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Have you ever wanted to do something in your life but you just never had the courage to do it? Maybe you've pursued your passion to become a doctor or a pharmacist, or a lawyer because you wanted to do good in the world. But then you ended up working in an organization that’s got its own set of ideas you don’t necessarily align with.  Lorin Martin used to work as a pharmacist at CVS. For her, really getting to know the clients and getting to know customers was paramount. But it wasn’t something she could do there. After graduating from Texas A&M University with her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, Lorin Martin received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Texas in Austin. Upon graduation, she managed an independent pharmacy in Austin for 3+ years, where her passion for compounding grew. Currently, Lorin is the owner of Bear’s Compounding Pharmacy and the Pharmacist-In-Charge. Born and raised in Georgetown, Lorin could not be happier to be planting her roots back in her hometown! Could you even imagine a fun pharmacy? That's what Lorin's pharmacy is! Finally, it’s now aligned with the things she enjoys the most. If you feel that you've fallen out of love with your profession, learn how to find your way back to falling in love with your craft again.  In this episode, you will hear: What if you are unhappy with your industry’s practices and you think you can build a better solution?  How can you reinvent yourself and fall in love again with your profession? The benefits of launching in your hometown and bringing big city thinking back What if you could be resilient enough to step into entrepreneurship? Should you partner with your partner? Listen to this success story for inspo.  What steps might there be if you were to launch your own physical store? Ideas around collaborating and best practices to achieve success early on when capacity is limited   Share this episode with a power couple with big dreams of owning a business or someone who is curious about launching a new concept in their industry. Similar Episodes: Van Lai-DuMone Explains How Creativity Workshops Can Increase Creativity in the Workplace, Episode 87 How To Find Inspiration For Creating Viral Content, Katherine Young Creator of the Girls’ Life Magazine Cover Meme, Episode 52 Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.  We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources:  www.bearscompoundingpharmacy.com @bearspharmacy Join Me So many moms are struggling to survive much less to thrive and use their superpower of imagination and for those moms, I have opened a waitlist for moms who want to be first in line for my upcoming book: How to reawaken your imagination to see the greatness in yourself. Here’s what you can expect: Every Friday, I share with you an insight that I have uncovered about the book-writing process as a mom and I tell you very practically how to implement these insights so that you can start feeling more confident about someday writing your own story or just on how to use your imagination a bit more each day. If you are a mom who is ambitious and seeks to make the biggest impact possible in her life and teach her kids how to do the same then this waitlist call is precisely for you. Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist  You are invited to send me a DM. What did you uncover from this episode? https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

When was the last time you went out for a hike in the mountains, walked on the ocean, or just experienced nature? Being outdoors can do wonders. So, get your hiking boots or your surfboard ready because you definitely would want to head out after hearing this episode.  Born and raised in Austin, Texas, USA, Matthew Guthrie grew up exploring its greenbelts (i.e. woods) and parks. His passion for the outdoors led him to create Hike Austin, an organization devoted to promoting and protecting the green spaces around Austin. His first visit to Westcave was on an elementary school field trip and he has stayed connected to Westcave ever since. Matthew is a photographer whose work has been published in local/regional magazines. Matthew also has a passion for entrepreneurship and currently works as a producer on The Build Show.  Today, Matthew discusses the mental break you get from being outdoors. Sure, it’s difficult to find time – but it takes intention. It’s a matter of getting to that headspace where you can turn your head off for 10, 15, or 20 minutes so you can come back to whatever you’re doing, feeling renewed and re-energized. Matthew also talks about kindness as well as the importance of nature conservation and how we can all use our imagination to conserve our beloved environment. In this episode, you will hear: How nature is a mental massage to help you untie life’s “knotty” challenges Why Austin is one of America’s kindest cities? How our mindset is reflected on other people and how we can be more accountable for our interactions How conflict and difficulties can make you a kinder person Why conserving Austin’s natural ecosystems should be a priority, especially for newcomers and/or developers  The BEST swimming holes in surrounding Austin, Texas, USA Share this episode with anyone who is curious about hiking in Austin or who wants to learn more about why conserving Austin’s natural beauty should be prioritized. Similar Episodes: How to Plan Your Perfect Summer Travel Through Curiosity and Wonder with Author Jenny Herbert, Episode 82 The Secret To Healing Goes Back To Indigenous/Aboriginal Traditions As Told By Joe Williams, Episode 132 Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.  We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: @guthrie.atx @hikeaustin Join Me So many moms are struggling to survive much less to thrive and use their superpower of imagination and for those moms, I have opened a waitlist for moms who want to be first in line for my upcoming book: How to reawaken your imagination to see the greatness in yourself. Here’s what you can expect: Every Friday, I share with you an insight that I have uncovered about the book-writing process as a mom and I tell you very practically how to implement these insights so that you can start feeling more confident about someday writing your own story or just on how to use your imagination a bit more each day. If you are a mom who is ambitious and seeks to make the biggest impact possible in her life and teach her kids how to do the same then this waitlist call is precisely for you. Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist  You are invited to send me a DM. What did you uncover from this episode? https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

Imagine being an illustrator with a studio in Sydney right next to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Australia, who gets to use their talent to give people a good laugh at the silliness of life?  This week’s guest is Max Mendez and his artistry is behind the Squidinki brand.  Squidinki is a unique brand founded by Max Mendez and Kerry Findlay. With degrees in Industrial and Interior design respectively, Max and Kerry have had extensive experience working in design and branding agencies throughout the world, including England, Spain, America, Singapore, and Australia. Now after more than 10 years of designing brands and retail interiors for many prominent Australian and international brands, Max and Kerry decided to follow their passion for illustration and design, and create their own brand, Squidinki. Inspired by the humor Max sees in everyday life, and a desire to spend life sketching it, Squidinki was born. Max's witty and humorous hand-drawn illustrations are sold both as limited edition artwork and featured on everyday products with the hope of bringing a chuckle to your day. In this episode, Max shares how he creates vs. thinks about promoting his creations. He delves into his sources of inspiration and speaks fondly about his co-founder and partner Kerry.  In this episode, you will hear: Reawakening your imagination by noticing the silliness around you as a creator Stretching your imagination by bringing in a loving critique How to see the viability of your artistry How to come up with unexpected and more creative ideas Depicting things in different ways so that you can build a reputation The commercialization of art: creative vs. conceptual i.e. how to turn art into income The whiteboard exercise to reawaken your creativity Share this episode with fellow creative souls with a sense of humor or with anyone who dreams of being able to sell their art. Similar Episodes: How Do You Leverage Creativity To Reduce Anxiety With Sarah Spencer, Episode 80 From Teaching Art to Being Featured In Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crushing It!, Hear How Luis-Miguel Caraballo Is Accelerating His Goal Of Making Art History, Episode 13 Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.  We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: https://squidinki.com/ https://www.instagram.com/squidinki/ https://www.facebook.com/squidinki Join Me So many moms are struggling to survive much less to thrive and use their superpower of imagination and for those moms, I have opened a waitlist for moms who want to be first in line for my upcoming book: How to reawaken your imagination to see the greatness in yourself. Here’s what you can expect: Every Friday, I share with you an insight that I have uncovered about the book-writing process as a mom and I tell you very practically how to implement these insights so that you can start feeling more confident about someday writing your own story or just on how to use your imagination a bit more each day. If you are a mom who is ambitious and seeks to make the biggest impact possible in her life and teach her kids how to do the same then this waitlist call is precisely for you. Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist  You are invited to send me a DM. What did you uncover from this episode? https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/

What could be possible for moms who want to launch their own businesses and reawaken their imagination? A life consumed by making gooey chocolate that’s for one. Hear how this chocolatier (and mom), Rebecca Knights, navigated business over the course of 20-plus years, from working for BBC to doing a no sugar campaign with Sarah Wilson, and to even being hired to put together a chocolate event for Adele. All of the decision moves that wound her up to having a successful chocolatier career are truly impressive. Rebecca is a business collaborator and decadent inventor in the kitchen. Rebecca started in the food industry to support her design studies. She soon took off to France to pursue her other passion and trained at Valrhona Chocolate until opening the first cocoa chocolate in Edinburgh in 2004. After 10 years of working and training in Europe, she finally opened Coco Chocolate in Kirribilli, merging her two passions for chocolates and design. In this episode, you will hear: Striving to achieve to survive The admin and sales aspects of running a chocolate business Finding the beauty in the small vs. empire-building How people’s palates have evolved over the years Rebecca’s current collaborations Opening a physical shop vs. an online store Share this with a chocolate lover or a creative small business owner who wants to build a profitable brick and mortar shop/s. Links https://cocochocolate.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/cocochocolateau/ Join Me So many moms are struggling to survive much less to thrive and use their superpower of an imagination and for those moms, I have opened a waitlist for moms who want to be first in line for my upcoming book: How to reawaken your imagination to see the greatness in yourself. Here’s what you can expect, every Friday I share with you an insight that I have uncovered about the book-writing process as a mom and I tell you very practically how to implement these insights so that you can start feeling more confident about someday writing your own story or just on how to use your imagination a bit more each day. If you are a mom who is ambitious and seeks to make the biggest impact possible in her life and teach her kids how to do the same then this waitlist call is precisely for you. Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist You are invited to send me a DM. What did you uncover from this episode? https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ Related Episodes: Jessica James-Thomson, Owner of the yarn shop, Ginger Twist Studio, Talks About Career Transitions, Finding Your Own Pace, and Tackling Ambitious Goals, Episode 27 World Barista Champion Hugh Kelly Reveals the Future of Coffee, Episode 111

