Big Deal Energy

“Everything always goes back to psychology, so one of the things I really wanted to do was not only key women into their feminine energy but break whatever psychological structures that had them undervaluing themselves.” - Monica Parikh

On today’s Brave By Design, we’ll be looking at how each of us attract partners who match our own vibration frequency, and why this is such an important concept to understand as we heal, grow and evolve. Our expert guest reveals how we can start building relationships driven by purpose and honesty, and the ways we can approach pre-cohabitation, pre-marital contracts and more.

A graduate of Northwestern University and Cornell Law School, Monica Parikh believes that conventional education does not teach us skills for relationship success. Her writing weaves together relationship advice with positive psychology and spiritual truths. When necessary, she also draws upon her 20-years of experience as a lawyer. She keeps it simple and real to help others achieve healthy relationships—the most important factor for a lifetime of happiness.

Monica writes for international publications like MindBodyGreen and Well + Good, coaches private clients and gives motivational speeches. Her work has been featured in Marie Claire Magazine, Audible UK, Stella UK, The New York Post, and The Jenny McCarthy Show on Sirius XM radio.

In 2021, she will release Take Back the Power, a modern fable about breakup aimed to raise collective consciousness and restore world peace. 

Connect with Monica: https://www.schooloflovenyc.com/

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen to podcasts!

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• Monica’s journey from being a lawyer of 20 years to the educator and leader that she is today [1:37]
  
  
• The ways she has applied her therapy and studies of relationship psychology to her own dating life [9:26]
  
  
• Why she says it’s so important to move past the fear of being open and to your needs in your relationship from the very beginning [17:53]
  
  
• Her thoughts on healthy and conscious marriage arrangements and contracts, and how they can help reduce codependency [27:01]
  
  
• Whether or not men have the same emotional resources as women [35:55]
  
  
• How getting real with yourself and your partner about your relationship will build intimacy [45:15]
  
  

Additional Links & Resources:

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“The broad rules of consent still apply, but they’re just being applied in new ways. To me, it’s always about making sure that you’re clear on your expectations. I think it’s better to ask if something is ok than to be afraid it will be awkward, especially during the pandemic.” - Valeriya Safronova

Dating can be challenging in the best of times, but what is a single person to do while in the midst of a global pandemic? These times have brought up new issues when it comes to dating, and today on Brave By Design I’m speaking with someone who literally wrote the article on hooking up during Covid-19 to help shed some light on these topics. 

Valeriya Safronova is a reporter for The New York Times Style section, where she writes features on culture, personal technology and gender. She was a 2019-2020 Fulbright journalism fellow based in Munich.

As Valeriya reveals, even though we are in a new world with new rules the same old problems exist with dating. She learned many things from speaking with individuals who are navigating the dating world right now, and this is why it’s such an enlightening and eye-opening conversation to be having on the podcast today.

Connect with Valeryia: https://twitter.com/vsaffron

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen to podcasts!

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• If Valeriya feels the pandemic is pushing people towards fast-tracking their romantic relationships [6:36]
  
  
• Her thoughts on sliding the scales of safety versus mental health, and managing the risk factors associated [8:58]
  
  
• Tips for when you’re getting judgement from others [11:59]
  
  
• The real reasons that Valeriya decided to write her article [16:06]
  
  
• What everyone needs to understand about consent and boundaries [18:11]
  
  
• Ways to manage the difficult conversations with others around these topics when they arise [19:41]

Additional Links & Resources: 

Valeriya’s New York Times Article, True Stories of Hooking Up During Covid-19

Her Twitter 

“Probably the most common problem is that people simply don’t have any plan at all. If you ask someone what is their net worth, and if they know how much they need to accumulate before they can retire, sometimes the person can’t answer these simple questions.” - Echo Huang 

Today’s Brave By Design expert guest is on a mission to let people know that wealth management isn’t just for the wealthy. You don’t have to be wealthy to start managing wealth, and you can start growing it right now from where you stand. However it will take a solid plan, which she shares more about on this episode. 

Echo Huang is a financial planner with CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) designation and over 25 years of experience in the financial services and accounting industries. She helps executives and entrepreneurs in Minneapolis and St. Paul take the complexity out of their personal and business finances. Born and raised in China, she came to the United States with $800 in her pocket in hopes of pursuing – and achieving – the American dream. Through higher learning, continued education, and hard work, she gained valuable experience and extensive knowledge about wealth management, investment strategies, and tax planning. After years of working as an accountant, a financial advisor and partnering with other financial firms, she founded Echo Wealth Management in 2015. Echo is the author of Own Your Future: One Woman’s Story of Immigration and Financial Freedom.

As Echo states in this episode, she wants to be a financial guru for many people, even if she cannot serve as a financial advisor for every person. I think you’re going to learn so much from the financial tips and advice she gives in this informative conversation, which is why I’m so excited to share it with you today. 

Connect with Echo: http://ownyourfuture.guru/

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen to podcasts! 

