who had trouble controlling her food, who was addicted to food. Parallel to that she was slowly coming to the discovery that the main problem was trying to control her food and trying to fit her body into a shape that was not meant for her body. Eventually it was more about her personal and emotional surrender to this situation that helped her deal with binge eating. Isabel realized she was not capable of controlling her food and just surrendered. The struggle to control her food become more painful than just accepting her body the way it was. She had that ‘fall to her knees’ moment and realized the only way to deal with binge eating was to eat like a ‘normal person’ and not overthink about her food. Her abnormal behavior towards food changed drastically when she started eating like a normal person. Isabel knew it was time she stopped her fight with the food.

How would you define weight stigma?

Making assumptions about people based on their size. Every person who is struggling with food and body issues have a social aspect involved in their story. Due to the fact, that more weight is considered a social stigma, almost every time you come across someone struggling with body issues, they are just trying to fit in that socially acceptable square box. We care about weight because of social values, because of people around us. Isabel believes the most important thing in our life is to find love and be loved, and feel good about our place in the world. Ultimately, the reason we care about weight is other emotions attached to it, the fear of not being accepted or approved being the biggest reason. Most people think their problem is binge eating but the real problem is binge eating and dieting side by side.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Isabel, living her purpose ultimately means living in integrity with herself. For a very long time, her biggest struggle was that she was always out of alignment. Integrity is about living your live the way you are; Isabel says she is constantly trying to live her life in alignment with herself. Therefore, in general, living her purpose means continuously pushing towards authenticity and integrity in alignment with herself.

What is the best advice you have been given?

“What is the risk if you don’t take the risk?”

The best advice she has been given is to take the risk. The fact is, not taking the risk and moving forward is itself a risk. She remembers when she was quitting her job and how she had second thoughts about not quitting the job. She thought it was a risk to quit her job and start something new. However, staying there and working for the same job was a risk in itself, something that could have stunted her growth as an individual and prevented her to live her life to its purpose. Sometimes, in order to grow, we need to let go of our fears and move forward.

How can we connect with you?

Her blog’s URL is

http://isabelfoxenduke.com/

You can also follow her on the following website named after one of her program

http://stopfightingfood.com/

She also has a channel on YouTube and you can find videos on various topics from the following link

https://www.youtube.com/user/ifduke1

Mar 30, 2017

Liz Long is the founder of Bag the Habit and Learn to Make a Product. Liz helps people turn their product ideas to reality. She has helped many entrepreneurs in turning their concepts to successful manufactured goods. At age 23, Liz came up with the idea of selling reusable shopping bags to big retailers. The term ‘reusable shopping bag’ was relatively a new term at that time.

How did you come up with this idea?

Liz has always been environmentally minded, she was brought up that way. She spent some time in Europe and noticed how people bring their own bags and baskets to the grocery store. This was before the time reusable bags had become common. She started working on this idea properly in the year 2006. By 2008, reusable shopping bags had become a norm. When Liz started the business, she specifically had to explain the concept behind this business to everyone around her. Back then, it was something different. Many people were unaware of reusable shopping bags back then.

How did you convert this idea of reusable shopping bags to an actual product?

It was challenging, Liz says she had to learn about many things. She was very naïve to the whole process. She did everything on her own. She remembers sewing her first prototype using an office stapler. She looked for online bag suppliers. Back then, only Whole Foods Market was using these reusable shopping bags and Liz wanted to know who made these bags for them. However, it was not easy to find the suppliers. Liz spent a lot of time to find the right supplier; it was a long process, many phone calls and countless hours spent on Google searching for the right supplier.

How did you manage the money factor in the beginning?

Liz was not thinking about saving for retirement so she could take the risk and not worry about her savings. She also did some part time jobs like copywriting and worked in a teashop while launching her business. She managed to save a lot of money through these part time jobs. If needed, she would borrow money from her friends as well.

How did you manage to sell your products to big media outlets and companies?

Liz believes her early entry to the market with this niche was a big factor in getting the right amount of recognition. Her brand also focused on design from the start, it was one thing they were good at and made sure they invested quality time in coming up with unique and creative design. Liz says she has worked with many product entrepreneurs and most of them do not invest in the design. Making early entry in the market and having a solid brand identity helped them attract bigger clients.

What do you think is one common mistake people make when starting a new business?

Ignoring quality control is a big mistake. People work with a factory and they assume everything would go smooth. They over trust the factory and their production. However, you have to make sure the right quality is achieved, never take it for granted. You should implement all sorts of quality control practices even as a startup. The quality of your products will go a long way in helping your business grow.

How do you help people design a product?

Many factories often have design teams with them but many people do not know about it. Therefore, when we are looking for a factory to produce our product, we can always look for a factory with a design team, because then we can do kind of everything. This is one way of how Liz helps people design a product by looking out for factories with design teams. The other way is to look for an independent product designer or technical designer. You can search for them easily online and then they help people with the development process.

Where do you see yourself in the coming years?

Liz aspires to create more products that people can purchase affordably. Working with a consultant like Liz herself can be very expensive especially if you are trying to run a startup. Most of the courses are pricey for people who are just starting their business. Liz intends to create lower cost high volume products.

What does living your purpose mean to you?

For Liz it means working with creativity and without constraints. It means she gets to do what she wants to do without any restrictions. She prefers to live life on her own terms.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Not to rush, approach things steadily. You just have to live your life; do not try to skim through everything in life.

How can we connect with you?

Her website’s URL is

http://lizlong.co/

You can also follow her on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/lizrlong/

Find more about Bag the Habit from the following URL

https://bagthehabit.com/

 

 

 

Mar 23, 2017

Sarah Ancalmo Ashman is a brand and business strategist, creative director, designer, stylist and writer. With over 15 years of working with big brands like Esteem Lauder, Coach, Madonna, Ted Baker London, Jimmy Fallon and more… she waved goodbye to her commercial career and Public Persona Studio was born to provide the very same strategies, techniques, and discerning eye that she brought to big brands to rule-breaking, name-taking female entrepreneurs + thought-leaders. She works with clients to capture and convey their one-of-a-kind personality, transforming their stories and inspirations into a cohesive brand that captivates and communicates all the important info on their behalf. In other words, she aims to help her clients stand out—miles (and millions) above the competition.

What is the definition of branding from your perspective?