This conversation is perfect for new or aspiring entrepreneurs. What if you are new to self-employment and you want to put together a beta offer? What’s the key to having massive clarity on what you want to sell? Who might you want to ask to be your first clients? What if you could uplevel your skills to more deeply serve every one of those clients and get more money for your time? How do you handle the fear of building a coaching business or pivoting into a new entrepreneurial offer?  It’s natural to have more questions than answers when it comes to being an entrepreneur, that’s why you will surely enjoy the energy and vibe of this week’s podcast guest, Jessica Burgio. Host of the Beauty Inspires Beauty podcast, Jessica is an educator and speaker helping salon owners and stylists around the world to grow their business, while growing themselves. Her unique approach focuses on encouraging her clients to grow through personal development and self-care, all while offering the tools needed to build a thriving, sustainable salon business.  Even if you are not in the beauty industry, you will definitely get a lot out of this conversation because the core entrepreneurial foundational skills are the same across sectors.  Before jumping into today’s story and wisdom, I want to be sure you are connected to a completely free group of powerful, driven, and resilient moms with child-proofed coaching or services businesses that can bounce back faster after family interruptions.  What is a child-proof business? The key to business success as a coach, podcaster, or service business professional is that you and your business can navigate the volatile and unpredictable changes – childcare, illness, newborn, homeschool, etc. Join our Facebook group: Resilient Moms With Child-Proof High Impact Businesses: https://bit.ly/curiousmom. Share this with anyone in the beauty business or who would like to launch an entrepreneurial beauty coaching practice. Hint: Share this with your beautician! About Jessica Through her Behind the Beauty Brand membership, the podcast, networking events and in person workshops, Jessica Burgio mentors beauty professionals with concrete, approachable, and proven steps to help grow and scale their business.  This BEAUTY INSPIRES BEAUTY community was created simply to help owners and stylists not only grow their business, but grow their confidence. Combining her deep passion and care for people and her love for the industry, Jess has made it her mission to unite the beauty industry and empower anyone that is a part of it. In between, you can catch Jessica dropping weekly business truth bombs on her IG stories, providing helpful resources for beauty entrepreneurs!  Highlights Trust: Work with people you already like and that you can trust, with them being okay with you messing up or not being perfect. Testing: Launch today your beta offer by inviting people you like to experience and give you feedback. Your community and your clients will tell you exactly what they want from you. Mastery: Initially stick to the things that you can unapologetically talk about, share, and get really passionate about. If you step into a space, what part of that job could you do really well and then go above and beyond that. Zone of genius: Stick to your zone of genius and slowly build a team before you're ready. Investment: Invest in yourself and bet on yourself. Work for the things in order to have the life you want. Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship is a wild west territory for a lot of people. Some people are cut out to be an entrepreneur, and some people just want to show up and work. There's a place in any industry for both types of people.  Empathy: It truly helps if you walk the walk in order to be able to empathize, sympathize, relate, and understand the people you're coaching. Being able to hold space for your client is a skillset. Confidence: Step into the fear. At the same time, do the things you know will give you confidence, then try the one next thing that you're not quite so familiar with. Joy: We can't always do the things that we'd be good at or we'd be doing a million things. And so, if you had to focus on one thing, that one thing should bring you the most amount of joy.  Visibility: Once you create the things that you want to be putting out into the world (ex. podcast, book, blog, vlog, IG TV, stories, etc.), talk about it. People won't know what you have unless you share it.  Target audience: Know who your avatar is and show up every single day. Speak to that person unapologetically, until you get the messaging and the pain points right. Frequency: For people to understand what you have to offer, they have to hear it a few times before they realize it might be for them.  Clarity: Lack of clarity is the number one reason people have failed launches or are not converting. Ask for what you need and what you need help with.  Momentum: When you're starting out something, you need to build a lot of momentum around that one thing or that one service.  Curiosity: Give yourself permission to explore what else is out there that you could fall into that feels right for you. Consistency: Build a business and be successful in any way that feels right for you. You don't have to do it like everybody else. But you have to be consistent at whatever it is that you are doing. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Van Lai-DuMone Explains How Creativity Workshops Can Increase Creativity in the Workplace, Episode 87 Former Professional Cyclist and Lifetime Entrepreneur Kevin Miller on Starting Your Self-Employment Journey, Episode 73 Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.jessicaburgio.com Instagram: @jessicaburgio and @creativehousesd Podcast: @beautyinspiresbeautypodcast Book mentioned: The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer Join the Waitlist I have opened a waitlist for moms who want to be first in line for my book. The benefit of signing up for my waitlist today is that every Friday I share with you an insight that I have uncovered about the book-writing process as a mom and I tell you very practically how to implement these insights so that you can start feeling more confident about someday writing your own story or just on how to use your imagination a bit more each day. If you are a mom who is ambitious and seeks to make the biggest impact possible in her life and teach her kids how to do the same then this waitlist call/opening is precisely for you. Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

These days, the thought of entrepreneurship for our kids as a viable career option doesn’t sound completely foreign or nuts. It may sound risky or unstable and less conventional than becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or accountant – but it’s an option that is increasingly getting popular, especially since the advent of the internet. Do you think you have an aspiring entrepreneur in your home? What can you do to nourish her or his interests in launching something one day? How important are school grades? Are there any differences between socioeconomic backgrounds or cultures? Would the idea of entertaining a gap year for your child raise your blood pressure – and should it?  When I was growing up, the internet didn’t exist yet I was that little girl who picked up a green book about how to become an entrepreneur. I was fascinated by the ideas that kids could come up with to make money. But that was where the buck stopped for me until 2011 when I launched my own coaching practice.  I love the creativity and imagination that go into figuring out the best solution for prospective clients. This truly fills me up with straight-up joy!  It is with this context that I want to introduce this week’s guest Margot Bisnow, a mom of two entrepreneurial sons. Margot offers a lot of valuable insights including some rules you have to think about when raising an entrepreneur child. Don’t get me wrong. You can't just take an uninspired kid and send them to entrepreneur camp. It's about raising a kid that's not afraid to take risks because entrepreneurs are risk-takers. Before jumping into today’s story and wisdom, I want to be sure you are connected to a completely free group of powerful, driven, and resilient moms with child-proofed coaching or services businesses that can bounce back faster after family interruptions.  What is a child-proof business? The key to business success as a coach, podcaster, or service business professional is that you and your business can navigate the volatile and unpredictable changes – childcare, illness, newborn, homeschool, etc. Join our Facebook group: Resilient Moms With Child-Proof High Impact Businesses: https://bit.ly/curiousmom. Share this with a parent who wants to raise an entrepreneur child in a way that they feel seen, heard, loved, and supported. This is a great conversation that will make you wonder how else can you be a loving and supportive parent to your kid! About Margot Margot Machol Bisnow is a writer, wife, and mom from Washington, DC. She has a BA in English and an MBA from Northwestern University. She spent 20 years in government, including being an FTC Commissioner and in the White House as staff director of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Margot’s book, “Raising An Entrepreneur: How To Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams,” features entrepreneurs and parents discussing how to raise children who are confident, creative, resilient, and happy. Highlights Curiosity: Observe the interests of your child inside/outside of school and let them explore them deeply – explore their persistence/grit Appreciate: Offer your kids the stability of your love regardless of their professional choices and mistakes. Appreciate and support them for all the things they’re accomplishing. Options: Consider entrepreneurship as another viable option but it is also one that cannot be forced. Mentorship: It's so important for kids to have a mentor, somebody (not their parents) who is telling them that what they're doing is great, especially if it's in the area that the kid loves.  Control: You can't control how life goes, but you can control how you deal with it, how to approach it, and how to respond.  Success: Believe that your love and support are what they need to succeed, not anything that you thought.  Support: It's a mistake for parents to say to their kids, "spend all your time doing stuff you hate or stuff you're not good at." Don’t make your kids feel like they are losers because those don’t matter that much. Joy: It's not about parents trying to raise entrepreneurs. But they became entrepreneurs because their parents didn't punish them for failing and were happy when they tried new things. Feedback: Don’t punish your kid if you think they fail. Don’t call it failure, but feedback. If they broke something, then they have to learn from it and figure out how to fix it.  If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Hear The Single Biggest Lesson Gary Vaynerchuk Thinks Corporations Need To Learn From Family-Owned Businesses As Well As The Smartest Way To Ask For Equity, Episode 10  Amy Guth Shares About Overcoming Fear and Embracing Discomfort at This Time of the Great Resignation, Episode 109  Links to continue to learn from: Website: https://raisinganentrepreneur.com Book: Raising An Entrepreneur: How To Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams Facebook: www.facebook.com/raisinganentrepreneur1/?fref=ts Instagram: www.instagram.com/margotbisnow LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/margot-machol-bisnow-a29550b5/ Join the Waitlist I have opened a waitlist for moms who want to be first in line for my book The benefit of signing up for my waitlist today is that every Friday I share with you an insight that I have uncovered about the book-writing process as a mom and I tell you very practically how to implement these insights so that you can start feeling more confident about someday writing your own story or just on how to use your imagination a bit more each day. If you are a mom who is ambitious and seeks to make the biggest impact possible in her life and teach her kids how to do the same then this waitlist call/opening is precisely for you. Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Joe Williams is a former NRL player, professional boxer, and turned mental health advocate, who’s bringing The Enemy Within workshops to various communities. The Enemy Within is built on its five pillars of values: love, care, respect, humility, and compassion.  Joe is known for his committed work within the community mental health and suicide prevention sectors. During our conversation, Joe mentions how we always talk about, "it takes a village to raise a child." And he makes a valid point that we don't have a village anymore. We wake up and go to work and send our kids off to school or to daycare in the morning, pick them up in the afternoon, and put them to bed. Unfortunately, we're not raised by our village anymore. Our kids are being shipped off and passed around by all these different people that have absolutely no idea who they are.  Now, where is this magical village that was supposed to help us raise our kids and support our families? How can we heal as a society and recover from some of the consequences that come from living in a concrete jungle? What practical wisdom might we want to borrow from indigenous and/or aboriginal societies that have worked for thousands of years?  You may be new to this podcast and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening. In exchange, I want you to know that I believe you’re in control of your overall well-being and success, whether you’re a parent or not. My perspective comes from being a daughter to a mom who has manic depression. I’ve witnessed a parent whose capacity took a hit and had grown up in that environment. I had to figure out the tools, methods, and ways to show up resiliently in my life. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my goals and ambitions as a coach to moms in business, a podcast host who has brought on big names like GaryVee and Suzy Batiz, nor as a mom to three young sons.  Before jumping into today’s story and wisdom, I want to be sure you are connected to a completely free group of powerful, driven, and resilient moms with child-proofed coaching or services businesses that can bounce back faster after family interruptions.  What is a child-proof business? The key to business success as a coach, podcaster, or service business professional is that you and your business can navigate the volatile and unpredictable changes – childcare, illness, newborn, homeschool, etc. Join our Facebook group: Resilient Moms With Child-Proof High Impact Businesses: https://bit.ly/curiousmom. Share this with a mom in business who values her mental health and that of her children because Joe offers wisdom that can honestly save someone’s life. This conversation offers the key to healing as a society and for generations to come. Meet Joe Joe is a proud Wiradjuri/Wolgalu, First Nations Aboriginal man born in Cowra, raised in Wagga NSW, Australia. Joe played in the National Rugby League for South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers, and Canterbury Bulldogs before switching to professional Boxing in 2009. Joe is a 2x WBF World Jnr Welterweight champion and won the WBC Asia Continental Title.  Although forging a successful professional sporting career, Joe battled the majority of his life with suicidal ideation and bipolar disorder. After a suicide attempt in 2012, Joe felt his purpose was to help people who struggle with mental illness. Through customized workshops, Joe talks of dealing with adversities, struggles, resilience, addiction, connection, emotional wellbeing & healing trauma in schools, communities, correctional services, sporting clubs, and workplaces. Joe was awarded the Wagga Wagga Citizen of the Year in 2015 for his committed work within the community mental health and suicide prevention sectors and was named a finalist in the National Indigenous Human Rights Awards. In 2018, Joe was awarded Suicide Prevention Australia’s highest honor, a LiFE Award for his excellence in communities within the suicide prevention sector. In 2019, he was named a dual winner of the Australian Mental Health Prize.  