"Look At Every Open Door As A Possibility" Lisa Wheeler

1.Lisa talks about the importance of being your true self when connecting with your audience - she shared six things to think about when differentiating yourself in this very noisy world of social media.

Authenticity is key- know your values and know your strengthKey into where your authentic self shines – which audience allows you to do your best work.

Practice, Practice, Practice –that overnight success that we often think has happened, is the 10,000 unseen hours of hard work all coming together at the right time – luck is preparation meeting opportunity

Connect through the lens of the camera – imagine you are speaking to your best friend or mum – speak to one person and then it will be shared by many

Know who your audience is – know who is your market and the people who allow you to do your best work. Is it the athlete, the baby boomer, the active senior or perhaps a market yet to be created.

Where do you do your best work? – where do you shine – which types of groups do you feel inspired by? You can only inspire others to the degree you are inspired.

2.Lisa talks about the importance of bringing the joy back into your tribe – what can you do today to bring more joy into your life – into your relationships and into your workouts? We can only fill up the cups of others if we are tapping into, and replenishing our own well of joy. What is one thing you could do this week that would bring you more joy?

3.Lisa talks about having to have a thick skin, especially when it comes to standing out and making a difference in this world. One of my favorite quotes is by Seth Godin, "To be remarkable you will need to be remarked upon"  – both the positive and the negative. Lisa invites us to stay true and not to allow the negativity to stop you from pursuing your dreams. She encourages us to let the mean critics slide off our backs and to be open to learning from constructive feedback (or feed forward as I like to call it.)

4.Lisa reminds us that to be remarkable we need to deliver on our promises. Is there an area of your life where you have maybe slipped a little on delivering in a way that stands up to your potential? Perhaps there is an area of your life where you can pull back a little and not constantly over deliver? We often show up in the areas where we feel certain and secure. Perhaps take a wide angled view to see if there could be more balance in where you apply your time and attention.

5.Lisa talks about the difference between doing and leading – especially when it comes to leading and mentoring. She shares the qualities that she admires in the women that she has worked with.  Perhaps we can all step into a more effective leadership role, even if it is leading ourselves. The three qualities that Lisa feels are important to bring to the table are:

Creating a team where women support women

Creating a fun and engaging environment

Creating a culture where the team is to encouraged to strive for excellence (not perfection)

"On The Way Up Be Sure To Grab Someone's Hand And Take Them With You" Lisa Wheeler

What a wonderful treat to sit and chat with my dearest friend Lisa Wheeler. It was hard to cover three decades in fifty minutes but I know you will learn so much form this episode. We begin by going back in the history books and how of Lisa entered into the fitness world. From there we jump into how the industry has evolved throughout the past two decades.

Lisa gives a masterclass and shares what is important to consider when connecting with your audience, whether it is online or in person. From her two decades of mentoring some of the best in the industry, Lisa shares how you can differentiate yourself, and stand out in this very noisy world of social media.

Key Points:

1. Authenticity is key
2. Tap into where your authentic self can shine
3. Practice, practice, practice
4. Learn how to connect through the camera lens
5. Know who your audience is
6. Know how and where do you do your best work

Lisa talks about the importance of bringing the joy back into your tribe and how this will be your secret sauce. From there we discuss the tricky road of social media and the easy access these days of the ability for anyone to criticize. She shares her thoughts on how to deal with the “haters” and Lisa invites us to keep a thick skin while still being open to learning from constructive feedback.

Lisa shares her thoughts on how we all can make a difference and that there is room for each of us to create an impression in this world. Bring your heart to the world and then create connection, connection and more connection. Lisa encourages us to deliver on our promises, stay true to who we are and reminds us that as much as it can be tempting to try and please everyone, this will never allow us to do our best work.

We go back to the moment Lisa decided that the last performance she did at Lincoln Center would be her last professional performance as a dancer. We share our thoughts about the losses that come with staying in alignment with what is true to our desires and dreams.

Lisa has always been in a leadership role and she shares the commonalities in the women who are leaders and whom she admires:

1. Women who support women
2. Women who create a fun environment
3. Women who encourage you to push for excellence (not perfection)

We wrap up our conversation talking about value and the importance of deep friendships, especially as we strive for growth and excellence. We share that it is so important to celebrate each other and open the doors for those around us. We talk about the importance of being able to be friends in the comfortable times and also have the hard conversations. We then share our thoughts about how to age well in a world that celebrates youth, and we get really real on how it feels to move into the second stage of this magnificent journey called life.