There are various definitions for branding. Usually people think of branding as coming up with a new logo whey they need branding. However, the process of branding is a deep and thorough process. Designing a logo is usually the last thing you do in the process of branding. For small business owners, who are the face of their brand, branding is extremely important. It is all about making sure people get to know more about you, your ideal clients/customers and the services you provide. If it is done right, branding is a deep and lengthy process. The main purpose of branding is to lay down solid foundation for your business, help you to distinguish yourself in the market.

How do you help people brand in accordance with their business?

Sarah previously worked in advertising world for about 15 years and learned the traditional branding methodologies, which are applicable for big businesses and brands. After she started her own business, she found out that the traditional rules she learnt do not really apply in her own business. When you are trying to start a business, trying to brand or rebrand yourself, it is so hard to be able to see yourself for who you are, what makes you unique with respect to your business. Sarah helps people pull out such information by asking tons of questions, lot of self-analysis is involved. Another good way to know about yourself is to ask people who are around you, who work for you. Ask them what makes you unique, what is it you do that makes you unique and always look for the patterns.

What is the biggest mistake you see people make in branding their business?

Skipping the branding process is a big mistake, Sarah says she often see people making themselves believe that they know what their work is about, who their ideal clients are, they gloss over it, but it eventually leads them to jeopardy. So imagine what would happen if a business owner fails to acknowledge the importance of branding, moves on to the next steps of promoting their business that in most cases is going to a copywriter to help you write web content for your website. Now all the work done by the copywriter would be from a total different perspective, it would be through the lens of that copywriter. Similarly going to a designer for a logo will yield results that would be in alignment with how the designer perceived your business and created a logo. The result is extremely unsatisfying, people get frustrated and feel like they still cannot express themselves of who they really are and what they do even after investing a good amount of money. The reason for this is obvious. Not giving enough importance to branding which could have helped these business owners to discover more about the brand, to articulate what the brand is, to develop guidelines about the brand.

How did you get into branding?

Sarah started out as a designer, studied design in school. Sarah worked in entertainment industry and her first job was at MTV. She got a chance to do work for bigger brands. After a while, she started directing TV commercials and got some work in fashion industry. While she was doing all this work, she realized how much she loved expressing herself and at that time, she started a fashion blog. She realized how passionate she was to build a brand from start to finish. She felt like she could do something better rather than helping the bigger brands that did not even matter. She felt like she should do something that could make a bigger impact on people and they could somehow benefit from what she was able to do.

How do you exercise your creativity in branding?

Sarah believes she has always been creative but she believes there are a few exercises that can help strengthen the brain. She even wrote a book for this purpose ‘The Little Black Book of Creativity’. You can find it on her website (URL attached below) as well.

What are some tips related to creativity that readers could find in your book?

Sarah says she has emphasized on lateral thinking in her book. Sometimes, just a little shift of perspective lets you think properly and productively. She shares her childhood story of how she and her family would do crossword puzzle or a word scramble at the dinner table. Throughout this activity, she would always see the newspaper upside down. It was not intentional but merely because of the fact that she always sat next to her father and she always got an inverted view of the newspaper from that seat. Therefore, when she tried to do a word scramble with the right side up, it was a complete different experience. Sometimes, looking at things differently forces your brain to think about it differently.

Who is your source of inspiration?

Sarah says she tries not to look at other people and so she really does not have any real source of inspiration. As a creative person, someone who does visuals for others, Sarah thinks it is better if she does not get under the influence of anyone to keep her work pure. However, she admits to learning a lot from films and movies with reference to her business.

How can we connect with you?

You can connect with her through her website.
Her website’s URL is:

http://www.public-persona.com/

You can also find her book on her website.

Mar 16, 2017

Caitlin Cogan Doemner is the founder of Virtual Coaching Sales. She helps entrepreneurs and small business owners grow their business for greater profitability and social impact. She has helped dozens of entrepreneurs scale their revenues and operations into the multi-millions by building consistent sales processes that continuously deliver better qualified leads, more reliable year-round profit, and higher customer satisfaction so that they can enjoy the lifestyle that originally attracted them to start their own business.

Background

After studying philosophy from Oxford University, Caitlin thought she would not get a job with this degree and went on to complete her Master of Business Administration. After completing her MBA, she was sure of landing a job. She needed a job so she could pay off her student debt, which was around seventy thousand dollars. However, after a long job hunt, she was still unemployed and owed a large student debt. With no job opportunities and a debt to pay, Caitlin started thinking of ways to start her own business and earn money. She quickly realized that three years she spent learning business in class was very different from running your own business. The fact that she did not have a single class on sales throughout her MBA degree was unfortunate for her. To run any business, sales is a crucial part and Caitlin says she has never met a successful entrepreneur who has not mastered the art of selling. Back then, Caitlin had no idea how to become a better sales person. Over the years and with experience, she realized that as a sales person you should be able to sell your vision to people. If you can do that, you can sell your products and services as well. Mastering the art of selling becomes even more important if you are a life coach or a consultant. Always ask yourself how much can you ask someone to pay for yourself, for your time; can you get the results in time and in budget?

How did you make the transition and stepped into selling?

When Caitlin realized she lacked the essential sales skills, she hired a coach to improve her skills. She believed in her coach and did exactly what he told her to do. With his mentorship and training, Caitlin was able to sell two programs each of thousand dollars to family and friends. After this initial success, Caitlin realized she could become a good sales person and along with the help of her coach and support from her husband, she founded Virtual Coaching Sales, a virtual company that has helped small business owners grow their business for greater profit.  Caitlin says sales is an act of love and service. You need to listen to people’s stories, find out what is not working for them, inspire them and suggest possible solutions.

How do you usually close a business deal?

Caitlin believes she is serving her clients in her business. She rarely thinks about the conversations with her clients from a business perspective. “I do not think about it as closing, I am serving and loving them” is what she says. She loves to help people in their problems, suggest possible solution. Caitlin thinks you will always end up doing business with clients who have been divinely appointed for you and you are meant to provide service to them. She thinks when we start understanding our client’s problems, closing a business deal become effortless.

Caitlin focuses on three areas in her work when making a conversation with a client.

  1. First is to focus on the goals and motivation of client. What the client wants and why he/she want it? For some people, their goals are making tons of money and it varies from person to person.
  2. Enquire about their challenges. What is stopping them from achieving their goals? In addition, what are the consequences they are facing for not being able to achieve their goals?
  3. Talk to them about the solution you propose to their problem and talk about your budget as well. 

How do you motivate your clients to embrace their challenges and motivate them to take actions?