Now a published author, Joe’s autobiography “Defying The Enemy Within” shares not only his life’s story but also offers practical tools anyone can implement to improve and maintain their emotional wellbeing. Joe also contributed to the book, “Transformation; Turning Tragedy into Triumph” and was featured in the documentary, “Suicide: The Ripple Effect”. Highlights Mental Health: Decide to proactively identify the best mental health tools for you and begin to implement them. Introspection: Think about modern society and see what parts are not serving you or your kids. Use this chat as an invitation for self-reflection because you don’t have to copy/paste what everyone else is doing…not as a mom nor in business. Values: Learn about the values of society you admire (one that is authentic to you or one you admire from a distance). Distraction: We sit from nine to five in front of the computer. We go home tired because we're working and earning money for someone else. We get nasty at our children because we've had a tough day, not even worrying about how emotionally unstable our kids are. Lineage: Every family has patterns and mythology of thought, belief, and behavior that are passed on from one generation to another, the same way physical characteristics have been passed on. Compassion: Everyone is the way they are for a reason. We just need to be kind and compassionate to each other.  Awareness: Any outburst of emotional pain is a response to something else. A lot of the time, it's not directly related to the person we're out bursting and responding to. We're triggered by something that happened to us many years ago - and awareness is key. Expression: We fail to talk about mental health due to shame. It’s sad how children are not given the agency to regulate their emotions because adults don’t allow them to. We have to look back to go forward again. Connection: As human beings, we are born wired for love and connection. People have been connected since the beginning of time. And we’re more disconnected than we've ever been in the history of humankind.  Gift: Shamans walk into mental health facilities and they don't see sickness. They see an abundance of people who are spiritually gifted.  Grounding: If people are 70% water, and the earth is made up of water, we need to get back to water. Anxiety: The fact that we're so sick as people now is because we project forward into a future that may not even be there. Depression: Anything that we're depressed about has happened in our past. But the best we can do is learn from it and adjust it to be better.  Presence: All we have is a moment of presence and it becomes the past. It's about being the absolute best person that we can be in the present moment.  Advocate: Advocate for yourself and don’t be afraid to speak up. Be the best version of yourself – but you have to do your work. Values: The opposite of respect is disrespect. The opposite of compassion is judgment. The opposite of humility is ego. The opposites of those values are aligned with behaviors as well.  Acceptance: We don't know what the destination looks like yet. We just have to be grateful and thankful and try to find peace with that. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: How To Rebuild Yourself After Trauma With Faith, Hope, and Mindset, Timothy Phelps is the Author of The Invisible Child: Overcoming the Odds, Episode 58 Will Travis, Global Brand Builder and Creator of Elevation Barn Talks About How to Boost Morale and How to Become an Elevated Leader, Episode 33 Books mentioned: The Dreaming Path What Happened to You? Lost Connections Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.joewilliams.com.au  Instagram: @joewilliams_tew Twitter: @joewilliams_tew Facebook: The Enemy Within: Suicide Prevention Trauma Recovery & Wellbeing FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Are you on a spiritual journey right now? Chances are, if you are in your 30s or 40s, you have been on a spiritual journey of some sort, and maybe you still are going through the motions of it.  As for me, my spiritual journey started here in Australia due to the “at-home time” I had during the pandemic so I had the space to dig deep. As for many of us, it caused us to pause and reevaluate our purpose in life. It was my desire to reconnect with my intuition and keep my head above the water if I wanted to make progress on my business.  This brings me to this week’s guest, Johnson Chong, the best-selling and award-winning author of Sage Sapien: From Karma to Dharma. Johnson is passionate about creating a bridge between ancient wisdom, energy medicine, and direct modern application. His unique experiences offer a profoundly healing self-discovery experience, followed by very practical and actionable steps to create lasting change.  With his background as a teacher who trains yoga teachers and pilates teachers, Johnson has an expansive knowledge of the physical body and how the psyche can create stagnation on all levels – physical, mental, emotional, and energetic. Today, Johnson shares his shamanic wisdom to help us keep it all together in all the roles that we are playing in life – in the most authentic way possible. Whether you’re a child of parents who are also on their own spiritual journey or maybe you have conflicting beliefs, this is definitely a great episode for you to listen to.  Gain an appreciation for both your feminine and masculine sides and learn to reconnect with them. Share this with someone else who is also curious about the idea of doing inner work and its benefits on your life.  As a mom, you do not want to let the spark of a business idea get caught in the undercurrent of motherhood. This month, I will be offering 3 VIP Moms In Business Coaching spots for moms who wish to build a resilient business capable of bouncing back after any family interruption. It is during our day together that we will map out your precise implementation plan with the realities of being a caregiver in mind. This opportunity is unlike any other because it syncs up what you deeply desire out of motherhood with the needs of a business at every stage; it’s what I’ve picked up and refined over the course of an 11-year plus entrepreneurial career that has grown with my family of three young boys. Are you ready for a tailored resilient business plan for yourself?  Sign-up today on https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena for a complimentary 15-minute connection Zoom call to see if it’s the right fit based on your income goals in the next 9 weeks.  Johnson Chong’s Biography Johnson Chong is the best-selling and award-winning author of Sage Sapien: From Karma to Dharma. He is also a TedX Speaker, shaman, and the founder of Sage Sapien Soul Academy where he trains aspiring meditation and breathwork teachers.  Through the synthesis of the most applicable teachings of yoga, meditation, breathwork, coaching, and shamanic healing, Johnson’s training programs are designed to help people quiet the mind, awaken the heart, and free themselves of the roadblocks that keep them from living more authentically and joyfully.  Johnson has spoken and led workshops at companies like Unilever, Facebook, Nike, Macquarie, Insight Timer, UBS, UOB, and more. Johnson is a native New Yorker, has lived on three continents, and is currently based in Sydney, Australia.  Highlights Mental state: Modern people have to make use of technology in healthy ways. To keep his mental state, Johnson uses a pulsed electromagnetic frequency device, which mirrors back high-functioning brainwave states.  Spirituality: Your spiritual path is personal and one with huge benefits that can span generations. In my case, having this business led me to seek my spiritual path.  Balance: You have both feminine and masculine energies inside of you and both are equally important. Navigating life requires both sides of you and if you are too tilted in one direction, your kids may compensate in the opposite to maintain the balance in your home. Taking risks: You can search for a safe job, choice, or relationship but then you may miss out on the adventure of taking a risk – and the risk could sometimes mean being true to yourself. Imagination: Deciding to be a mom was the biggest risk I took. Learning to reawaken my imagination and stay true to myself was essential in navigating all the ups and downs. Resilience: We have all experienced some level of discomfort, pain, or things that didn’t turn out the way we wanted. And so, you have to practice getting good at knowing how to be okay in the storm and weather it.  Focus: When you learn to focus your attention on the moment or on the different types of sensations in your body, you're learning extreme focus, which is necessary for all things in life. Purpose: We have to go back and sit with all of the pain, the hurt, as well as the things we never wanted and can't quite fully accept in the past before we can get to our life purpose. In order to enjoy more of life, you have to get deep and dirty in it.  Lower and upper worlds: The spiritual journey is not just up there but also down there. From a shamanic perspective, you go into the lower world first before you go up into the upper world. Sacred feminine: When we're talking about meeting certain things within ourselves that are darker or we want to hide away, that's the sacred feminine. We're not wanting to confront that and we're denying a part of ourselves. Yin Yang: Masculine and feminine (not male and female) energies are more of the essence of a plus and a minus charge – masculine, being the plus charge of the battery; and feminine, as the minus charge of the battery. Both are necessary to make the battery work.  (+) energy: Masculine energy is a giving, forward-giving energy. It’s about direction. It is structured, mathematical, and philosophical.  (–) energy: Feminine energy is wild, creative, sexual energy which you can channel into art or an enlightened state. Chaos: Anything that's chaotic and destroys the norm, or the way that we perceive the norm is the feminine force. We associate that as bad, but it's part of nature, just like a hurricane. Business: A masculine force is being a high achiever. But the world's top billionaires have experienced great losses. That's them risking diving into the feminine, which is the great unknown, and then they come back up.  Rest: When the minus comes down, you now have the opportunity to rest, restore, read, and do things that are nourishing for yourself. It's winter break.  Flow: Part of the spiritual journey is understanding these waves within ourselves, and then expressing that.  Balance: Our job as human beings is to find the balance between masculine energy and feminine energy. Parents: A lot of immigrant families have a very masculine driving force. And so the kids have to have a structured life. So they have to learn to be okay with being vulnerable in public and being a bit messy.  Toxic family: A toxic relationship is a toxic relationship, sometimes, you have to end it. We can't judge trauma because you never know how that inspires someone else.  Pain: If you swallow your pain up and pretend it's not there, it’s going to build into something toxic and your children may have to create some distance from you. Service: Every person, whatever their unique story is, has the capacity to make a choice of how to deal with their pain. You can take your pain and turn it into service and inspire you to help others. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Michael A. Blunt Teaches How to Attain Peace and Success by Deprogramming Your Limiting Beliefs, Episode 127 Dr. Brad Elphinstone Talks About How to Stop Living Your Life On Autopilot Through Self-Determination, Equanimity, and Non-Attachment, Episode 100 Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.johnsonchong.com  Book: https://johnsonchong.com/book/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnsonchong_sagesapien Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagesapien LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnson-chong-9475b848/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/user/exodusretreats?si=08YgBpCBSJ2Up4p-nhmARg  Email: sage@johnsonchong.com  FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue t

How can pausing or neglecting your hobbies as a busy mom lead to feeling like you’ve lost an essential connection to yourself? In this episode, you’ll uncover what it takes to be an artist and a single mom, especially during those early childhood years. Hear whether it’s worth it to give up on your dreams, your artistry, or your own self. Also, learn about cost-effective and less time-consuming media you can use to express your artistry as a mom.  Belinda Lindhardt provides valuable insights and productivity hacks fit for a creative mom who is busy or overwhelmed yet still appreciates her art as a tool to give herself downtime and help reconnect with herself.  In this conversation, Belinda shares what it takes to continue and persist and work on your passion projects or even your creative business, no matter where you are in your life, whether you're a single mom, or a mom taking care of a lot of unpredictable people. This concept is applicable whether you wish to maintain a hobby or you want to commercialize it and turn it into a “jobby.” Share this with a mom who thinks she's too busy to do things that bring her joy or a mom who desires to build and grow a resilient business that can weather the interruptions and changes that come with motherhood.  As a mom, you do not want to let their spark of a business idea get caught in the undercurrent of motherhood. This month, I will be offering 3 VIP Moms In Business Coaching spots for moms who wish to build a resilient business capable of bouncing back after any family interruption. It is during our day together that we will map out your precise implementation plan with the realities of being a caregiver in mind. This opportunity is unlike any other because it syncs up what you deeply desire out of motherhood with the needs of a business at every stage; it’s what I’ve picked up and refined over the course of an 11-year plus entrepreneurial career that has grown with my family of three young boys. Are you ready for a tailored resilient business plan for yourself?  Sign-up today on https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena for a complimentary 15-minute connection Zoom call to see if it’s the right fit based on your income goals in the next 9 weeks.  