Connect With Lisa Online and Social Media

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Twitter

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Daily Burn

More About Lisa

Owner of Wheels In Motion Productions and VP of Fitness for Daily Burn, Lisa Wheeler is is a Daytime Emmy Nominated Executive Producer, two-time New York Times Best Selling author and award winning international presenter. Lisa serves on Industry Advisory Board for ACE.

Behind the camera, Lisa has helped produce over 500 fitness programs for ”Dancing with the Stars”, “The Biggest Loser”, Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, Louis Van Amstel, Denise Austin, Richard Simmons, among others. In front of the camera she starred in over 30 fitness videos for Weight Watchers, Acacia, the NFL Channel and Shape Magazine, was featured on Fit TV, hosted “The Method Fitness Show” on The Health Network and the “Westin Workout Powered by Reebok” fitness segments on SPG TV. She has appeared on QVC, “CNN Headline News”, “The View”, “Good Morning America”, “The Today Show”, “Access Hollywood LIVE” and “Fox and Friends”.

Her alter ego had a long career as a professional dancer in NYC performing most notably in the companies of Dan Wagoner and Ben Munisteri until her retirement on the stage at Lincoln Center in 2009.

Mentioned In The Show

Gin Miller, Cal Pozo, Deb Praver, Abbie Appel, Lexie Williams, Anjia Garcia, City of Hope, Molly Fox Studios, Jeff Martin, The Vertical Club, Kimmarie Lynch, Julz Arney

"Crisis Moments Allow Us To Get Super Clear On What Is Important To Us"

1. Maria shares her thoughts on how to get thorough times of suffering and this is how she invites us to find anchors that will allow us to stay afloat when we feel untethered and uncertain. If you are going through a challenging time can you root yourself in one or two of these thoughts?
   Maria shares that we have to feel what we feel and face our loss head on. There is no pretending in the face of suffering that it is not excruciating. Allow yourself to be in your feelings. Sit in the discomfort as that will help it move through you.
   Maria then invites us to breathe through our feelings - this small act will create tiny oasis of respite. Our breathe allows us to feel shattered and be in this new normal – deep breaths – one by one, moment by moment.
   Depending on where you are on your journey Maria then invites you to begin to choose your best practices to help you move upward out of the darker moments – it may be moving your body, gathering your choir of close friends and for certain it will be having the courage to ask for help and support.
   Maria suggests that as your grief begins to fade you begin to create 5 minute spaces where you hold the positive - a small intermission in your grief. Slowly begin to carve out small moments of 5 minutes, then 10 minutes and so on. Slowly, when you are ready begin to expand the moments of positivity.
2. Maria talks about gathering your choir, Who is in your choir? Is there someone in your choir who may need your help and shoulder to lean on? Is there someone you can reach out to and ask for help? Perhaps now is a good time to offer support or perhaps now is the time to invite it in.
3. Maria talks about a growing movement called The Simplification Movement: that now is a turning point and we can turn our use of technology down and use this time to become clear on what works best for our own well-being. Lear how we can deepen our true connections. Is there a part of your life that is being led by technology, that is overtaking your heart space? Can you dial it back a bit to make room for the good things to come in?
4. Maria talks about building tiny habits of micro bites of goodness into our day: taking the time to listen to your body and ask what does it really need – in terms of your movement, exercise and workouts. What would feel good to your body this week? Can you mix it up and do what is nourishing for your body? Remember to make make choices that are enlivening, we will have to be ready to let go of the myths of who we think we should be and what world is telling us we should be. This is the time to move closer to your authentic self.
5. What can you do for 5 minutes today that bring you closer to your best self? When you are your best self- you will bring your best self to your family, to your life and out into the world.

"The Goodness In Life Is Available To Us As Is The Darkness" Maria Sirois

This weeks conversation with Maria Sirois the who is the author of Happiness After Loss was like talking to a truth whisperer. I first came across Maria through her soul-filled TEDx talk called Living An Authentic Life and you can watch it here: Get you pen and paper ready as Maria shares so many insightful and helpful nuggets of wisdom. We begin by taking about resilience and what this word means to Maria, and how we can use it to strengthen our life.

