Earn Your Happy

  Photographer, jewelry maker and my guest today, Liana Louzon and I go way back (more than a decade) to my fitness competition days. It’s safe to say that a lot has changed, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the positive, driven and encouraging vibe that she gives off just by speaking with her. Originally from Russia, Liana made her way to Canada at the age of 14 and shares her journey of assimilating and learning a new language. While there were times of struggle, Liana learned to tap into her intuition and has since used that very skill to forge ahead in her creative businesses – namely her jewelry company, Rocking Vibe. If you’re a creative or longing to get MORE creative, be sure to listen in to hear how Liana taps into both her intuition, gets in her “zone,” and as a result creates a springboard for creativity.   --      Questions Asked in This Episode: When you came to Canada and didn’t know the language, what was that like? When did your interest in fitness begin? Where does your immediate response to not only follow your passion but to think big with it come from? What does it feel like when you’re not creating and sharing? When you’re so busy between your business and being a mom, how do you turn the creative light switch on? How do you put your flare on your creativity? What are some things that you’re doing right now that contradict each other, but you love it? Could you share some ways that can help others step into their power? Do you have any anything in your life that you’re struggling with or working through? What are you creating right now with Rocking Vibe and what direction do you want it to go?   In This Episode We Talk about: Liana’s creative journey How non-verbal communication helped Liana What drove Liana to become a photographer How Liana’s desire and passion overrode the fear The importance of becoming intuitive with yourself Liana’s struggle with asking for help Liana’s formula that helps keep that creative switch turned on How Liana gets into the creative zone The challenge of balancing parenting and creativity The value of people watching How crystals can keep you grounded and connected to the material world And so much more…   Quotes:   “Fear means progress is on the rise.”   “Fear is exciting. Show up, trust and choose bravery.”   “Even when I didn’t believe, I knew what I wanted.”   “Knowing your weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths.”   “Be intuitive with who you are.”   “Allow yourself to evolve.” -- Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Liana immigrated to Canada at the age of 14. While learning English as a second language, Liana found that artistry (including her passion for photography as well as jewelry making and beading) helped her feel grounded and became a way of expressing herself as she faced the challenges of life in a new country. As her life evolved, Liana became a mother which ignited her desire to use her passion to contribute to a better future. In the summer of 2014, the idea of Rocking Vibe glimmered in her heart, and it wasn’t long before that spark became a fierce fire and Rocking Vibe was created. Resources: http://Rockingvibe.com FB: facebook.com/rockingvibe IG: @rockingvibe -- Checkout my website at loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

  With the New Year a week away, goals and resolutions are at the forefront of everyone’s mind. And while this is a super exciting time of year, it can also be super overwhelming, too. Especially if you don’t feel you were successful with the previous year’s goals. So here’s what I suggest this year (and every year for that matter): Focus on RIGHT NOW, and you’ll figure out the HOW later. “It’s now about the how, it’s about knowing what you desire.” Get clear on one or two goals and make sure they’re in alignment with your desires. Nothing is set in stone so let your feelings guide you. If you’re having trouble getting clear, try sitting for five minutes or more in the morning (or whenever you have the time) and ask yourself, “What would bring me the most joy?” Additionally, “How can I serve others and still bring myself joy?” Sometimes it’s a matter of reframing and refocusing on things that already exist in your life. For me this past year, it was my online Body + Soul Program. I knew I wanted to attract more people into my tribe, but the more I focused on those that I didn’t have, the more lack I felt. So I reframed and focused on the people who I already had. “I manifested more of what I wanted because I was grateful for what I already had.” Focus on what you want. Focus on the those “pop” or “soul hit” moments that make you feel alive while also fulfilling your purpose. Pay attention and let those moments continue to pull you – even if your ego pushes back. There will be resistance, but you can always refocus, reframe and get back in alignment with your true desires. -- In This Episode You Will Learn: Why it’s important to gain clarity on 1 or 2 goals Why you don’t need to focus on the HOW when it comes to your goals Why we must pay attention to our “soul hits”  Resources: Check out my website at http://loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