About Belinda Lindhardt Belinda is an artist/painter, illustrator & graphic designer, based on the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia. Belinda is inspired by the beauty she sees everywhere – in landscapes, in people, and in the playfulness of color, light, form, and movement. She loves creating art that brings joy to people’s lives. From colorful, abstract painted landscapes to captivating portraits and intricately detailed drawings, Belinda creates art and printed products that make ideal gifts or pieces to keep for yourself. Belinda studied Graphic Design in 1995 and started her first business in 1996 creating websites. She is mainly a self-taught artist being a student of the internet. Belinda thinks being a mom has been her greatest achievement yet! Highlights Artist: Being an artist means you've created something from nothing. That is equal in writing, or coming up with a solution or even cooking. Your identity is something you create for yourself. Medium: Belinda wants to work more freely and openly, and create a painting more easily with the limited timeframe she has raising a family. And so the medium became less important.  Mixed media: Try some watercolor backgrounds. Do a layer or two of watercolor. And then go over the top with some colored pencils for an intricate output. Work smaller: Find short-cuts to create your art and make reconnecting a priority. It doesn't have to take a long time to create the painting. You just need downtime for you to connect to yourself. Connection: It's about the connection and the journey of creating something new. It's not about the outcome, even though that's nice to have as well. You become better when you learn to connect with yourself. Restart: The great thing about mixed media or painting is that you can just paint over the top of it. So if it's not working how you want it to, you can paint over it and start again. Practice: If you have a picture in your head, and it's just not coming out on the canvas, understand that it takes time and practice to build up those skills. It's part of the creative process.  Art: It is hard when you have a blank canvas. Try drawing and scribbling words on the canvas before painting on it. If you don’t like it, then start again. Formula: There is no formula in creativity because sometimes the idea or the concept is just there, and it works.  Value: There is value in creating something, even if it's not for financial gain.  Model: You've got to have a little bit of joy to share with your kids and show them what to do because you want a better life for them.  Joy: You've got to have joy in your life. It doesn't have to be creative. It can just be taking that little moment for yourself and enjoying a cup of tea. Think of ways to add more joy to your life. Resilience: Being a single mom, there is no backup. But being okay and kind to yourself about this helps you have resilience. Don’t beat yourself up over it. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Phaidra Knight, World Rugby Hall of Famer, founder of PeaK Unleashed, and Mixed Martial Artist Expresses the Importance of Equality and Feeling Limitless Regardless of Age and Circumstances, Episode 17 Felipe Galindo Gómez, Cartoonist Known as Feggo, Talks About Handling Criticism, Taking Initiative, and Being Whole, Episode 42 Links to continue to learn from: Website: https://creativehardt.com.au  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativehardt/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativehardt  Biography: https://www.creativehardt.com.au/about/  FREE DOWNLOAD My book is set to release this Winter 2022. Join me on my journey: www.melissallarena.com/waitlist  Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Lisa Messenger has lived a full range of entrepreneurial emotions – the ups and downs over the course of being in business for over 21 years.  In this episode, Lisa covered quite a bit, including the idea of finding your purpose, knowing why you're going into business, how to fail fast, and how to assemble and work with a team even if you can't pay them at first, and finally, the numbers that matter. This is actually all in her book, “Start Up to Scale Up,” which makes a great graduation gift or if you simply want to give somebody something that will help spark up an idea within them. (Use the discount code Melissa20 to get 20% off of any of her products. Lisa also shares how she is currently getting to know the North American market, considering the nuances between the U.S. and Canada, especially compared to the Australian market.  Finally, Lisa dishes out some actionable insights into when we should share our big business ideas, how to stay ahead of the curve if someone has already done what we wish to accomplish, and getting to know your customer avatars. Enjoy this conversation and share this with an aspiring or new entrepreneur who could really use raw and positive wisdom to keep them going. Whether it's a mom with a spark of a business idea or a recent college grad who wants to turn her purpose into a sustainable business – today’s episode is suitable for both! I have a special offer for you if you are a mom new to a service or coaching business. This week I will be offering 3 VIP Moms In Business Coaching spots for moms who wish to build a resilient business capable of bouncing back after any family interruption. It is during our day together that we will map out your precise implementation plan with the realities of being a caregiver in mind. This opportunity is unlike any other because it syncs up what you deeply desire out of motherhood with the needs of a business at every stage; it’s what I’ve picked-up and refined over the course of an 11-year plus entrepreneurial career that has grown with my family of three young boys. Are you ready for a tailored resilient business plan for yourself? Sign-up today ( https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena ) for a complimentary 15-minute connection Zoom call to see if it’s the right fit based on your income goals in the next 9-weeks.  About Lisa Messenger Lisa Messenger is the vibrant, game-changing founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief of Collective Hub. She launched Collective Hub as a print magazine in 2013, with no experience in an industry that people said was either dead or dying. Collective Hub has since grown into an international multimedia business and lifestyle platform with multiple verticals across print, digital, events, and education – all of which serve to ignite human potential. Five years and 52 issues into the print magazine Lisa made the courageous move to “break” the very thing that she started – the print magazine – enabling her to take some time and space to evolve into the next iteration and again disrupt this space. Her passion is to challenge individuals and corporations to get out of their comfort zones, find their purpose, change the way they think, and prove there’s more than one way to do anything. She encourages creativity, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and lives life to the absolute max. Most mornings, she wakes up and pinches herself at how incredible her life is, but is also acutely aware and honest about life’s bumps and tumbles along the way. Highlights Humility: If you're new to the entrepreneurial space, stay humble but put little teeth into it. Don't be shy about growing your business and asking for guidance.  Discovery: Spend time getting to know your customer avatars. Drill down into who they are, what they eat or shop, etc. Understand who your market is and who is not. Feedback: Get feedback or suggestions from the right people. Not only are you opening up to criticism, but that person might take your idea.  Urgency: It's important to have a sense of urgency so you can bring your idea to the market faster and make it unique to who you are and let it show up authentically.  Humor: A lot of people take themselves too seriously and business has got to be fun. It's got to be purpose-driven and you've got to be able to play. You have to go through life where you find the joy and the upside in things.  Purpose: Have a sense of what your purpose is and what your why is. Root very deeply into that so when things get tough, you can go back to why you're doing this and be reminded of this. Otherwise, it's really easy to just go,  Fail Fast: When you fail fast, then you can test things very quickly, especially in a market where everything is changing so fast. And if it doesn’t work, you can just move on. People: Surround yourself with a great team. If you don't have the money, consider bartering or doing a collaboration.  Finance: Think about the financials – a lot! You need to understand things like cash flow, profit and loss, how to read a balance sheet, and just the fundamentals. Otherwise, you can have cash flow issues very quickly.  Ideas: No idea is a new idea. It's how you synthesize it, what you bring to it, and what your unique take on something is. Don't be too protective because your ideas already happened in some way, shape, or form. Competition: There will be copycats. Focus on the next thing you can do so you can stay ahead of the curve. Creativity: Learn from other sectors and other people in other cultures and countries as to how they do things. Leverage: Build relationships with the right people who can open the right doors and have already built the networks and can help to fast-track everything.  Ask: If you're very specific about what you need, it is much much easier for people to help you.  If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Mompreneur (Former Management Consultant) Kim Peirce of Babe Australia Shares How to Strategize, Implement, and Win Big in the Retail Space, Episode 122 David Meltzer Is On The Path To Empowering Over 1 Billion People To Be Happy Using The Exact Same Three Values That He Learned From His Mom, Episode 61 Links to continue to learn from: Website: https://shop.collectivehub.com/ (Use the discount code Melissa20 for 20% off on Lisa’s website.) Book: https://shop.collectivehub.com/products/start-up-to-scale-up-book Instagram: @lisamessenger @collectivehub Twitter: @lisamessenger FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

What does it take to earn back the trust of not just anyone, but your kids?  In this week's episode, I invited Tim Taylor as he shares how he tried to earn the trust of his daughter back.  He also shares how fathers can create space for their daughters so that they can open up with their dads. He particularly talks about how not to rob daughters of the experience of having to go through difficult times, and instead, give them the grace and the dignity to go through them. Especially in a divorced family environment, the relationships are fragile. In Tim's situation, his daughter lost her trust in him, having witnessed him going through a spiral, including being addicted to a substance and going through financial woes. Whether you're a dad or a mom, or maybe you're the child who lost trust in their parent/s, you're going to get some ideas from Tim that you can apply to your relationships as well.  Emotional well-being is imperative to us as parents. If you still haven’t gotten on the waitlist for my book, please do so: www.melissallarena.com/waitlist Also, I will also be opening up 3 VIP days for women with small businesses that they wish to scale online or offline, or both. Learn how to get to a place where you can hang out with your adult daughter and just joke around; how to earn the trust of a daughter after you’ve lost it; how to create the space for daughters to share their experiences with their fathers, and; how to not rob your daughter of going through difficult times Share this with a dad who has a daughter (or two or three or more) to help give them a new perspective on how to talk with their little girl! Tim Taylor’s Biography Tim Taylor lives in San Francisco, CA, and is the father of a 21-year-old daughter. He is a passionate advocate for every Dad trying their best to keep up with the velocity of how things are changing for our daughters. He is a committed supporter of our daughters finding their paths with our support.  More than anything else, he believes it's NEVER too late for us Dads to get help and be the best we can be. It's a sacred and unique relationship that deserves maximum emotional fluency and understanding.  At this time, Tim is performing a one-person play in November of 2022 called The Father Daughter Dance which is based on his experience raising his daughter in the context of some of the difficulties he had personally with addiction, ultimately getting sober.  It is an expansion of Tim’s podcast The Father Daughter Dance which is devoted to helping dads keep up with the velocity of how things are changing for their daughters. They can then help their daughters find their inner greatness, agency, power, and vulnerability, and allow them to be who they are and align with what they want.  Highlights Communication: Things like exchanging notes with your kids or watching their favorite shows together can set a solid foundation in your relationships. Dignity: Let your kids have the dignity of going through hard moments because there's going to be an opportunity for them to grow and learn from their mistakes.  Struggle: It's hard for most dads to hear their daughters struggling. But they can't rob them of the dignity of going through difficult times.  Space: Just become a witness who holds space for them. Let your kids feel they're seen, held, heard, and loved because that's what creates dignity. Ask: Today's generation is more willing to understand the value of help. Stepping out: A lot of times, parents feel like they need to step into certain situations in order to protect their kids, but at a certain point, too, stepping out is as valuable as stepping in.  Empowerment: There’s power in working on our own stuff. And there’s power, too, in letting kids work on their own stuff. Support: If you're a mom, what role do you think you can play in a daughter-father relationship? Sometimes, that may mean getting out of the way or allowing dads to nurture their relationships with their daughters.  Explore: If you’re a mom, allow dads to get involved, even in those matters you think are only unique to you and your daughter. Give them the opportunity to get to know their daughters. Express: Leave a lot of space to talk about feelings. Allow your daughters to share their feelings in a way that they want to share them. Time: The time when your daughter doesn’t want to talk about stuff is as important as the time when she comes to talk to you. Both are important. Wait for them to be ready to open up. Trust: The trajectory of growth is more complex in a father-daughter relationship. And so there has to be a series of trust-given and trust-rewarded experiences.  Self-forgiveness: It’s important to give yourself grace and have compassion for yourself.  Courage: Our responsibility to our kids is to pass on a whole new perspective about what it means to be emotionally adept.  If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: How To Be A Present Father And Raise Gentlemen Who Will Pursue Bigger Dreams Than Can Possibly Fit Into Any Box, Meet Jesus Diaz, Jr. An Incredible Dad, Episode 79 Award-Winning Filmmaker Jeff Bollow on Expanding Your Imagination Exponentially, Episode 78 Links to continue to learn from: Website: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-father-daughter-dance/id1556215258  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izontheprize/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimothyJTaylor  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetimtaylor6  FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