We begin by taking about resilience and what this word means to Maria, and how we can use it to strengthen our life. Maria talks about “world weariness” and how there will be times that we will feel hopeless and it will be resilience that allows for our best self to come through to the other side. She shares how that positivity and suffering co-exist and it is when we draw upon the good and the true we will be able to view suffering as a place we visit versus falling into an abyss. Maria shares that there is no way to navigate these types of moments alone and the people who flourish and thrive are those who have trusted friends that they can lean upon and that they have the courage to reach out to. It is a falsehood to think or believe that you can get through the darker moments alone.

“Crisis moments allow us to get super clear – who am I going to spend time with and who is a waste of my time”

We talk about technology and I ask Maria her thoughts on how resilience and connection are sustainable with the era of cell phones. Maria feels that underneath, even with all our technology there is a deep need of belonging. She talks that for the younger generation the gap and stress comes from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and for baby boomers, the gap and stress comes from thinking we should know it all due to the high accessibility of so much information.

Maria shares the meaning of the beautiful cover of her book – the image of a broken bowl that has been repaired with gold lacquer and talks about the art of Kintsugi -  the idea is that even though we are fractured and flawed or imperfect – as we are imperfect we are still whole, flawed and magnificent, flawed and still wonderful.

We talk about authenticity especially in relation to recovering perfectionists and how the delusional myth that we are meant to be perfect can keep us separate from our best self. Maria shares that authenticity is about moving closer and closer to your true values and the things that bring you joy. Choosing to make the choices that bring you less harm and create more good into the world. When we talk about true authenticity it is about moving closer towards our best self and how can I be at my best, do my best and help others do the same.

Maria shares one of my favorite definitions of Positive Psychology. "Positive psychology is studying human beings at their best – what do these people know that we can teach others can replicate. Positive psychology is not about being a member of the happy clappy club. It is about creating practices that allow you to move you to be the best that you can be."

We talk about aging gracefully and how to move forward with love and ease – “The more you fill your day with things that uplift you and nourish you the less frightening time is.”  Maria invites us to imagine it’s the day of your 90^th birthday, and your friend gets up to tell the story of your life. What would you want that story to be? Choose to shape your days well and create meaning – Craft your day, craft your journey, create your destiny.

We touch on grief and what Maria’s thoughts are around it. She shares that suffering is universal yet it is deeply personal and our experience of grief will be unique. There will be grief and suffering in our lives and even here we can find beautiful lessons. Suffering allows compassion and so the more we are in touch with this space the more we can hold this space for others.

Connect With Maria Online and Social Media

Website

Facebook 

Twitter

More About Maria

Dr. Maria Sirois is a psychologist and seminar leader who teaches internationally in the intersection of resilience and flourishing. Maria is Known for her wisdom, authenticity and rampant humor, she brings invigorating practices and perspectives to corporate and non-profit audiences alike. Maria Sirois is the author of A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (And Other Dark, Difficult Times) and also Every Day Counts.  A master teacher, she has been called an orator of great power and beauty. With Tal Ben-Shahar, she co-leads a year-long certificate program in positive psychology for executives, educators, entrepreneurs, counselors and the general public.

"Have Bold Humility" Sheryl O'Loughlin

1. Sheryl shared how we all will have moments where life will eat us up. It is in the challenging times where we realize we are not alone and that we will make it. She invites us to navigate through the more difficult times by breathing into the moment and moving through it step by step by step. Minute by minute, day by day. If there is something challenging in your life right now can you dial it back to moving forward breath by breath. Knowing that this too shall pass, it will get easier and one day you will be able to help someone else move through the dark and back into the light.

2. Is there a relationship in your life that could be strengthened simply by being courageous and by asking the other person what it is that they need? Sheryl shared her mistakes as well as her successes especially when it came to parenting. I love that she reaches out and asks her children to help her to understand their feelings and how to help them move into their best self. I think this is a wonderful lesson for us all. We often think we should know all the answers especially when it comes to our family and close relationships.  Can we stop thinking we should know it all and instead become vulnerable and ask for help. How can we improve our dialog, our interactions and elevate the quality of our connections by asking, listening and then responding with kindness and compassion.