People who are in discomfort for long get used to it. Due to the continuity of pain, they start thinking it is normal. Caitlin thinks, as an expert it is her job to let her clients feel that their current situation is painful, undesirable and they deserve better. She believes only way to deal with these problems is talking about things that are the source of discomfort and pain. You cannot eliminate pain without activating it. We as human beings cannot look at our misery for long and tend to ignore our challenges and start living our lives with limitations. As an expert, the best gift you can give someone is help them acknowledge the pain and the suffering, what is holding them back from achieving their goals. Only after a person can acknowledge it, the problems can be fixed.

What is your mantra in life?

Caitlin recently came across the quote “I never lose, either I win or learn.” She has been meditating on this quote and she thinks this quote has helped her to explore new challenges and not set limitations for herself in her life. Caitlin believes that the perpetual fear in selling is rejection but if you take this rejection as a stepping-stone towards success, you will never fail, you will only learn.

How can we connect with you?

Her website’s URL is

http://www.virtualcoachingsales.com/home

A free version of her book ‘Sell with Heart’ is available on her website. The book is about the art of selling, principles of selling and about her story of how she came in this business.

You can also contact her through Facebook

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/Caitlin.doemner

Mar 9, 2017

Jillian Turecki is a yoga teacher and a certified coach. Through her tough life experiences, Jillian has empowered herself to understand her own emotional patterns and that is how she helps others as well. She is certified by the Robbins Madanes Center for Strategic Intervention/Coaching. Jillian helps individuals, couples and families in finding solutions to their problems.

Background

Anna (host of the podcast) has known Jillian from a very long time. They lived in the same building, would often see each other and interact on routine basis. Podcast starts with Jillian sharing a story that took place three years ago on June 3, 2014 when Anna saw her sitting on a bench outside the building. Jillian looked devastated and as a friend, Anna tried to console her.

That day would have been the second wedding anniversary of Jillian but just a day ago, her husband broke up with her and that too on a phone. Jillian recently had a miscarriage, her mom was suffering from lung cancer and she was left shattered with this news. Anna sat there with her and they had this particular conversation which was about to reach its conclusion when Anna suggested Jillian to become a coach and mentioned about following Tony Robbins. Jillian recalls that memory and remembers back then, it made no sense as to why Anna suggested her to follow Tony Robbins and become a coach herself. Over the course of next few days, Anna sent her a few videos of Tony Robbins and watching those videos helped Jillian to start a new chapter of her life.

What in the video helped you to start a new beginning?

The video she often watched was about an intervention. That video is also a part of Tony Robbins coaching. He talks about an older woman who had become very masculine over the years because of the beliefs she had about her father and her sister. The beliefs were quite limiting. He talked a lot about masculine and feminine energy and the extreme pain you undergo when you are not living in accordance with what you really ought to be, whom you really feel in the core. The questions he asked and his ability to read patterns is incredible. Jillian loved the fact that Tony Robbins videos were always on point and very easy to understand. She started watching his videos regularly.

Throughout this transformative journey, Anna helped Jillian as a life coach as well. She was the one who encouraged Jillian to enroll and become a coach herself. The events that led to Jillian’s separation from her husband greatly helped her to bring about a positive transformation in her life and help others around her.

How did you manage to turn your grief into driving force for bringing a positive transformation in your life?

Jillian says it has not been easy to overcome her trials and tribulations. She believes the strategy to follow when going through enormous grief is to let yourself feel the grief, to acknowledge what has happened with you. That is one way to become emotionally resilient. If you stuff the feelings, if you do not embrace the challenges and difficulties you face, it will come back stronger. Jillian always believes in performing some ritual when undergoing such an experience. A ritual can be anything you do on daily basis; it can vary from person to person. For Jillian, it was watching and following Tony Robbins Ultimate Edge program. She did this thirty-minute ritual every morning.


How has your relationship with your parents impacted your belief system?

Jillian believes parents play an important role in our belief system. She shares her personal story of how her mother was always very gracious to everyone who would do something good for her even if it were something very small. Jillian developed this belief earlier in her life that it was very important for her to be gracious as well. Similarly, she developed another belief because of the fact she did not get enough attention from her father as a child. Growing up, she thought she had to act a certain way to get attention from men and get their love. Her father was a successful child psychiatrist and he wrote a book. The book was a huge success but surprisingly it was inspired directly by Jillian and the name of the book was ‘The difficult child’. Jillian thinks she was a kid with high amount of sensitivity. She grew up in a home where her parents did not get along. That affected her personality; she had poor sleeping and eating patterns. As a kid, all she knew was that there was a book written about her and she grew up with this limiting belief that she must be a difficult person with strange traits, that she was difficult to get along and there was a book out there to prove it with her name in it. Jillian thinks this belief had a major impact on her relationship with her husband and other men.

What is your advice to people who want to feel positive but cannot? How can they make that shift?

If you are someone who in unwelcoming situations has a tendency to say to yourself or to others to stay positive, you should stop that because it triggers the opposite behavior. It will only make you feel more depressed. Jillian thinks that if someone is in undesirable state, the first thing they should ask themselves is the reason, which brought them to it. Sometimes, we have no option but to accept and embrace grief. The coaching Jillian is trained into is called ‘strategic intervention.’

It is based upon six basic human needs. These are psychological needs and they exist in every person regardless of age, gender, culture, religion and economic status. They change in terms of where you are in life but they remain six. First four are the needs of the personality and we as human-being will do anything to get them.

  1. Certainty. It is the need to feel safe, secure and know what is coming for us. We always want to know what lies ahead for us in future.
  2. Uncertainty/Variety. As humans, we often love surprises and if everything was certain and known, we would be bored so we need a certain level of uncertainty in our lives as well. Life is actually very uncertain, but we want its uncertainty in our own way.
  3. Significance. Every human needs to feel important and unique so they get a feeling that they matter.
  4. Love and Connection. Jillian believe it is the most important need. We all crave love and connection.
  5. Growth. The need of the soul, we need to grow, anything that does not grow die so we need to feel we are growing. Opposite of growth is being stuck at something and whenever we are stuck, we feel sad.
  6. Contribution. As humans, we need to contribute outside of ourselves. That is what we are wired to do, that differentiates us from other animals.

If you are feeling a low vibe, you are frustrated or angry for some reason and you do not feel like being positive, it means one of your needs is not being fulfilled. Figure out why you are not feeling positive, make the decision, snap out of it because you deserve to be in a high vibe state and the quickest way to do this is to move your body in some way because that always worked for Jillian.