What if you could create a gorgeous life on your own terms? What if you are exactly where you are supposed to be not behind or broken? What if you gave yourself the permission to envision your fantasy life free of obligations? What if you just want peace in your life in a world that knows how to poke your wounds and feel total and utter chaos? Whether you're a parent with many obligations or you're single and you feel a little bit burnt out, you have a choice to live a gorgeous life. It’s possible! In today’s episode, I want to introduce you to Michael A. Blunt is a master teacher, student, and global energy influencer. He unifies modern psychology, neuroscience, and spiritual energetics into a single path. He teaches creators and business professionals a global model for transformation that is so simple that it can be applied immediately to upgrade the quality of their life.  Michael’s purpose is to teach ancient wisdom in a modern way, and show creators that they can have it all. His purpose also includes empowering business professionals to find balance and transcend their current limitations. Micheal wants to give people a plan to improve their lives – being happy with where they are right now, but never satisfied with just staying there. During our conversation, Michael explained that he had no concept of belief systems and paradigms. So his behaviors were more aligned with things that were passed down to him rather than things he was creating for himself. If you're in a place where something just doesn't feel right pertaining to the way that you're living your everyday life, then this episode is for you! A lot of us feel this way, yet we don't feel like we could talk about it. The truth is that there are many of us feeling this way and it could be eating up even your boss, your neighbor, or your friends.  As moms, most especially, we think we’ve lost that touch of creativity and imagination. That's why I've also written a book to empower moms to use their imagination because it's a superpower – and it all starts with changing the mindset. Sign up here to get waitlisted for my book: https://www.melissallarena.com/waitlist/ Share this episode with moms who want to drop the struggle with a life that is no longer serving them or making them happy.  Michael A. Blunt’s Biography Michael A. Blunt is an entrepreneur with Reiki healing experience. He holds a BS degree in Computer Science and a Master's in Business Administration. Michael has been engaging in the personal transformation industry for years, bringing unique blends of business mastery, scientific reasoning, and natural energetic abilities that translate directly to the needs of successful creators and professionals who are seeking a more balanced and fulfilling lifestyle. Michael was inspired ​​to go on this journey after quitting his corporate job in 2016 because of his own poor health due to chronic stress, anxiety attacks, and depression. Searching for an answer, he was eventually introduced to Energy Transhumanists such as Dr. Joe Dispenza and Bob Proctor, who taught him the idea that humans can transcend their current natural state and limitations through the mastery of their own built-in subconscious technology. Michael’s work has been influenced by the teachings of these energy masters, and many more such as Dr. Bruce Lipton, who helped form Michael’s vision of creating one of the leading models in energy transhumanism – the perfect formula to elevate the world's most powerful creators and professionals. Highlights Perfectionism: You can uncover the beliefs behind the behaviors you no longer wish to exhibit. Perfectionism is a coping mechanism to cover over shame. The underlying belief of shame is being not enough.  Stillness: Drop your obligations mentally for a moment of stillness. We spend a lot of time trying to chase success trying to chase a dream or trying to be something different than what we are and we wind up hating ourselves for it. Peace: Choose peace, even in the midst of chaos. Even if it's just a simple tapping of your fingers, bring yourself to the present moment, even if you're in the middle of a crisis situation.  Readiness: People are only ready to hear what they're ready to hear when they're ready to hear and it goes in lockstep with their own awakening process.  Curiosity: People don't give themselves the opportunity to imagine anymore. They just take what was given to them or what they inherited. They work with the known because they're so scared of the unknown that they limit themselves.  Honesty: By having honest conversations, more people will find peace. It's a mindset that we can set into that allows you to just be and step into your authenticity. Behavior: Your mindset and your belief systems drive your behaviors. They can also limit you or they can set you free. They drive your behaviors and your behaviors create your future for you.  Mindset: Allow your mindset and your belief systems to be unlocked and unlimited. Then watch your behaviors become different, which will create a new life and a new future for yourself. Deprogramming: Deprogramming is the process of becoming aware, identifying, and rewiring your old belief systems. The first step of changing your behaviors is starting with the mindset and your belief system. Success: Success doesn't happen by luck or chance. It happens by design, you have to choose that and step into that.  Clarity: The more you can deprogram from your belief systems, the more you step into exactly who you are and who you desire to be, rather than who you expect yourself to be or what other people expect you to be. Vulnerability: The antidote to shame is vulnerability. Then the next step is authenticity, which sets you on the track to fulfilling your purpose and being the best version of yourself. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: How To Figure Out Your True Purpose During A Voluntary or Involuntary Inflection Point Your Life, Marshall Dunn, A Sydney-Based Conscious Mentor Explains Exactly How, Episode 60 Dr. Nima Rahmany Discusses How to Become a Cycle Breaker in Your Family, Episode 97 Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.michaelablunt.com Instagram: @michaelablunt Sign up here to get waitlisted for my book! https://www.melissallarena.com/waitlist/   FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

We want our kids to have a lot less screen time. Yet we keep hearing that the only way to have a scalable business that sells while you're sleeping is online. How do we figure out things to make sure we stay in alignment with our values? How can we continue to be excited about an idea that we bring into the world, and at the same time, be present and enjoy our children?    This is a recent coaching conversation I had with Rianna Alvarado, a mom who wants to limit her kid’s screen time and someone seeking alternative ways to scale her business so that she could align herself to her values and achieve educational goals with her homeschooled kids.    Juggling her roles being a mom of five and an entrepreneur, Rianna has this huge dream of creating something that's scalable, and ultimately, she wants to get all the money she needs to buy her own house.    We covered quite the gamut including key questions such as how Rianna Alvarado feels about her big and juicy business vision, what it would take for her to feel in sync with her mothering philosophy, her intrinsic motivation, how to leverage her existing workshop tools, as well as how to communicate her outcome to prospective clients and help them engage on a whole other level.   Now, let’s work on your business. I have opened up four spots in the VIP Coaching Days for moms who are launching or growing their businesses and who want to get unstuck from thinking that scaling their business has to come at the expense of their children or values. What if you could scale your business on your terms, exploring a myriad of profitable options that can help you live out your professional dreams and help your kids learn too?  If you’re interested in being a VIP for a day and partnering with me to brainstorm how to profitability scale your business so that your big vision is achieved while you continue to be a present mom, then email me at melissa@melissallarena.com. I’m also sharing nine tips to help you spend more time with your kids. These are things that have worked for me over the last decade, having raised my three kids in keeping my energy up, and at the same time, helping me become productive. If you’re a woman in business, and if motherhood and entrepreneurship are important to you, grab that list by reaching out to me on Instagram @melissallarena. If you are not someone that has an entrepreneurial idea, but you know a mom who is starting to think that she's gonna want to do her own thing, share this episode with her!  Rianna Alvarado’s Biography Rianna is a writer, artist, lover, maker, thinker, gardener, and passionate life-liver. She has a lot of passions and she does her best to live honoring those desires while serving her family and friends in love, time, and honesty. She has been homeschooling her children for eight years and loves living life from the home.  She lives by the heart. So before they decide to assimilate new ways into their lives, it has to jive with their spirits. In her words, formulas just don't work for her family. Rianna fell in love with the Waldorf Philosophy when discovering Biodynamic Farming practices founded by Steiner and she incorporates the Charlotte Mason methodology into her life as well. Through this practice, she and her family have learned to listen, follow, and trust their inner voice.  Highlights Alignment: If you want to limit the time that your kids are on a screen, how is it that you can then build a business that is purely on-screen? It's something for you to consider.  Intentionality: You don't have to build a business that is purely online if that is not going to give you the joy that you desire out of your business. It all depends on what the intention is behind your business. If the intention is purely to make money then is that enough to drive you to the computer?  Desires: The idea of being left behind is something common with moms who decided to leave their corporate jobs or take breaks. We all have these internal desires. Income: If you want to contribute to your family's income, it is going to be important for you to be mindful of exactly how much money you need to amass. Then you have to price accordingly. Balance: There's this assumption that pouring into your business is going to take away your time as a mom. But you have to reach that point where it's a mutual thing and feeling that the more you're able to receive, the more you're able to give. Here are some questions we covered that might inspire you to rethink what’s really possible in your business and life: How do you feel about making your business vision a reality right now? How would you rather feel about this? What would intrinsically motivate you so shame/procrastination is off the table? How to scale your idea if you limit kid screen time? How do you start your dream business and continue to prioritize your kids? How do you price your offer to buy a house? How do you support your kid’s education/curriculum as part of your business? How do you communicate the outcome/transformation to clients in marketing? How do you add services after this workshop to make more money? Links to continue to learn from: Website: https://warmhoneytoast.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warmhoneytoast/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtphoriaStudioGarden  FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Happy Mother's Day, or as I like to call it, Happy Warriors Day! If you are an entrepreneur, or even if you're in a corporation, your health is more valuable and more important and should be a higher top priority than your wealth on any given day. One day, VeVette Turner, and her now husband, were at a beautiful resort but they ended up just watching other people do fun things they couldn't do because they were both overweight. This week's podcast episode is specifically for moms because the gift of health is the best Mother's Day gift I could ever give you.  If you take back control of your health today, irrespective of how lethargic you might feel, regardless of the size of the dress or pants you're wearing right now. None of that matters. All it takes is a decision.  VeVette takes us through those early days when she and her husband decided to change their lifestyle and how she made a decision to live a plant-based lifestyle. She managed to use her imagination and plugged a blender into her car so she can make her smoothies on the go, being a busy sales professional who's always in her car driving from point A to point B. Today, VeVette tells us what keeps her going today as a 55-year-old.  By the way, I have opened up three spots in the VIP Coaching Days for moms who are launching or growing their businesses and who want to take advantage of the power of content marketing, which is an integral business growth strategy to build awareness as the authority of your field. If you’re interested in being a VIP for a day and working on your content marketing strategy, email me at melissa@melissallarena.com. I’m also sharing nine tips to help you spend more time with your kids. These are things that have worked for me over the last decade, having raised my three kids in keeping my energy up, and at the same time, helping me become productive. If you're a woman in business, and if motherhood and entrepreneurship are important to you, grab that list by reaching out to me on Instagram @melissallarena. The insights and the lifestyle changes that VeVette Turner shares are applicable to anyone serious about their health. Enjoy the conversation and share it with a mom and tell her Happy Mother's Day!  