3. Sheryl and I talk about the difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is feeling bad about what you did, shame is feeling bad about who you are. Is there something you need to change in your inner dialog, that would remove any blame and feelings that may wash you with sense of shame? We are human beings and in that simple fact we will make mistakes and especially when we look back to see how we could have done things differently we can often confuse what we did for who we are - There is nothing wrong in making mistakes - but remember you made a mistake – you are not the mistake – ever.

4. What is your North Star?  What is your purpose, what is your guiding light? Sheryl talks about her purpose being her guiding light and how REBBL the company of which she is the CEO – was first a cause that was looking for a company. What is your guiding light, your north star? What is your Why – what fuels you to get up each day and contribute your voice to this world? Do you need to nurture your why? We can only inspire others to the degree we feel inspired, perhaps take some time this weekend to reflect on your why, and refill your inspiration tank – after all this will be your fuel for your dreams

5. Sheryl shared what is important to her these days and the boundaries and guidelines she sets for herself. I love all of her heart centered metrics for success and so as I read them reflect if there is one that resonates strongly with you. Perhaps you can spend the weekend exploring ways to cultivate and strengthen this part of you and your essence.                                            

Connect to your tribe and share what is real

Protect your self worth

Bring love into everything you do

Have bold humility                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“What we need to understand is the ups and downs so we can kind of hack our way through the branches of the dark to stay in the light” Sheryl O'Loughlin

What a privilege and pleasure to talk with Sheryl O'Loughlin. A candid interview where Sheryl shares both her highlights and the struggles. We begin talking about her history with Clif Bar and the winding journey that brought her to her current position as the CEO of REBBL.

We talk about the factors that led Sheryl hit a wall. At a time when everything should have been thriving, two new companies between her and her husband, suddenly everything crashed and they were about to lose everything. When everything else was spinning out of control  Sheryl reveals that the only thing she could control were her numbers - the miles run and the numbers on the scale and so her journey into anorexia began. Slowly bit by bit, she dug herself out of this place. In her book Killing It! she shares both her struggles and the her life lessons. As with most lessons it was in the dark times where she realized that she had to slow down, reflect and begin to live in a way that allowed her to be at her thriving best, and through her book, also help others do the same

Sheryl talks about what it takes to get started in a new business and how to cultivate the skills and mindset to survive as we thrive. Sheryl talks about believing in leadership skills that are heart centered, and how she found the courage to bring her full self to the brands that she now works with. She reveals her strategies on how to stay afloat during the dark times and we discuss that when we finally let go of striving to be perfect, we are able to find and live in our truth and uncover our best selves. Sheryl candidly shares her experience of being judged by some of her “best” friends around her parenting skills and we talk about shame. An important conversation about how as women we often shame ourselves when we feel separate to others. It is a lovely and revealing part of the conversation as we talk about how we all have moments when we compare ourselves to those around us and all have parts of ourselves where we feel less than - this is the human condition.

I love when Sheryl talks about purpose. She invites us all to keep our eyes on our purpose and to use our purpose as our guiding light. Below are some of Sheryl's guiding principles. These can be used in leadership, life and in love:

1. Connect to your tribe and share what is real
2. Protect your self worth
3. Bring love into everything that you do
4. Have bold humility

REBBL: Sheryl shares the backstory to REBBL and how the are contributing to help eradicate human trafficking. It is began as a cause looking for a company. Do something good for your body and for the world. 2.5% of net sales go to causes that help stop human trafficking

More About Sheryl

As a child, Sheryl O'Loughlin was best known for rushing everywhere and being too impatient to pour milk into a glass before drinking it. As an adult, Sheryl is no less eager. She served as the CEO of Clif Bar, where she introduced the world to Luna bars; she was the cofounder and CEO of Plum Organics; and she is currently CEO of REBBL super herb beverages. One of her favorite roles was mentoring budding entrepreneurs when she was the executive director at the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. With her book, Sheryl is able to share her advice with a wider group of current and aspiring entrepreneurs all at once, which delights her because, well, it's faster. And that means more time for drinking wine at her Santa Rosa home, and hanging out with her husband and two sons.