“Life is not simple, it’s not easy. But it really is what you make of it”-Jillian Turecki.

How can we connect with her?

Her website’s URL is

http://www.jillianturecki.com/

You can follow on her on Instagram as well

https://www.instagram.com/jillianturecki/

 

Mar 2, 2017

Catherine Just is an award winning photographer, artist and mentor. Catherine's work has been published on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, inside Oprah.com and PDN.com as well as galleries around the globe including her most recent collaborative show in Paris, France. Catherine believes that photography can be used to gather up evidence of what's living in between the words and to document the unseen but deeply felt spaces and places within the internal and external landscape. She teaches workshops and courses both online and in person as well as creating images for highly visible creatives for their websites, books and creative projects.

When was the first time you realized you liked taking pictures?

Catherine was in art school and had to pick a major. She had no previous experience of photography and studied painting and drawing in high school. When she was asked to pick a major in college, she recalled an incident from her childhood when she was moving away and took pictures of all her friends and teachers. Catherine says it was a very strong memory and after she recalled this memory from her childhood, this idea of picking photography as a major literally came out of the blue. It was not something that someone was doing in her family or that she had a family history with photography. She developed a love affair with photography and especially conceptual photography. Conceptual photography helped Catherine to express things and feelings visually what was difficult to express verbally and that is when she realized how powerful images are.

How did you make a business out of your passion for photography?

Business was a natural evolution for her. It took her time and many years to take this gift of photography and turn it into a profitable business for her. When she was 18 years old and in high school, Catherine was struggling with drugs, alcohol. She thinks photography helped her achieve sobriety. Photography helped her process things, enabled her to share her feelings through a different medium.

What is your favorite portrait lens to shoot with?
Catherine prefers her 4*5 camera and says looking through it is like if she is dreaming. The frame is big so you see a big image rather than a tiny image at the backside of a digital camera. However, the image is upside down and reversed so you have an alternative experience of what the film is catching and it is a unique experience. When she shoots for her clients, she uses a 35 mm camera and 85 mm camera, which lets her capture tiny little details and focus on one thing so whoever sees the picture; they see one particular thing in the frame. That is the whole concept of conceptual photography. Catherine loves how photography can help her to capture tiny details and focus on small things.

How do you make sure people look perfect in their photo shoots?

It takes a while, once you put up a lens, people are confused as to what to do with their hands or neck or arms because they want to look perfect in the photo-shoot. People are very self-conscious about certain things especially women and Catherine says, as a woman, she understands why they are uncomfortable so she tries to create an environment where people feel comfortable.

What has been your favorite and most interesting photo-shoot?

For Catherine, her personal projects have always been very special for her and had a complete different connection with them. With clients, however, every photo-shoot taught her something different. However, her best experience was working with Daniel LaPorte. Daniel LaPorte is a bestselling author of The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul. Catherine had this creative personal project and wanted Daniel to work with her on it.  Catherine went to Vancouver, it was out of her comfort zone and she had never been through this process of photography. Catherine used a process called Wet Plate Collodion and hired a mentor who helped Catherine to do this kind of photography. Danielle also helped her a lot in this photo-shoot by being there and going through the process with her. Catherine says this experience helped her grow as an artist, as a photographer.

How can an aspiring photographer improve their photography?

In a digital world, we have lost the ability to look at things properly before taking a picture. We prefer to take many pictures and then choose the best, but you need to look at everything that is in the frame, the light, the people or the things. Then decide for yourself what needs to be in the frame and what does not need to be in the frame, move yourself and adjust your camera until and unless you do not get that feeling of taking the perfect picture. See how the light is moving, Catherine believes we have lost all of it now because now we can take hundreds of pictures and it will not cost to take more pictures.

Can you tell us more about your recent project ‘Capturing Breath on Film’?

Catherine will be offering thirty photo-sessions in thirty different cities as a part of this project. She has already started this project. She celebrated 29 years of sobriety on August 18, 2016. As she moves in her thirtieth year of sobriety, Catherine came up with the idea of this project to mark thirty years without using any mood altering substances. She thinks photography is a great way to show passing of time. Catherine thinks it is a miracle that she has stayed free of all drugs for almost thirty years. Now she wants to acknowledge this achievement through photography and hopes she can let other people feel the experience she has had with photography. Catherine is currently working on this project and you can find more about her tour locations for this project through her website. Website’s URL is given at the end of show notes.

What is the best advice you have even been given?

Miguel Ruiz who is the author of ‘The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom’ helped Catherine to open up a whole world for her and all of his teachings were the best advice for her. They were more than a single sentence.

How can we connect with her?

Her website’s URL is:

http://www.catherinejust.com/

You can find more about her work and her ongoing projects through her website.

Feb 23, 2017

Amanda Berlin is a former corporate publicity strategist . For a decade she wrote media pitches for companies like Disney, Dove, Baskin Robbins, Colgate, Campbell’s and more. Now Amanda uses her powers to help business owners write their web copy, tell their story, and spread their message in the media. She believes we all have something important to say, and it’s our responsibility to raise our voices and be heard.

 

What is the first step in pitching yourself at media?

You have to know what you have to offer. Logistically, the first step would be identifying your goals and opportunities and starting to build your media list. You have to think what you can get in the media that might come across as innovative for people. You should work on a story of presenting your product or service in a way it becomes interesting.

How to uncover your own story? How to connect our story with what we do?

The easiest way is to divide your story into before and after and that epiphany moment in the middle. Start by sharing what you used to do in past and then talk about how you felt you need a transformation (epiphany moment) and conclude your story by sharing what services you provide now.

Another way to talk about your story is by providing an example of work that you have done with your client or in your work provide an example or an anecdote, a client story, which gives a theme of what you do.

How to put together or formulate a pitch?

It totally depends on your goals. Depending upon your goals, you will be reaching out to different type of media. If you are someone who does a lot of in person work or events where someone needs to be in your geographical area, then you should resort to print outlets, radio or TV. If you run an online business and product/course that is launching then you should use podcast. If you just generally desire to raise awareness on an issue, use magazines as a source.

What is Amanda Berlin’s brand about?

Her big mission is to empower people who have a positive message of healing and improving other people’s lives. She empowers them through her pitching power so these people can raise their voice in the media. Amanda believes there are already many negative voices in this world and we need more people to step up, conquer our fear and raise voices to people who need us. She believes this is the absolute foundation of her brand.