VeVette Turner’s Biography VeVette Turner was a 46-year-old divorce overweight mom of two who found herself depressed and dealing with multiple health issues, like chronic hives, migraines, and irritability. She then decided she couldn't live the same way anymore and had to take the first steps needed to switch to a plant-based diet. Every podcast she listened to helped her with each new step toward becoming a new healthy person. She began to set goals, prioritize sleep, and grow her own sprouts. Now at the age of 55, she has done three half marathons, training for a full marathon, and has completed numerous cycling events. Ladies, isn't that what we all want? To be and feel our best selves! Highlights Decision: Living a healthy lifestyle can be done. You can start over again. You can rewrite the chapters of your life. The first step is making that decision.  Fitness goal: Setting different fitness goals gives you the drive to keep working toward it.  Soreness: Having muscle pain from going to the gym isn’t a valid reason to quit exercising.  Recovery: To help your muscles recover faster, consider doing Epsom salt baths and foam rolling. Most importantly, you have to be able to listen to your body because there's a difference between muscle soreness and an injury. Accountability: It's easier to stay on track with your diet when you have someone in your life who can serve as your accountability partner.   Nutrition: Love your body and feed it good nutrients so it can flourish and do what it's supposed to do.  Creativity: Find healthy recipes that you like and figure out ways to introduce more plant-based foods into your kids’ lives. Meal prep: Think about having your pantry items delivered through various services. Then you can start doing your meal preparation. Make things easier by prepping your ingredients ahead of time (ex. chopping the onions, making a stock. Lifestyle: Once you get into this routine and you realize how good you feel, it just becomes part of your life when you make that decision to create a lifestyle where you prioritize health, nutrition, sleep, and moving your body.  Support: Sometimes, you may lose friends for choosing a healthy lifestyle since you may no longer go out with them as you used to before. And that's okay. Be open to friend groups that align with your values. Result: When VeVette finally cut out dairy, that was when she really started to feel a difference. All her body discomforts and issues disappeared and she developed mental clarity. Slowly: Just slowly move into a plant-based lifestyle otherwise, it could shock your body and your lifestyle. Take it a little bit at a time and feel good every step of the way. Just know that you're going to get to a point where you're seeing a difference in your scale and in how you feel. Education: What's wrong with our whole system of this standard American diet is education. Educating yourself on all of these things. And as you slowly move towards it, and you start to feel better, it just comes. Perspective: Look at what you’re going to look like in five years and where you want to be. Think about the future YOU! Happiness: You can be overweight and be happy. But it's proven to cause health issues so it's not the healthiest to carry around all that weight. Start now and reward yourself when you get through these little milestones. Change: Start incorporating more movement or healthier meals on a day-to-day and realistic basis.  Choices: What do you have to live for? Reimagine what’s possible if you make healthier life choices. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Amy Stone, Triathlete and Host of the Mile after Mile Podcast, Talks About Endurance and Average People Doing Extraordinary Things, Episode 50 Dr. Joel Fuhrman Talks About Regaining Your Power Through Nutrition, Episode 108 Links to continue to learn from: Website: https://linktr.ee/Vevettet  Instagram: @VeVetteT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vevettet  FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Were you the first to leave your home country to settle in the USA? Were you the first to go to college? If any of these scenarios, whether you are Latina, or not, hold true for you, then it’s important for you to uncover the subconscious cultural narratives that could be affecting you or holding you back today.  Today’s guest is Valeria Aloe, the author of Uncolonized Latinas: Transforming Our Mindsets And Rising Together. It’s an award-winning book that decodes cultural limiting beliefs holding back Latinas from a life of fulfillment and success.  This is what a conversation sounds like between two educated and empowered Latinas, who also happen to be moms who want to ensure their kids are not held back by the subconscious cultural narratives we may have inherited.  Valeria shares how we can take back ownership in experiencing our own transformative process and reimagine what's possible for us. Learn how we all can contribute to society through our differences. She also shares valuable insights from the 55 interviews that she led upon writing her book. Moreover, if you are on the verge of leaving your high-pressure and inflexible corporate or around-the-clock job, and trying to figure out what's possible now, there’s an exit strategy that you can implement at this stage of your life.  Remember, you are not alone!  I want to help you unlock your ability to imagine what's possible. Join my 15-Minute "Exit" Strategy Session For Working Moms Who Have Decided To Leave Their Traditional Careers To Launch Their Own Thing And Live Life On Her Terms – https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena. Forward this with a Latina or an ally who wants to better understand the cultural narratives shared by many Latinas and how to navigate them with mutual success. Valeria Aloe’s Biography Valeria Aloe is an award-winning author, speaker, and entrepreneur. She is the creator of a bilingual mindset transformation platform for Latinas and other diverse women who are first-generation in academic and professional spaces.  Valeria is the author of Uncolonized Latinas: Transforming Our Mindsets And Rising Together, an award-winning book that decodes cultural limiting beliefs holding Latinas back from a life of fulfillment and success. Her book offers powerful insights into unlearning cultural mindsets, not just for Latinas who seek to thrive in their careers and lives, but also for allies whose goal is to become more assertive mentors, and for professionals looking to better serve the Latino market.  Her work to empower and elevate the Hispanic community has earned her several awards, including “Top 50 Women in Business in New Jersey in 2020”, “5th most influential Hispanic in New Jersey in 2021” and “Truth and Integrity of the Written Word, by Golden Door Global Awards in 2022.”  Highlights Stories: We need to tell our stories. In the Latino culture, oftentimes, what happens in the home stays at home. But there's so much power in knowing where people are coming from.  And you have to share your stories to reawaken your imagination. Ally: Consider how you can bring other moms into your tribe. Find people who are in positions of power in the field of your choice. You have so much to learn from them, and they have a lot to learn from you. Limiting belief: One of the commonalities is a shared mindset or the ancestral limiting beliefs that we bring from our culture and that hold us back in addition to the trauma. Indoctrination: You could still be a Catholic but may now have a newer and better understanding of your faith. Control: All of these stories that we have, culturally, even as adults, even though we may feel that we're in control, the collective unconscious that we bring from our culture controls and influences our decisions.  Narrative: There are all these cultural narratives in our unconscious of things like feeling inadequate, feeling lacking, and feeling we need to be thankful to be allowed to be in this country. Safety: Many children of legal immigrants, or even parents, insert themselves into the system working very hard but trying to remain invisible because the system was not open and friendly with Latinos coming in. And so they feel it’s safer to be invisible. Shame: Many Latinos have a hard time really embracing who we are. And we feel we need to change who we are to be accepted or to belong. And shame is the underlying cause of feeling we need to change who we are. Therapy: There's a stigma in our community with therapy and there is also shame in saying that you go to a therapist because of the stigma. But all of us need to process everything we're going through. Future: Your well-being will dictate the success of the next generation. Children of immigrants help their parents navigate the system. We need to shape them to become leaders. Trauma: At an early age, they have navigated different cultures to communicate with different audiences. But they could have certain traumas that need to be healed as well. Unity: 24% of the Latino community self-identifies as Afro-Latino. And they fall through the cracks because they don't feel they are Latino enough, or they're Black enough. We need to unite as Latinos and rise together. Motherhood: As mothers, there are limiting beliefs from our culture that to be good mothers, we have to be there full-time and make hot dinners every night. But that could be too much and it could lead to burnout. Delegation is important. Time: Find those little moments to sit down and talk with your kids. Have meaningful conversations with them. Self: We forget to put ourselves first to then take care of others. And there is guilt in putting yourself first in our culture and that it’s selfish.  Team: To be a successful mother and a successful professional is not something you can do on your own. It's a team effort.  Mindset: We, as Latinas, need to open our mindsets and create a life that makes us happy individually.  Culture: Merge the culture of the heart (nurturing family and friends) and the culture of the mind (results, career progression, numbers).  Opportunities: Being willing to discover possibilities. Allow yourself to flow with whatever is present. If you combine this idea of this desire to touch a lot of people with the power of the business mind, you could be the master of scale. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Should College Pedigree Matter? Apparently Not. First-Generation College Graduate And Lifelong Educator Alicia Jackson-Warren Makes The Case Hiring Managers Need To Hear, Episode 53  Jane Egerton-Idehen, Nigerian-Based STEM Advocate & IT Executive, Speaks About Gender Equality in the Workplace and How to Discover and Use Your Voice, Episode 38 Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.uncolonizedlatinas.com and www.abundanciaconsciente.net Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeriaaloe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valoe Book: Uncolonized Latinas: Transforming Our Mindsets And Rising Together FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the courage-building playbook for mompreneurs here: www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs for moms with big business dreams centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

If you’ve been working in Corporate America, you could find yourself in that rat race and not even be aware that you’ve been running on empty. And having to juggle that with raising your kids and all your other responsibilities in life would most likely put you on the brink of burnout and breakdown.  In today’s episode, Jo Dodd talks about her experience of leaving the corporate world to “living in Jotopia,” a hybrid life that she created on her own terms to make sure she and her four sons are emotionally well. She talks about her decision to leave corporate and how she found the courage to pull that emergency cord and leave. Jo got furloughed in 2020 and when she realized she didn't have work anymore, creativity just flowed out of her and she started to write a book. But when she got called to get back to work, she couldn't breathe. She knew that if she went back, she was going to get completely drained. She was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. While she was watching her friends who had gone back to corporate America struggle, she was also dealing with the fear of launching a coaching career. It was simply a choice she had to make. In her first year out of corporate, she managed to publish two children's books. She worked on her own hours and things were starting to tick along. One of the interesting things Jo talked about was that even if you may have left corporate America, realize that the pace you've grown accustomed to might still be catching up with you. And so, having that awareness is key to making sure you’re able to manage your home, your new career, and your life more effectively. Now, try this: Let yourself feel totally inspired by our conversation today. Then if you're thinking of growing your business or starting a side hustle whilst “mommying,” feel free to DM me on Instagram @melissallarena.  For many new entrepreneurs, especially after a corporate career or hiatus, it’s normal to begin thinking about your product or service idea and to feel a little hesitant to take action. However, for those of us who have been building our dreams for a while, we have come to realize that any hesitancy is just a sign that you (like us) may need some solid accountability and a fellow mom’s tough love to get you focused, thinking imaginatively, and picking up the pace like a boss!  If you don’t have Instagram, then email me at melissa [at] melissallarena.com to share your idea or ask for help. I will then send you my booking details for that free 15-minute Zoom session. Share this episode with someone who just left the corporate world or might be thinking about leaving corporate life, and hopefully, they will get more inspired to pursue your dreams and live the life you want! Jo Dodd’s Biography Jo Dodd worked in Corporate America for 25 years in various roles for a Fortune 500 company. A mom to four boys, Jo’s youngest son has a learning disability. Jo was furloughed during the pandemic and decided to never return. It was then that she created Jotopia, her own coaching and publishing company, where she gets to live her own utopic life as a present mom. Jo has written a children’s book meant for moms called, “Dear Mama Bear with the F*cked Up Hair.” She also co-wrote the book, “We All Like Different Things and That's A-OK With Me,” with Joseph, her youngest son.   