  There are so many interesting things to know about today’s guest, Arielle Loren, I don’t even know where to begin! A former sex columnist and founder of an erotic magazine, this now marketing agency owner encourages all female entrepreneurs to empower themselves and do all the things that bring them pleasure.   Be sure to listen in as we talk about tapping into this power and how keeping honest and authentic lines of communication open with others and ourselves can help lead you to your ultimate happiness.     --      Questions Asked in This Episode: What are you doing now and how did you get there? Would you share with us what it means to you to be sexually empowered? Why are we so afraid of asking for the things that bring us pleasure? How do we set up and enforce boundaries and why do we need them so desperately? Where do you have to go in order to push yourself through the scary parts? What do you do to self-soothe yourself and give yourself permission to change? What do you do when someone’s business is not working and they think it’s someone else’s fault? Do you ever struggle with overachieving or perfectionism and what does that look like if you do? When you take on too much, what does that look like?   In This Episode We Talk about: Arielle’s intriguing career journey so far Infusing pleasure into your life with even the simple things How mastering your sensuality/sexuality allows you to show up bigger in the rest of your life Why we need to clearly communicate and set boundaries up front Why it’s so important for entrepreneurs to focus on their own personal development Giving yourself space and letting your feelings settle when problems arise How Arielle’s “Driven” events each have an organic and unique approach Finding balance and simplicity The benefits of taking “me time” and rest The importance of being authentic and honest And so much more…   Quotes:   “The more in touch I am with my body the more open I’m able to be.”   “There’s no way to lose something that was meant for you.”   “Give yourself permission to change.”   “The more honest you are, the happier you will be.” -- Arielle Loren is a top business strategist, trained at Harvard University, where she received both a master’s degree in Management and a graduate certificate in Strategic Management. She also holds a graduate certificate in International  Business Management from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in Social and Cultural Analysis and a certificate in Producing from New York University. As the CEO of the Arielle Loren Agency, she and her team manage dozens of companies on behalf of her clients and build out high ROI marketing campaigns. Our work has been featured in FastCompany, TechCrunch, Huffington Post, SXSW, and NPR. We specialize in digital marketing, business operations, business development, profit planning, and variety of strategies that bring more ease to founders and entrepreneurs.   Resources: http://www.arielleloren.com http://www.drivenworkshop.com Money Magic Retreat – February 2018, Maui http://www.MoneyMagicRetreat.com IG: @arielleloren  Checkout my website at loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

The other day I was talking with a friend about my recent trip to Nosara, Costa Rica. And one of the things we were talking about was their relationship with Mother Earth. The people there are so conscious of what they are putting out and also regulate what others bring in and take out. For example, there are very few garbage cans and even throwing away a gum wrapper was a challenge.   While this did get frustrating, I love that it forced me to be more aware of my surroundings and what trash I was carrying around or just throwing away for someone else to deal with. And as my friend and I continued to talk, we also realized that this concept ran parallel with us as humans, too.   What trash are you carrying around? Are you disposing of it in a healthy way? Are you sick of carrying it around? When you hear gossip, are you throwing it on someone else? Or are you up-cycling it into something better?   We must be more conscious of what we’re putting out into the Earth – both literally and figuratively – because we live in a cause and effect world. Our actions affect other people and things.   “Our physical surroundings affect our spiritual state.”   What is one small thing you could decide not to pick up or dispose of in a healthy way? I challenge you to find one thing and approach it with intention and see how you feel. And please share with me what you discover.   --  In This Episode You Will Learn:   How aware Costa Ricans are of Mother Earth About the parallels between the physical and spiritual world when it comes to collecting trash Why we must be more conscious of what we’re carrying, what we’re putting out and what we’re throwing away.   Resources:   Checkout my website at http://loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

  New Year’s is just around the corner and I know that several of you are already working on your resolutions. Or maybe you’re a goal-getter all year round – and I applaud that! However, are you just interested in your goals or are you committed? Let’s talk about the differences between the two…   Now when I say committed, I mean committed. When you’re just interested, it may feel like your committed, but in the back of your mind you’re always looking for a way out. You haven’t set a date, you’re not risking anything or putting anything on the line. You’ve still got the opportunity to get out at any time. When you’re committed – you’re all in.   “A commitment is a one million percent YES.”   Here’s how the language around it changes. When you’re interested, it’s “Someday I will…, or “I would do x-y-z, but…” You’re always seeking out excuses why you can’t without realizing it. However, when you’re committed, you use phrases like, “I will…,” I am…” When obstacles arise, you offer no excuses and instead seek out solutions because you know that these will help someone in some way down the road.   “Solutions are the blessings you teach.”   Committed people surround themselves with people who don’t tolerate excuses, whereas those who are interested tend to find themselves with those who support those excuses. Weekends are a numbing time-out away from your goals. Those who are committed look for what they need in order to stay committed. Again, there is no way out.   “When you’re just interested, you always leave the window cracked open – there’s always a way out. When you’re committed, there is no way out, just through.”   And before I go, I just want to share one more difference and it’s in regard to worrying about what others think. You can likely guess this, but when people are just interested, they DO care what others think. When you’re committed, the only thing you’re worried about is not fulfilling your potential. Your worries feel purposeful because it’s not just about you.   If you’re feeling more on the interested side and want to get more committed, I encourage you to   “Take action from your future self who is committed.”   Keep that momentum going and please share with me what committed actions you’re taking today – I would love to hear from you!   In This Episode You Will Learn:   What the differences are between interested and committed How our obstacles help us teach and help others How the time spent on weekends makes a difference   Resources:   Checkout my website at loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

