My guest today is Alexandra Gould. I came across Alex’s Facebook post online in a personal development /life coaching group, and I was blown away by her courageous journey with a very serious health challenge since she was six years old. Alex had over a dozen facial surgeries since she was a teenager, but nothing I've heard came from a victim mentality, only a brave and beautiful mature woman. She embraces her own vulnerability and adversity with such honesty and grace. I just had to interview her, so I reached out to her, and that is how I got her to be my guest today! I am really excited to share this interview with you. Alex is a life coach and mother of two (twins!) based in New Jersey, USA.I absolutely love our conversation, there is so much I’ve learned from Alex and I hope you will enjoy listening to this podcast or watching our video too. You'll also find the transcript below as well.

Interview Summary:

* Alex’s journey of experiencing a serious illness that causes atrophy on one side of her face from the age of six.

* What more than a dozen facial surgeries and recovery challenges have taught her over the years about adversity and victim mentality

* How she got inspired to become a life coach to empower others who may also be experiencing hard challenges or tragedies in life 

* What she has gained as a woman and a mother by having been knocked down so many times since a young age

* Despite all the challenges in life, there is still a lot what we can control, like how we respond to adversity and model for others

* Why is it so important to surround yourself with the right people who see the best in you and the story of meeting her husband

* Choose to focus on not just your strength but to accept who you are as well 

* Self-acceptance is a choice that we can make internally, no matter what is going on externally 

* We cannot compare the magnitude of a challenge from one person’s perspective to another, we must treat each other with compassion and respect

* The first two years of being a mother to her twins were all about being on survival mode and then finding a balance between work and home life.

* We are not enlightened masters who got it right 24/7 but we can cultivate strong resilience to bounce back and do the best we can 

* When negativity or anxiety comes up, instead of pushing it away, look at it with curiosity, ask yourself, what is it trying to tell me?

* Part of building confidence is getting out of your comfort zone, and we often don't know what it means to others and we should avoid assuming how they feel

* When you are nervous (e.g. public speaking) focus on your service or message. It’s not about you but who you can help 

If you would like to connect with Alex, please go to https://www.instagram.com/coachingwithalexandra/https://www.facebook.com/CoachingwithAlexandraB/https://daretoprevailcoaching.com/

Video

https://youtu.be/ZpVbzR4SE78

If you have any questions or comments, you can post it here or  PM me on my FB page @SzeWingVetault or Instagram or email me at [email protected] More blogs & podcasts can be found on