Highlights Creativity: Once Jo got furloughed and didn't have to work anymore, creativity started to come out of her and she started writing. Curiosity: Just stop and look at yourself in the mirror to just check in with yourself. What do you need? What's missing? What's not working? Allow yourself to be vulnerable in the privacy of your own home. Courage: Jo also co-wrote a book with his son about making fear your friend based on the experience they had together, as well as listening to your heart and finding the voice of courage. Emptiness: Jo realized she had been running on empty for so long and she didn't even realize it until she stepped away from the corporate world and felt a massive release.  Empowerment: Enlist your kids to work with you on whatever goal you have. Work side by side with your kids and live out your dreams together. Not only are you teaching them what life is about, but they're reminding you of what's possible for you and for them as well.  Awareness: Once you've left the corporate world, watch out for that corporate mindset. Look at it very honestly and overcome or manage it more effectively. Grace: As moms, we take that load on ourselves, and it's important to be able to give ourselves some grace. You have to work on yourself first otherwise you will be running on empty. Motherhood: Jo’s book is about the journey of motherhood, which is poignant. It's dark, sometimes it's funny. But it's an authentic tale of motherhood. Community: Just as "it takes a village" to raise kids, it also takes a village to be a mom. And having that safe space where you can connect with other moms is very helpful. Dream: Things happen, and you can recover from them. You can still move on and keep going after your dreams. Vulnerability: Don’t be afraid to show your vulnerability to your kids because they will encourage you to keep on and they will be your source of strength. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Van Lai-DuMone Explains How Creativity Workshops Can Increase Creativity in the Workplace, Episode 87   Is Your Child an Aspiring Writer? Amy Wong Founded Dreamwriters A Self-Publishing Platform For Aspiring Writers Who Are Kids Or Kids At Heart, Episode 70  Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.livinginjotopia.com Instagram: @livinginjotopia Twitter: @LivinginJotopia Facebook: @LivinginJotopia FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Today, you are in for an entrepreneurial treat as I feature Kim Pierce, the founder of Babe Australia, a company dedicated to giving customers an experience of just feeling good. You will hear a quote that you'll want to make your own which is, “I'm not here to get a haircut!”  This conversation all started with my love of candles and one of them is called Love Letter made by Babe Australia. Curious and eager to know more about the genius behind this wonderful product, I then reached out to Kim Peirce – and here we are today! As Kim was inching into her 40th birthday, she started to have that nagging feeling about what was next and what she wanted her next decade to look like. And so, she left a high-paying career as a management consultant to forge her own path in the beauty and wellness industry.  She then realized there was just no time like the present, and the safety net will never be there so what was she then waiting for? There is never the right time to make any decision. and this has been the mantra that she discovered for herself. Try this: Let yourself feel totally inspired by our conversation today. Then if you're thinking of growing your business or starting a side hustle whilst “mommying”, feel free to DM me on Instagram @melissallarena. For many new entrepreneurs, especially after a corporate career or haitus, it’s normal to begin thinking about your product or service idea and to feel a little hesitant to take action. However, for those of us who have been building our dreams for awhile, we have come to realize that any hesitancy is just a sign that you (like us) may need some solid accountability and a fellow mom’s tough love to get you focused, thinking imaginatively, and picking up the pace like a boss! Share this episode with someone who’s been thinking of starting their own business but is still afraid of taking that first step. Kim shares a ton of entrepreneurial insights that will inspire you to finally take action!   Kim Peirce’s Biography Kim Peirce is making a motza selling her beauty products globally after throwing away her six-figure corporate role – and she has made it big time! Kim leads her beauty & home wellness brand Babe Australia, which is more akin to fighting in the trenches of retail warfare because every day requires the flexibility and focus of a seasoned yogi. Founder of multiple start-ups, a loving mother, and a passionate speaker, Kim believes we are all capable of achieving anything we want – especially that we have the advantage of being born a woman.   Highlights Courage: Kim has shown so much courage and she expressed the warfare environment being in the retail industry.  Creativity: Creativity is not just something that Kim comes out of her head. She actually puts something out into the market so she could come up with better versions of the product or completely create something totally different that meets the market demands.  Curiosity: Kim considered four different ideas and put them out into the market to let the market decide. Be curious about what other people think, what's on the trends, and what generates more profit. Feedback: If you put something out into the market, and they bring you back some feedback that doesn't feel so good, know that it's part of the process and part of your growth. Action: Spending a really long time perfecting something can be a hindrance. Take action. Take a step, take the next step, and then the next step again. Ideas: If you really love your original idea, simply ask yourself: what is your goal? Are you here to build a business or are you here to show the world that you have this idea?  Handling negative feedback: Put your game face on and don't take things personally. At the end of the day, it's a business.  Advantage: Being a woman is a privilege because we have this sensitive, nurturing side.  Feeling good: The journey of feeling good is different for all of us. It's about capturing those little moments throughout the day that just feel good. Growth: Kim initially got a furniture removal storage unit as her headquarters. Within a couple of months, she grabbed the next cage. And she ended up getting her own warehouse. Careful: Once you say you've got a business, put your seatbelt on because everybody comes for you and they want to sell you a branding package, social media services, etc.  Quality: What's happening behind the scenes is less important. So long as you are delivering a great product and your customer sees a brand that they can have an affinity with, you're a winner. Trend: If you've got a general idea of where you want to go, look for something that's an emerging trend. Start with that and then add other pieces as you go. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: What Does It Take To Bring A New Product To Market, Expand Globally, And Continue To Deliver On A Brand Promise? Ask Adina Jacobs co-founder of Smarter Than Most Goods, Episode 64   Neil Mossberg, CEO of Frank151, Fashion Influencer, and Entrepreneur Talks About Speaking Your Mind, Corporate Etiquette, and Asking ‘What is worth reviving?’, Episode 25    Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.babeaustralia.com  Instagram: @kimpeirce @babeaustraliaofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babeaustralia FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long.   Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals.   Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena   Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

Are you someone who’s scared to stand up in a crowd and ask questions thinking you might have a silly question? A lot of people hesitate to ask questions, especially because they think that maybe a bull's eye target will be on their back, or they will look silly or dumb. But just when you think you have to pressure yourself into asking the best questions, the irony of it is that not overthinking what to ask and just being present will help you yield the best questions.  The best questions will always surface at the right time. You just have to constantly train your mind to do that and opportunities will show up. And this idea of mental fitness will be explained by today’s guest, Marc Champagne, bestselling author and fellow podcast host. Marc shares with us some best practices that luminaries have leveraged in becoming amazing human beings who are extremely efficient and successful in their lives.  After four years of interviewing wildly successful humans, Marc noticed this pattern: all of them were asking really high-powered and valuable questions. They would ask a big question, then they'd ask more questions to unpack more clarity around whatever they're working on. This is essentially the Socratic method – to get clear, ask questions to then shift your action or ensure that your mind is thinking with intention, then stuff happens and opportunity shows up. (And it doesn't have to be the traditional academic setting where you're getting grilled.) Share this episode with someone who appreciates the power of asking the right questions but is afraid to ask, and hopefully, the tips they will learn today will give them the courage to ask powerful questions. Marc Champagne’s Biography Marc Champagne unpacks the mental fitness practices and reflective questions shaping the lives of some of the most successful and brilliant thinkers in the world. He is the author of Personal Socrates, a best-selling book exploring the pointed questions that stimulate our mental fitness and teach us how to direct our internal narrative to work for us instead of against us. Marc studies the prompts and practices of legends such as Kobe Bryant, Maya Angelou, Robin Williams, James Clear, Coco Chanel, Stephen Hawking, and many others to bring clarity, intentionality, and possibility to every aspect of your life. He is the host of the top 50 ranked podcast Behind The Human and co-founded the journaling app (KYO) which reached 86.9 million people without any paid advertising. He has studied mental fitness practices for over a decade and consults with Fortune 500 companies as a mental fitness strategist and speaker. Highlights Curiosity: You have to be deliberate when asking questions. How can you leverage your critical thinking skills to ask the best questions so you can get better answers? Courage: Although Marc has already been published and has achieved massive success, for him to acknowledge that he still struggles with self-doubt takes a ton of courage. It takes courage to experience and feel that doubt, and do it anyway. Creativity: Clarity plus intentionality leads to an expansion of opportunity. Be creative with these opportunities by taking that next step. Figure out for yourself if it aligns with your future self and how you would like to live out your life. Mental Fitness: Try to keep your mind as clear as possible and constantly train your mind to do that. Then you will see, feel and hear the question in your head naturally. Presence: Identify how you want to be there and how you want to show up in a meeting. Also, identify how you want other people on the other side to feel. Set those intentions and then magical things start to happen. Self-Doubt: You have to constantly remind yourself of your goals in overcoming self-doubt. Goals: Understand where you are right now and who you’re striving to become. Then focus comes in along with intentional habits to support the person you’re striving to become. Check-in: It just takes microseconds to check in with yourself whether you're doing something that doesn't make sense and how you can course-correct. Pause: Allow the luxury of the pause to happen, ask yourself good questions, and then you can make that shift. Pivot: It’s not realistic to make big shifts. The key is to take small steps and improve as you go along. Start small. Write down five activities or things that will put a smile on your face.  Clarity: Ask yourself these three questions" What went well, today? What would I have changed today? And what can I celebrate about today? There's so much that we take for granted that so many places in the world have zero access to. Action: Take the time to apply whatever you're reading into your life. If you don't learn to reflect, then it just becomes knowledge added to the library of your mind. Reading: You don't read a book from start to finish. Shifting your mindset on needing to read the chapter in that book because you're working on it right now will accelerate your learning. Perspective: When you're in that state of survival mode, you're not thinking at your best and it doesn't feel good either. By shifting your perspective through really good questions puts you in a more creative state. Gratitude: If you're in a state where you're feeling really overwhelmed or not feeling great, take a moment to ask yourself who haven't you thanked lately? Within seconds, you've shifted out of that looping narrative and leveraged a gratitude practice to put you in a positive state of mind.  Shift: We're one question away from a completely different life or outcome. One question can completely change your mood. Insight: There are always elements in situations where we're pretending we don't know a small piece. And it's usually that piece we're putting in the back corner that we need to deal with. Core: We make a lot of decisions and do a lot of thinking based on surface level answers. And so, always ask the next question and don’t settle with the first answers that come up. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: “Captain Inspiration” Jordan Maness UCLA Program Director Teaches Us How to SAIL (Select An Ideal Life), Episode 83 Journalist and Author Cal Fussman Talks About Creating an Unbreakable Family Legacy, Episode 112 Links to continue to learn from: Website - https://www.behindthehuman.com/ Mental Fitness For Teams - Interactive Keynotes, Immersive Workshops & Meeting Primers Behind The Human Podcast - Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts Social Media - Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.