Any WWE fans out there? Regardless if you are or not, you’re going to love the conversation I had with WWE and Total Divas star, Nia Jax. As a plus-size model and TV star, she is busting body stereotypes left and right and wants other women to unapologetically own who they uniquely are, too.   Tune in to hear how Nia’s journey brought her to the WWE, what she had to overcome to get there and how she uses that platform now to empower other women. --      Questions Asked in This Episode: When you were younger, was becoming a WWE star a dream of yours? Where did you have to go mentally in order to show up at your WWE tryout? What made you keep going? What would tell someone who is waiting for the perfect moment to do something? What is something that because of a no has made you stronger? What is something that you are extremely grateful for right now? Why do thinking it’s so important for women right now to use their voices and platforms? What is something you wish more people knew about you? What have you learned to embrace about yourself that before you wished was different? What are some boundaries you’ve had to set in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and mindset?   In This Episode We Talk about: How Nia got her start in the WWE How she’s helped bust stereotypes The importance of taking action before you’re ready Why WWE is the perfect for Nia How the NO’s lead to your perfect fit What drives Nia to do what she does Women’s empowerment Being different and owning it   Quotes:   “Don’t wait on your wait.”   “Right now I’m as good as I’m going to get today.”   “Women need to use their voice so they’re not settling for anything less than they deserve.”   -- There’s one thing that’s painfully clear when someone steps in the ring with Nia Jax: She’s not like most women. The 6-foot-tall Jax has towered over other women for as long as she can recall. She was kicked out of activities like karate, kickboxing and judo as a child because someone always ended up getting hurt at her hands. Though Jax eventually turned her attention toward the world of modeling, she still hungered for competition. A cousin of The Rock, she made her way to the WWE Performance Center where she learned to harness her aggression in the squared circle. She immediately blew away all other Superstars in terms of power, claiming all of the WWE Performance Center’s female lifting records. Unsurprisingly, Jax has dominated her competition since her debut, squeezing the air out of her opponents with a crushing bear hug before viciously slamming them into the mat to earn the victory. She carried that power with her to Raw as a surprise selection in the 2016 WWE Brand Extension Draft and immediately established herself as a future power player in the Women’s division. From day one, Jax claimed that greatness was her destiny. Her size and power may ensure that she reaches it sooner than anyone expects.   Resources: IG: @niajaxwwe FB: facebook.com/JaxWWE http://www.wwe.com/superstars/nia-jax   Monday Night Raw on USA Network Mondays, 8 p.m. EST   Total Divas on E! Wednesdays, 9 p.m. EST     Checkout my website at https://loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

Learn about the significance of relationships as our biggest teachers, the importance of showing up with understanding and acceptance, and the transformative experiences that can occur when like-minded individuals come together. Explore the challenges and fears of building a personal brand and the power of building and nurturing an online community. Discover an all-in-one community platform for online entrepreneurs called Circle.so.

  I just returned a few days ago from my third trip to the Costa Rican jungles and it was such an awesome trip – even though every time I go, I feel a ton of resistance around it. And that’s because it throws me out of my routine (and it’s a LONG journey to get there).   But here’s what this trip helped me with this round – it forced me to take time for myself. It forced me to just sit in quiet in nature (with the occasional monkey making his presence known). You see up until Costa Rica, I was a feeling a little blocked creatively, which was super frustrating because I had a talk to prepare for and an eCourse to come up with. But on the flight home – because I allowed myself the space to let that creativity come flowing back in – the ideas poured out! I couldn’t believe how easy it felt.   Now, you might be saying, “This doesn’t apply to me because I’m not creative.” Newsflash – you ARE creative!   “We are all creative beings.”   You create and put things out in the world every single day – and there are more forms than you think. It’s not just writing, designing or painting. There is an outlet that makes you feel alive – you just need to tune in to find out what it is.   Now as you can imagine, while we need to practice creative space all year round, with the holiday upon us, it’s more important than ever to create space so we don’t lose our marbles when family and friends visit. So just like I stated above, you must carve out time just for you.   Schedule in your time and practice fierce boundaries for parties or other commitments that don’t excite you. No is a complete sentence and you aren’t responsible for making everyone happy. Use the holidays for what they were meant for – joy and connection.   Ask yourself, “What do I need each week to ensure a happy, healthy holiday season for myself?”   I challenge you to look at your calendar and make those unbreakable “space making” appointments with yourself. In order to create and transform we must find that space.   Let me know how you do! I love hearing from you!   Happy Thanksgiving!       In This Episode You Will Learn:   Why we need to create space for ourselves regularly – especially during the holiday season How scheduling appointments for yourself is crucial How to set fierce boundaries   Resources:   Free 14-Day HoliBurn Challenge Nov. 27-Dec. 10 – Go to https://loriharder.com/challenge to register!   Check out my website at https://loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.