How did you get in this business?

Amanda studied journalism in college after which she interned at CNN, wrote for a local paper. Upon her return to New York, she went in to television production and from there she went to a similar type of work where she was producing celebrity press junket. This was indirectly her entry into publicity and then from there she managed to work in a large PR firm. In the firm, she had clients who would come to them asking for a publicity of a consumer product or a service. This is where she used her skills in creating a story for her clients and helping them pitch their services or products in the media. Eventually Amanda became the editorial director at this firm.  Her epiphany moment was when she was 12 years in this work and started hating the culture of her company and sort of burnt out. She felt like she should become a life coach and did life coach training. She left her job. Amanda did not find much success as a life coach and realized life coaching was not meant for her. She felt like life coaching was completely out of alignment for her because her own life was in turmoil and it was not possible to help other people.

In this difficult time, Amanda managed to develop a non-profit proposal for a client. She contacted the executive director of a particular firm and told her about skills in pitching and previous work experience. Luckily, he was in search of someone to make a proposal and so Amanda saw it as an opportunity to rebuild her career. In addition, while she was making the proposal that is when she had that moment, a realization that she had not been doing this work for the right entities. She felt she could bring her ability of creating an amazing back-story for her clients and enable them to pitch their products or services in the media. That moment of realization was how her business was born and that was 4 years ago.

Can you tell us a little about your podcast?

Amanda’s podcast name is ‘The Pitch Podcast’. She started it because she loved having conversations about having the best way to pitch yourself in the media. She talks to entrepreneurs about their story, what they offer and how they gained visibility in the media. Sometimes, she invites journalists on her podcast and ask them what the journalists usually look for in a pitch.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Ii is something her dad said to her.

“Whenever there is a decision to be made even if it’s the biggest decision of your life, just be happy.”

How we can connect with her?

Her website’s URL is:

http://amandaberlin.com/

You can contact her through her website and know more about her podcast. You can also find out how she can help you to improve your business visibility.

Feb 16, 2017

Alexis Meads is a life coach and an expert in relationships and building confidence. She shares her story of how she struggled with confidence and made changes in her life to live and enjoy her life with confidence, self-love and finally meet her husband.

Can you tell us about your journey of becoming a confident woman?

As a child, Alexis says she was a perfectly happy child but during her middle school and high school years, she was a shy kid, did not have many friends and was not popular at all. She was always nervous that people would not like her; she had low self-esteem, and was always fearful what others would think about her. Alexis thinks the biggest reason most of us lack confidence is that we are always interested in knowing what others think about us. Alexis first dated in college and that was the first time Alexis felt confident in a long time and realized others perceive her. This feeling of validation only propelled Alexis to seek more and she started dating other people and partied hard so others could recognize and validate her. Alexis thinks once you get attached to that desire of being validated by others, you never stop doing things to become the center of attention.

How did you manage to stop trying to seek validation from people and validate from the inside?

Back then, Alexis had this idea that there would be bigger and better things for her so she broke out of that relationship, continued with her partying lifestyle, got a new job. However, soon she felt the job was not meant for her and was not fulfilling her. She would date people and thought if she found the perfect relationship, she might be happy. However, nothing worked for her; nothing was coming together, relationships or her job. As a result, her body grew tired. She would drink excessively and eat all sorts of unhealthy food.  That is when she reconnected with an old friend who told her about Wayne Dyer, a renowned motivational speaker.  Alexis started listening to Wayne regularly, followed her work and that was the start of her transformation. Alexis says that sometimes in life, we can be super popular, have a great job, are recognized by people but can still feel like there is not enough in life. Alexis knew she had to take a step back, take a break and figure out what she needed to fulfill her purpose. During that time, Alexis stopped dating, enrolled in a graduate program in Harvard University, gave herself and her body proper rest. She started mediating, would sleep properly at night and stopped drinking.

What is your definition of confidence?

Alexis thinks confidence is about doing things that demand for demonstration of one’s courage. She thinks no one is born confident or under confident. It is all about doing actions with courage and reputation and the more you do a particular thing, the more confident you become. She believes courage is not courage if fear was not there. So being confident simply means, doing things by embracing your fear, hence demonstrating your courage and it could be anything from starting your own business or becoming a better public speaker or even going on a date.

What is your definition of Self-love?

Self-love is all about recognizing your existence and how amazing our mind and body works. Usually, we think that it is just about doing actions, which are good for us, like treating our body well, giving yourself time and doing things we love to do. However, it is more than that. Alexis shares story of two of her clients who live a very healthy life, regularly go to gym but recently got very sick and in that sickness they found that extraordinary power of their body to heal. Hence, self-love is not all about doing yoga or meditation, but also realizing how amazing our bodies and minds are.

How did you meet your husband?

Alexis met him after she moved to Portland. She had no job at that time and was dating a person through whom she met her husband. She went out with this person on a concert and met her husband for the first time in that concert. He worked for Nike and Alexis thought it could be great if she could network with this person and maybe find herself a decent job in Nike. Therefore, she exchanged numbers and they started connecting. Alexis felt like he had a different energy than everyone else she ever met. She also thinks there were many incompatible things between them but she could not deny the fact that every time she hung with her she felt like they had a connection. Alexis always had these standards for men she would date, that they had to be 6 feet in height and there should not be a big age difference. None of it was true for her husband who was much older than Alexis and had been married before as well. However, Alexis thinks you start looking at people differently when you develop a bond with them.

What is the best advice you have been given?

Life is not all about information seeking but taking time to realize our feelings as well. She says she likes to learn new things and is a seeker but there is a point where you should take a break, stop seeking and starting realizing. Most important thing is to take time in your life to enjoy the moment you are living in.

How we can connect with her?

Her website’s URL is:

http://alexismeads.com/

You can also find a free 5-step planner on her website for cultivating self-love and inner happiness to help you out in relationships.

Feb 9, 2017

Hattie Brazeley is a copywriter and she helps you make money with her words. Hattie believes copywriting is a big part for people starting their business. Not only does she copy write, she helps and trains other people to do copywriting for their business as well.

What is the difference between copywriting and standard writing?

Copywriting is writing with influence, persuasion and encouraging people to take action you want them to take so they end up using your services. In today’s online world, copywriting is very important, as you cannot have many face-to-face meetings with all your possible/potential clients. So writing something to encourage them, to persuade them to use your service is an important part of every business.