What was your first memory of being sold to or just witnessing a sale? For me, it was accompanying my dad to liquor stores who was transacting as a sales professional for over 40 years. This week’s guest, Jason Marc Campbell, is the author of Selling with Love: Earn with Integrity and Expand your Impact. He is on a mission to inspire small business owners with sales reluctance to embrace it as a beautiful activity that transforms lives. He also interviews thought leaders from around the world on topics of leadership, team building, communication, productivity and so much more.  If you are new to entrepreneurship or self-employment, or even if you have an upcoming job interview, be sure to listen to Jason's message. Ultimately, it really does require you to believe in what you have to sell. In this conversation, Jason walks us through the five loves of sales. He also shares his first memory of selling with love as well as what's integral to this entire profession that is present in the world's best sales professionals.  This idea of selling yourself is so critical whether you're working for a multinational organization, or out of this great resignation, you have decided to take a chance on yourself, your skills, and your talents. And even if you're not a sales professional with a job title, we're all selling and looking to influence one another. Should you have any questions pertaining to the launch of your online business, or pertaining to the launch of a podcast, I am here to support you as a mentor, guide, and coach. Oftentimes, the hesitation comes from just not having someone to help you through the process. See me as someone who can help you really come up with the right roadmap so that your online business, coaching practice, or podcast can absolutely flourish and give you the security that you need. Reach out to me at melissa@melissallarena.com or send me a DM on Instagram @melissallarena.  Share this episode with someone who’s a brand new sales professional, business owner, or someone who's out there on the job market.  Jason Marc Campbell’s Biography Jason Marc Campbell is a public speaker who has shared the stage with the likes of Gary V, Jason Silva, Vishen Lakhiani, Lisa Nichols, and more. Jason has spoken at events by Hubspot, Inc Magazine, and A-Fest. He has worked for Mindvalley, a personal growth ed-tech company, for seven years. He's been responsible for million-dollar product launches, handling the PR for a New York Times best-selling book, launching the very first membership platforms, selling one-month-long events, and bringing in top-level authors to be published by the company.  His mission is all about teaching companies to care more. As businesses have so much power in the capitalist world, Jason believes that if we can educate businesses to take on more responsibility for how they sell, how they market, how they treat their employees, and even how they invest their money, we start shifting the very planet into a better place for all. Highlights Courage: There are a lot of things that are outside of your control. And sometimes it is a matter of co-creation. Do everything in your power to deliver on a promise.  Creativity: There's a lot of room for creativity when it comes to making the product unbelievable. Be innovative in delighting your client with the impact you’re going to give in mind. Curiosity: Ask for feedback on how you can improve your product or service.  Selling with love: There's a different way to look at selling that is aligned with your values. The key is to sell with love. Energy: Selling is nothing more than an energy exchange between conscious beings, and money is nothing more than stored energy. And when you know what you offer is so much more than what you ask in return, it becomes an act of love. Knowing: You need to know the buyer and what actual difference it is what you're going to sell are going to make in their lives. The inner sense of knowing comes from just being more attentive, more responsible, and more caring about everything that's responsible for the sale. Intentions: You get into things with the best of intentions. And to ensure that you deliver on the promise that you've given, you start by doing your best.  Loving the impact: You have to know what kind of impact you want to have on your buyers. Loving the buyer: Once you know the impact you want to make, start loving the buyer. Take the time to know who you're selling to, the problems they're facing, and how to start finding solutions that will take those problems away.  Loving the product: Be clear on the product and make it the best possible.  Loving the process of selling: This is about all the things you would do to prepare for an interview, design a website, build your company, do your social media, personal branding, sales techniques, closing scripts, all those things fall into the process of selling.  Trust: If you're able to explain whatever hiccup that happens with integrity to your customers, they are going to become one of your best customers because they will trust that you're going to do what is necessary to make things right.  Vulnerability: Sales is a mechanism that puts you in a state of vulnerability because every fear you have will come up. At the end of the day, it comes down to self-love. Shame and guilt: There's a lot of shame and guilt that comes from selling and they're an indicator that something needs to change (ex. Fix the product, make a better offer, etc.) Trauma: Most of the shame and guilt feelings come from traumas and past experiences, either a direct or a third-party experience in sales that we look at, and it didn't feel good. So every time you sell subconsciously, you're stepping into a role that you do not want to associate with Model: Investigate what are the role models and ideas that you label for salespeople, and start looking at the people you look up to the most in the world.  Inspiration: Every single person that you look up to that is influential is a salesperson. And so an identity that you choose when you sell can be much more powerful than the identities that hold you back from selling. Follow-up: Data around professional salespeople show how little salespeople follow up and this trauma holds us back from getting the attention and earning the trust of people. Rejection: It's a lot more soothing to live in the potentiality of a yes than the absolution of a no. When you ask questions and you sell, you take away the mystery but a lot of those might be no's and that's okay. Fear-Pride Paradox: There's a huge proportion of people in the sales industry who have mental health issues manifested in things like addiction issues, drinking, alcohol, sex, and gambling. There's an inner numbing that you're seeking to do because you don't want to face the reality of every sale that you make. So you need to distract yourself.  Rational sabotage: When we decide to just vomit all the facts and information on the buyer, that's because we're so afraid of that responsibility that we're going to give it to the buyer. Responsibility: Selling with love involves taking leadership and taking responsibility, but knowing that you've done the best you can to ensure that the chance of success is going to be the best possible.  Foundation: Love has always been at the foundation of the greatest salespeople in the world. For every sale they make, they know there's a ripple effect of positivity that comes across the world. If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes with similar themes: Former GE Vice Chair of Business Innovation and CMO Beth Comstock On Granting Yourself Permission To Explore A Changing Reality, Episode 65 How Wall Street Journal CMO Suzi Watford Puts Clarity of Purpose at the Heart of Leadership, Episode 77 Links to continue to learn from: Book: Selling with Love: Earn with Integrity and Expand your Impact Website: jasonmarccampbell.com Instagram: @jasonmarccampbell Twitter: @jascampbell17 Facebook: jasonmarccampbell I also appeared on Jason’s Superhumans at Work podcast so be sure to listen here: How To Make A Bold and Successful Career Transition – Melissa Llarena FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to

Now that we’re nearing the end of Women’s History Month, we have Gina Barreca, a distinguished professor and author, to share her wisdom about finding that power to not care about whether people like you or not.  Gina was the third class of women to be admitted to Dartmouth. She was also the first girl in her family to graduate from high school in a timely fashion. Today, Gina talks about how feminism is not about the things you cannot do, but about the things you can do, how power lies in the ability to not have to please anyone, and finally, how you can leverage feminine humor to get your message across.  I’m also sharing with you these two podcasts that are lifting up other women who are metaphorically making a good kind of trouble in their spheres of influence. Gina’s Biography Gina Barreca, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, has written ten books, including the bestselling They Used to Call Me Snow White, But I Drifted, as well as Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League, and It’s Not That I’m Bitter: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquer the World.  Gina has edited eighteen other books, including Fast Funny Women: 75 Essays of Flash Nonfiction and the new 2022 collection Fast Fierce Women. Translated into Chinese, Japanese, German, and Spanish, her scholarly and trade books have helped establish the study of women’s humor as a Thing.  Barreca has been published by The New York Times, The Independent of London, Cosmopolitan, The Harvard Business Review. She has appeared, often as a repeat guest, on the Today show, CNN, the BBC, PBS, NPR, 20/20, and Oprah. Gina's "Psychology Today" blog has well over 7.5 million views.  Share this conversation with your best friends. This episode is sure to tickle their funny bone and help you have more authentic and honest conversations. You’re in for a treat today! Highlights Creativity: Telling the truth is in the details. Gina spoke about chin hairs and she did with a lot of specifics. If you are a writer or storyteller, that could be one way to express your tale when you’re able to hone in on a detail that often isn’t spoken about. Curiosity: Be curious about why you say or do the things you do as well as why you hold your tongue sometimes. Is that based on an old impression of what a woman should do or not?  Courage: Feminism is about what you can do….not just want you cannot do. Truth: Tell the truth now. It doesn't matter how smart you are or how sophisticated you are, or how simple you think you are.  Power: Power is the ability not to have to please. You want people to respect your work but you're not there to please them. We're all raised to be good girls, even those of us who have abandoned the project 30 years ago.  Authenticity: Don't get into the habit of faking your laugh. Let the real noises come out and life will be much easier and better for everybody. Humor: Women's comedy is so subversive because it's often hidden inside like a nice voice but underneath that, you're undermining every single system with your own intelligence. Blueprint: Every woman over 38 wants a permission slip to tell her she's not crazy. She's not the only one and she's not too much. If you feel you're too much then you need to open up stuff around you. And if the walls are closing in, then get out and rebuild. Get a new blueprint. Privilege: You can’t apologize for the good things that happen in your life. Make the most of what comes and the least of what goes. You can't apologize or fate will take that back. If your good fortune seems like it's taking away somebody else's good fortune, that's not a healthy relationship.  Dream: Dreams are always an authentic reflection. Control: Things scare you when you feel like you're out of control. Energy: Plug yourself into other sources. It's not all self-generating. It comes from lots of places. Links to continue to learn from: Website: www.ginabarreca.com  Twitter: @theginabarreca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GinaBarreca  Recommended Podcasts: Neighborhood Twin Mom https://open.spotify.com/show/4iLCLM4pvjZfAcC6RSbYio   The Grace Fueled Wife https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grace-fueled-wife-wife-coach-for-the-christian/id1499138632   FREE DOWNLOAD Want to grab your free copy of the Courage Makerspace (™) Playbook? Download the Courage Makerspace(™) here www.melissallarena.com/courage   Boost your courage in 7-days using the exact courage design tools that have worked for both me and my clients. Grab your free playbook instantly so that you can discover how to:   Figure out what makes you tick Be more accountable and not procrastinate Overcome imposter syndrome Stop caring about what others think Progress despite self-doubt Manage anxiety Ask for help You will have a step-by-step playbook to help you finally fulfill your life purpose! Do not miss out on this free opportunity as it will not be available for long. Love An Interview With Melissa Llarena podcast?  You can now support my time in producing the show with Patreon. If you find that the podcast inspires you and you’d like to help support this labor of love, please consider supporting me on Patreon for a couple of dollars per month. You’ll get early access to my video-recorded episodes featuring unreleased guest insights; your name and/or business will be mentioned during an episode. You’ll also see how I have connected with powerful world leaders so that you can network more effectively in any field or help you pitch hard-to-reach guests on your own platform. Then if you are feeling extra generous for only $10/a month, you’ll get everything previously mentioned plus be invited to my monthly LIVE 30-Minute “Ball Juggling” Group Calls where I’ll field your business or work-life questions, podcast/guest questions, and share with you courage hacks and imaginative tips so you can feel sane, level-headed, and stay on track pertaining to your upcoming goals. Want to continue the conversation? Find me on Instagram! You can read my daily mini-blogs centered on the same three topics that my podcast features: creativity, courage, and curiosity. I believe that without all three it would be impossible to solve the challenges we were each uniquely made to solve. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m easy to find on Instagram @melissallarena Rather keep it professional? Let’s connect on LinkedIn. I encourage every single podcast listener to connect with me.