  I came across my guest, Wes Chapman, as I was preparing for my TedX Talk and couldn’t stop thinking about his story. With a tumultuous childhood from day one including abuse in numerous forms and being told that he was too broken to fix, Wes is walking proof that we are only who we choose to believe we are.   Now Wes has committed his life to helping others who feel or have been told they are “broken” and encourages everyone to take control of their lives, ditch the victim mentality and get into hero mode. Listen in as Wes vulnerably takes us through his journey of rediscovering his self-worth and identity and how it led him to an entrepreneurial career of helping others.   --      Questions Asked in This Episode: How do we start to tap into or figure out our self-worth? Did you have something that was holding you back and if so, how did you go about taking the steps to move past it? What is something you are most excited about? Is there anything in your life that you’re still grabbing at even though it’s not making you happy? What are some of your favorite ways to connect with family and friends?   In This Episode We Talk about: Wes’s tumultuous childhood and how he gained both his self-worth and identity back and how it led him to help others How to tap into your self-worth Why we need to truly understand empathy Letting go of the past and taking your power back Self-control and self-understanding Taking responsibility for the past in order to take control of your life The power of labels, how they create your identity and how limiting they are Why environment is crucial to your well-being Getting back to where you find peace and comfort Disconnecting from technology (and how Wes suggests doing it)   Quotes:   “Put the victim to bed and wake the hero up instead.”   “Your brain only understands what it’s experienced.”   “Anything that’s in the rear-view mirror you can 100% take ownership of that.”   “If you can positively think your way into a great life, you can negatively think your way into a crappy life.”   “Rip the labels off – you are what you choose to be.”   “The day of excuses is over.”   “I don’t believe in controlling other people; I believe in people controlling themselves.”   -- Wes’s message of “waking up the hero” has been adopted by thousands of people around the world. He draws from his unique life experiences to deeply connect with people of all backgrounds, creeds and beliefs. He is the founder of A HUMAN PROJECT, an organization that incubates creative, scalable solutions to systemic problems and gathers together the greatest minds to solve global issues in education, health and society.   With a background in technology, design and entrepreneurship, Wes has worked with clients like Verizon, Microsoft, A&E and has been the recipient of multiple “App of the Year” awards from Apple. He holds patents on several medical advancements. His work has been covered in multiple media outlets and publications, including: INC, CBS, TechCrunch, ABC, Forbes and many others.   As a speaker, Wes has shared the stage with eminent business owners and thought leader alike, including: Robert Herjavec, Sheri Salata, Gary Vaynerchuk, Randy Jackson, Peter Diamandis and many others.   And as co-creator of THE HUMAN GATHERING – named “The #1 Leadership Conference” by Forbes, Wes is consistently bringing together today’s foremost leaders in business, technology, philanthropy and the arts.   Resources: AHumanProject.com WakeTheHero.com   IG: @wesleydchapman FB: facebook.com/wesleydchapman   Checkout my website at https://loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. .

For the past month, I’ve been feeling a lack of inspiration, and when that feeling comes up, shortly after the feelings of unworthiness and not being good enough pop their heads back in the picture. It brings back glimpses of the crushing anxiety that I once faced. I knew it was time to start bringing the joy back into my routine (did I mention how much I love routine?).   So I decided to enlist the help of a coach. I needed more than the cheerleader voice in my own head – I needed compassion from someone who’s been there.   “I don’t want all of the things I’ve wished for to be wished away because I’m anxious.”   Even though I’m happy and grateful for all of the amazing things that are happening in my life and business, I was also getting bored. In order to do that I knew I needed to shake things up a bit and change up my routine   “Even creatures of habit need to shake things up.”   But this creature over here LOVES her routine and has a ton of resistance when it comes to changing it – even if it’s doing things that I like to do. Anyone else? In order change my thoughts around the new, I needed to find the routine and grounding in it.   Keep in mind these changes in your routine don’t need to be big – start small! What could you start with? I wanna know! Be sure to comment below or on Instagram – I love hearing!   In This Episode You Will Learn:   Why doing new and different things helps eliminate boredom What to with the resistance of changing things up How doing the smallest of things can relieve anxiety   Resources:   The Bliss Project 2018 March 2-4, 2019 | Newport Beach, CA http://www.TheBlissProject.info   Checkout my website at http://loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.