What are the key tricks to write with influence?

Fundamentals of copywriting are to understand your ideal/dream clients. Start by knowing where your ideal clients are now and where they see themselves in the future. Then write in a way, which helps them to believe and trust in your services. This practice is the corner store of everything you will write for your business.

What process do you take your clients through?

Hattie takes her clients through a five-step process so her clients can find their ideal clients.

She asks her clients to brainstorm, to write their thoughts on paper and to ask the following five questions from themselves.

1.) Where is your ideal client at the point when they first reach out to you? How did they reach out to you? Was it through Facebook, advertisement or webinar you did for your business?

2.) Where your client desires to be in relation to how you can help them, what is success to them? You should be able to convey and tell them you understand them and when you are able to do that, you will build trust with your client.

3.) What is holding your client from achieving success on his or her own, without your support?

4.) What has ultimately triggered your ideal client to want to take action at this point? What was the reason? Was there an external stimulus involved or was it something intrinsic? 

5.) What would be the ultimate consequence for their clients, and what is at stake if they do nothing from this point onward?

Hattie believes acknowledging people’s discomfort and pain is a strong way to influence them so they check out your products and services,

Hattie recommends business owners to do this process whenever they are coming with new program, because for every new program, you will have different ideal clients. You need to understand where people are at, and where they want to be. Ideal clients are not static; you will not be doing it for once, it is a constant exercise in your business if you want to stay at the top.

How did you manage to have a rapid start to your business?

Hattie says she was an active Facebook user and used the group feature to market herself and her services in the initial phase. She also pinpointed problems multiple people had when starting their business and found out it was all about finding the ideal client for them. Therefore, she reached out to these people and told them she could help them. Hattie herself was not sure if her methods would work out, so she gave free sessions to people in the beginning. She worked through a certain process with these clients and asked them if by the end of the process they felt she had helped them, they could give her a testimony on her website. Many people were interested in this free session but ultimately she gave it to five people because she did not want to overcommit herself. There were some major breakthroughs and naturally, people started reaching out to her. Many a times her clients would recommend Hattie to their friends and as a result, her business grew. People started approaching her for this ‘ideal client discovery’ process and asked her how they could use it in their copywriting. Many people asked Hattie if she could copy write for them. One particular day someone on Facebook asking her to rewrite her sales page tagged her. The person herself was Kimra Luna (http://kimraluna.com/) and the revised sale page helped Kimra her about $60,000 from her sale page. Kimra helped her in gaining more popularity. She shared Hattie’s details with her community, which eventually helped Hattie’s business growth.

What books or websites do you use as resource?

Hattie prefers to follow people online rather than reading books. She is a big fan of David Ogilvy, Ray Edwards, and Kendrick Shope whose program sales school Hattie believes is worth every penny. Her advices the listeners not to stick more with books rather look at what people are doing in the industry,

What is that one word or phrase that she thinks is compelling from a copywriting perspective?

Hattie particularly likes the word ‘reveal’ and says it has something to do with the literal meaning of the word. For her, whenever this word is used, it means something intriguing is about to be told and she loves the imagery that goes with this word.

How we can connect with her?

Her website’s URL is:

Website: http://www.hattiebrazeley.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/hattiebrazeley

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hattie.brazeley

Feb 2, 2017

Jairek Robbins is a renowned performance coach and motivational speaker. He helps people achieve their true potential and optimal performance.

How do u build mental and emotional resilience?

Jairek starts by looking at an individual and see what is needed to maximize all of who they are. Most of it does not look very appealing because he starts at the basic level. When we talk about mental resilience, we can start at the most basic level. If he tries to maximize someone’s performance in what they can produce in day-to-day life, what they can produce that they are best at, in their career or family but then take sleep away from someone, it would immediately drop their performance. So even simple steps can be taken to improve performance and to understand that a performance of an individual is affected by the simplest of things and inhibits them to perform up to their potential. He test resilience in different ways.

How do you get someone to be the most resilient form of themselves?

Individuals need the right amount of sleep, right nutrition and they need to be moving to build the mind and the body. These are the three basics steps an individual should follow to become the most resilient form of themselves. Once the basic three steps are followed, the next level is achieving total mental clarity, to be able to sit at a place for some time and have the ability to free your mind from every thought. You should be able to control your state. You should be able to take yourself from feeling down to motivate yourself. Finally, it all comes down to designing a life you are meant to live and not following a template someone else gave to you. The strongest people in this world live life on their own terms. They live life according to what they believe is right, how they believe it is right and the way they want to live it. Such people have the ability to go where they want to when they want it and how they want it. These people follow specific techniques that help them build the strongest version of themselves. They find meaning in everything they do; they surround themselves with a powerful peer group, which continuously challenges them and their beliefs.

How would you recommend someone to change his or her habits to build mental resilience?

Three important things make or break a habit.

  1. Queue or trigger, something that sets off the pattern into motion
  2. Routine
  3. There should be a reward linked with a habit.

These three things combined break or build a habit and the reality is you never break a habit or get rid of it you just replace it. Whenever you want to build a habit, first figure out all the habits and see which are building you and which are breaking you. The question you should always ask yourself is what exactly you are not doing and should start doing immediately.

How much do you think mental resilience helps in embracing challenges at a higher level?

As you progress through life, you will face more and more challenges. The reason it feels like a challenge at a higher level is that you have not done anything similar to that before. Even the simplest of tasks seem like a challenge when we do it for the first time. The fact is that when we go through something for the first time and if we look at the brain waves, there is a huge spike in the beginning of the task indicating an increased mental activity.

How can we fill the gap from where we are to where we want to go and how can we maintain the momentum for this process?

It totally depends on the individual. Important thing is falling in love with the process and people who fail to do so end up quitting. Jairek shares a few examples like how the soldiers in Special Forces are trained and only the top notch is selected. They put these individuals under so much stress and that in turns make them mentally resilient. People who quit during such processes are never meant for it. You should really figure out what you really love to do, something that you can do well. Jairek also tells about an article that he wrote a few years ago for Huffington post in which he talked about falling in love with hard work. Inevitably, we will have moments in our life where we will have to embrace challenges and in such situations, we can either suffer or fall in love with the process

Is there an end to self-improvement? When is a good time to invest in self-improvement?

As a human being, you can always improve. It costs nothing to be a nice human, everyday try to be nice to people around yourself. It does not cost you a dime and you make difference in the life of a complete stranger.  As far as second question is concerned, the right time to invest depends on what stage of journey you are on. One should always start with the basics, things that can help you to be fulfilled and happy. Read more books, YouTube video, use resources, which can help you to lead a good life. When you are done with the basics, that is when you should ask yourself the question as to how you could excel in your life, perform to your full potential, be the best of who you can be. That is when you should find yourself a coach. Someone who could help you massively to improve your performance. If by the end of your personal coaching, your performance has made you more money, has made you happy, it means you spent your money well.

How we can connect with him?

Website’s URL is http://www.jairekrobbins.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JairekRobbinsCompanies/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jairekrobbins?lang=en

Listeners are recommended to read a book that Jairek wrote a few years ago which discuss about living a life with purpose and achieving maximum productivity in your life.

The name of the book is: ‘Book: LIVE IT!: Achieve Success By Living With Purpose.’

 

Other Resources Mentioned:

iTunes University

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itunes-u/id490217893?mt=8

Muse Meditation

http://www.choosemuse.com

 

Jan 26, 2017

Elsa Isaac is a professional fashion stylist and shares her incredible journey of how she gained success in her field and how she made a career by being a professional stylist.

How did you get into fashion? Were you passionate about it?

Elsa always wanted to do something related to clothes and felt like she should become a designer when she was young. Nevertheless, styling was not something she heard a lot about while growing up. She did however studied fashion marketing back in her school in Toronto. The program she was enrolled in either branched into fashion designing or marketing and Elsa chose marketing. While studying, she also worked part-time where she had a coworker who worked in music industry. One day, her co-worker who knew Elsa’s interest in styling asked her to style a video he was doing for an artist. She was reluctant at first and felt like she would ruin the project but her co-worker did not take no for an answer. She had to shop for 12 people for the video, putting together each outfit. Someone complemented her work and that is when Elsa realized how easy it came to her, and that she should give this profession a consideration.

At what point in her life did she start dreaming of becoming a stylist?

Probably when she was finishing her college in Toronto, she realized she loved working as a stylist. She thought it gave her independence but financially she was still worried what kind of life it could give her. She just knew she wanted to do more of it. However, Canada is a smaller market to do something like that and so after visiting New York she realized she could do expand and grow more in New York, so she moved to New York. She started by assisting other stylist in New York, made connections, and learnt more about city and the business. While working in New York Elsa realized that being a stylist is not only about creating visionary looks, it is a lot more than that especially if you intend to own or run such a business. She believes that if she had stayed in Toronto, it would have stunted her growth.

How did she get the assisting jobs in New York?

The same friend who helped Elsa earlier in her career by asking her to style a music video helped her in finding a stylist who was looking for an assistant. Elsa’s stylist thought she was crazy to come all the way from Canada to New York just to assist her on a job. Elsa ended up working for her for almost four years. She got in touch to other stylist through this particular stylist.

What is the general procedure she follows for her client?

Elsa always starts with the body shape of her client. She says many women are clueless about their body shape and the kind of clothes that would suit their body. She also has a body shape calculator, which helps you find the type of body you have. It is available on her website and the website’s URL is attached below in the show notes. Once body shape is discovered, then Elsa help her clients find the right clothes accordingly. She also asks her clients different questions like “three words they would want their clothes to say about them?” They come up with these three words through a process. The idea is to discover who the client are and how they want themselves to look.

How was it like working for Marie Forleo?

Elsa found her on Internet when she was in doubt as to what she was doing and why she was doing it. There was a brief period when contemplated her future, wondering if being a stylist was meant for her. She does not remember what she was searching online when she came across Marie (life coach); saw one of her yearlong program, which had a $2500 fee. Elsa thought it was an insane amount of money and why would someone even pay such amount of money. Back then, Elsa had no idea about marketing and life coaches. She did however sign up for the program and thought a life coach might help her to put her life in perspective and decide for herself if she was meant to be a stylist. A year later Marie ended up hiring Elsa for some promotional work and that was because they had interacted in the program. Elsa has been working with Marie from 2011 and considers Marie her mentor. Elsa says she was not sure if the program would benefit here even after spending such an amount of money and that is why she never told it to people close to her. However, Elsa believes joining that program was the best decision she ever made because it made her who she is today.

How do you put together a client’s look?

When a client comes to her, she shop for them. There is a lot of preparation, conversation with clients, asking them questions, in terms of what they are looking for and Elsa uses that information to shop for her clients. She says it helps if the client is not there in the shopping process because they seem to talk themselves out of wearing a particular dress based on their experience or a general opinion. Elsa think clients always have a weird perception of their body so it good to have an outside opinion in the form of a stylist. Elsa thinks that this process takes away the pressure for client in finding the right clothes. It is the job of the stylist to help them find what suits their body.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

She got her best advice from Marie. “You can have it all, you cannot just do it all” was what Marie once said to Elsa. Elsa thinks it was a revelation for her. This has helped Elsa to give herself a break from the daily grind of running her own business, enabled her to give herself some time, which is very important for all of us. Elsa believes no matter how committed and determined you are to your work, you just cannot work all the time. It is physically not possible.

How we can connect with her?

Her website’s URL is

http://elsaisaac.com/

You can find a bunch of resources on her website including the body shape calculator.

Jan 19, 2017

Nikki Costello is an Iyengar Yoga and Meditation teacher. She has built an incredible business around yoga. She has been a yoga teacher for past 23 years and we talk about yoga and about her business in this podcast.

Can you tell us a little about Iyengar yoga and difference between it and other styles of yoga?

Iyengar yoga started because of BKS Iyengar who developed a method/system to go deep inside oneself to where the source of the teachings arise. Iyengar yoga is named after BKS Iyengar. Nikki thinks that when you have someone like BKS as a guru then students can learn in an accelerated manner. BKS created a method for people to understand how body works and how it performs simple functions like creating strength and flexibility. However, BKS also enabled us to go in the depth of ourselves that we do not necessarily get to see. He developed a method by which through practice you start with your physical body and through the practice of your body, you penetrate through layers until you reach your own heart, spirit and your own creativity.

What should someone expect if they take their first class?

Iyengar yoga studios have a particular reputation of being very clean and simple. Yoga studios are clean in terms of the environment of the studio. When you start from level 1 Iyengar yoga, you will move your body in a way that is with alignment to your body. Nikki says a new student should always approach their teacher and let them know if it is their first class and let them know if they are suffering from some sort of injury.

Can you talk a little bit about inner being and its relation with yoga?

Nikki says we are in contact with our inner being in one way or another. She believes the environment that surrounds relationships, our workspace, how others treat us, all of this affects us in ways we cannot even imagine. Sometimes, in our lives, due to the misfortunes or undesirable events, we start losing connection with our inner self. Yoga is used to dissolve any impediment, obstruction or darkness that is between our inner self and us. When Nikki shared the meaning of guru earlier in the podcast, she said a guru is someone who removes darkness/ignorance and that is why the practice of yoga returns you to that state of being connected with yourself and at peace.

What her practice looks like on a daily basis?

Nikki says that as a yoga teacher getting proper sleep at night is very important for her. She initially started her practice from Ashtanga yoga and had to be at the studios 6 days a week. Nikki says whenever she stayed up late or ate something heavier the night before her practice, she felt like she could not do her yoga practice properly. Nikki wakes up between 5am and 6am. Her first part is pranayama practice, which is sometimes combined with chanting, and recitation of mantras that she believes connect her to her heart and it helps establish her an inner posture. Nikki almost spends three hours of her day in active practice in which she reads something inspiring, sometimes something as small as a quote, contemplating on what she reads, letting that contemplation guide her actions during the day

What is pranayama practice?

It is a deeper, more subtle connection to the Prana, which means ‘the life force’. Yoga practitioners believe that Prana is the supreme life force; something that moves our heart, draws the breath in and out. Pranayama is about exploring the source of Prana. Therefore, we use breath as a tool to travel inward toward that pulsation. Meditation is when we are absorbed in that state of connection.

Can you give an example of pranayama exercise?

Nikki guides listeners and readers to become still (physically), if the listeners are moving, they should start to slow down. She then asks them to inhale and exhale slowly feeling their own breath coming in and going out. First stage is to become aware of the breath, to feel the presence of your own breath moving throughout your body so it essentially begins with greeting and acknowledging that your breath sustains you all the time when you are awake or when sleeping. Once we become aware of our own breath, only then we can begin to look at its qualities. Only then, we can start to feel if the inhalation and the exhalation are of the same duration.

How can someone build a business and a career by being a yoga teacher?

Nikki says that the subject of yoga is vast and there is more than enough of what one can study. There is plenty of room for growing in this subject. She says the profession may look enticing to young people and that there is a lot of room to cultivate yourself in the field of yoga and it requires living a life for it. Nikki believes one of the good things about this profession is that she is able to make choices for herself like holding yoga courses, travel around the world with reference to her work and earn money out of it. She says when she started the practice 23 years ago; she never thought she would end up becoming a proper and full time yoga teacher. She also says that the practice of yoga is at the very foundation of yoga and if you want to become a proper yoga teacher and keep getting good at it, you have to keep working hard on yourself as well and practice it every day.

How we can connect with her?

Her website’s URL is

http://nikkicostello.com

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/nikkicostello.thepractice

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nikki_costello/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/nikkicostello

Jan 12, 2017

Susie Romans is a successful business owner, an online business and marketing strategist and a mother of two kids. She shares her story of how she quit her job and started her own business from scratch, increased her revenues and embarked on the journey of entrepreneurship.

When did she start her business and what did it look like?

Susie says her interest in marketing and sales started right after college, she job hopped and ended up working in a digital marketing agency. Susie says she has always loved digital marketing. During this time, she also worked with some small local businesses, helping these businesses to advertise on social media platforms like Facebook. It was during this time she also started her own blog and that eventually led her towards the transition from working in a firm to starting her own business. Her second son was born in 2013 and Susie says by the year 2014, she was so busy in her life because she had to be a good mother, be there for her husband as a wife, do her job in the firm and give time to her blog as well. It was during this time Susie realized she had to choose between her job and the blog. She decided to quit her job and focused on earning from her blog. Susie says she had the confidence of knowing what she was doing when she quit the job.

How did she gain visibility for her blog?

Susie says she never wrote every day on her blog. Susie believed that if you want to get large traffic on your blog, you need to have that element of surprise on your blog so you can get the audience’s attention and keep them curious. Susie also used Pinterest to increase traffic on her blog.

How did she make her transition from a blog to a business owner?

As more people started visiting Susie’s blog, Susie she thought of becoming a business development manager. She started working from home and would only go out for her work when she had to meet her bosses; the business owners with whom she was working. Many people were surprised on how she could sit at home and work in her comfort zone. This propelled Susie to write an eBook titled “How to be a social media manager?” hoping she could help other people work from home as well. Susie says that although the traffic on her blog increased every day and the fact that she sold eBook on her blog to a handful amount of people, she was not earning a reasonable amount of money. A particular friend of Susie advised her to sell something, which is pricier. Susie realized she was good in marketing and thought of offering her marketing strategies to women who are struggling in their businesses.

Did she use traffic from her blog to support in service?

Susie says the traffic from her blog helped her to get clients whom she could help in their businesses. However, there were some unambitious people as well who were not sure as to what they want to do with their careers and businesses. Susie says she likes working with ambitious people who are ready to put in the effort and energy for their business.

How did Susie know she had the desire to be an entrepreneur?

Both of Susie’s parents were immigrants and financially, Susie had a tough childhood. Her parents worked very hard to make sure there was bread on the table. From a very young age, she started doing small jobs to earn money so that she could buy little things her parents could not afford. After completing college, Susie also thought she was excessively creative to be limited and tied down to sit in the cubicle for a typical 9 to 5 job.

Her Typical day in terms of schedule?

Her day starts with dropping her kids to grandma’s house (who is also the nanny). Her professional day starts at nine or ten am when she checks in with her assistant (online business manager). Mondays and Tuesdays are usually reserved for meetings with clients.

Does she feel like you are fulfilling your life purpose?

Susie says she loves what she does. Her best days are speaking to clients, doing live calls and connecting with people. Susie says there are days when she does not connect with people and that is when she feels like she is not as much on purpose as she should be. She believes helping people, reaching them through webinars and calls is what she is meant to do and it is not just about the money.

What is your biggest challenge?

For Susie, the biggest challenge is to surround herself with high achievers. She likes spending time with people who are living their life with purpose. Susie believes your thoughts and actions are very much based on whom you spend your time with.

“You can create anything out of thin air if you have the idea and work ethic” -Susie Romans

How can we connect with her?

Website: http://susieromans.com/

You can also visit the following website for online training

http://themoneymindsetsolution.com/

Email: me@susieromans.com

 

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