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• Echo's own story of growing up, and how she became a success in the field of finance [4:44]
  
  
• The ways in which she grew from the confidence set before her by her mother [13:05]
  
  
• What the motivation was for Echo to write her book, Own Your Future [18:39]
  
  
• What she considers to be the four major problems people often have when planning for their financial future [21:06]
  
  

Additional Links & Resources: 

Get Echo’s Book, Own Your Future 

Connect with Her on LinkedIn

Echo’s Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

“I just really got in touch with how magnificently adaptable we are and how we can figure things out. Even if it doesn’t go fantastically, it’s good enough. So just jumping in and trying things became easier for me, because I just accidentally threw myself into those situations. I just feel like if you can trust that you’ll figure it out on the other side, it’ll get a little easier to jump in.” - Jodi Hume 

With the amount of decisions we all have to make daily in our personal and professional lives, the decision-making process can be challenging (to say the least). That is why I wanted to introduce you to today’s Brave By Design expert guest, as she is someone who works with busy leaders to facilitate decision making and has had great success in doing so. 

Jodi Hume is a personal strategist and facilitator for busy leaders and their teams. She facilitates the conversations that shape lives and businesses - with leadership, her clients’ loved ones, or in their own heads.

After a 15-year career as COO of a growing architecture firm, she now works with founders and leaders throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. Her career in senior management saw her firm move from local to national significance and increase nearly 400% in size. With every milestone came new decisions, opportunities and even more competing priorities to balance. 

Jodi has seen every stage of business development - from the startup challenges, to the growing pains, to the victories, and in this episode she reveals how the right way to approach decision-making. You’ll also learn what is really needed to be able to make solid decisions, and ones that you can be confident in. 

Connect with Jodi: http://www.leadingclarity.com/

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen to podcasts!

Free webinar in late January for coaches, consultants and service-based businesses: Learn how Brave by Design became a Top 125 podcast and Laura gained new clients through podcasting. Register at podcastbrandlab.com

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• Ways to start “connecting the dots” and solving problems for yourself [1:26]
  
  
• Jodi's idea of innate confidence, and why it’s such an important thing to possess [5:59]
  
  
• The universal challenges she has identified in leaders that she has worked with in her career [9:47]
  
  
• Why rest should be considered sacred, even in today’s fast-paced world [12:56]
  
  
• Tips and strategies for battling the indecisiveness that we all face from time-to-time [21:39]
  
  
• An exciting update on what Jodi has to offer in 2021 as part of her beta testing [29:34]

Additional Links & Resources:

Jodi’s Podcast

Traits of a Great Manager (Part 1 of 2) with Heidi Craun (Brave By Design)

“True wealth is a state of being, and it’s a state of living wealthy. It’s a state of being alive, connected and whole within yourself.” - Jennifer Love 

Today’s Brave By Design guest is on a mission to help leaders become limitless, and after listening to her powerful message, you’ll see how she’s doing this! Jennifer Love is rated among the top 5% of advisors globally, and her mission as a Money Therapist is helping leaders build what she calls true wealth.

On any given day, Jennifer may be found diving deep with a leader in a private money therapy session, serving as a judge for events like Startup Weekend and on stage sharing her research and views as a wealth philosopher. She also prepares entrepreneurs to land a shark on Shark Tank, advises clients behind-the-scenes of shows like Biz Fix with Marcus Lemonis, meets with community leaders and government officials and negotiates with investors. Part of Jennifer’s day could also involve advising leaders of Fortune 200 companies and celebrities in developing their true wealth, or being at home enjoying time with her sweetheart John and fur-baby Maggie. 

Achieving true wealth takes the stress out of the money equation so you can effectively raise, make, manage, and give money. It also creates deep soulful satisfaction in key areas of their lives. This something we’d all like, am I right? This is why I am so eager to have Jennifer share her expertise on true wealth with you all today. 

Connect with Jennifer: https://jenniferlove.com/

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen to podcasts!

Free webinar in late January for coaches, consultants and service-based businesses: Learn how Brave by Design became a Top 125 podcast and Laura gained new clients through podcasting. Register at podcastbrandlab.com

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• Jennifer’s thoughts on personal scar tissues and how to investigate and process your own traumas first [11:38]
  
  
• Why you need to be willing to say “no” to things not aligned with your values, and what can happen if you don’t [16:50]
  
  
• What “true wealth” is really all about [22:46]
  
  
• Where to begin the journey, and Jennifer’s thought process for getting there [24:36] 

Additional Links & Resources:

Discovery Your Money Store - Book a Discovery Call with Jennifer!  

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.

The #OneMoreWoman Movement

Marshall Rosenberg

“Obviously there’s going to be unnecessary friction, challenges, miscommunication and misunderstandings, because we literally have a different set of subconscious rules. So our attachment style has a profound impact on all of our relationships.” - Thais Gibson

Today we’re talking all about attachment theory, and looking at how it affects the way we think, feel and approach all types of situations in our lives. If you’re not sure what attachment theory is, that’s ok, because this Brave By Design guest literally wrote the guide to it!

Thais Gibson is the co-founder of the Personal Development School, as well as the author of Attachment Theory: A Guide to Strengthening the Relationships in Your Life. Throughout her career she has worked with thousands of clients and helped them to positively transform their lives, relationships and goals. Thais is certified in over 13 different areas of therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, neurolinguistic programming and transpersonal psychology. By combining traditional psychological methods with the research findings from her practice, she has created cutting-edge therapeutic techniques that help people realize true and significant change in their lives.

In this episode you’re going to learn about the important role that attachment theory is playing in your life subconsciously, and then how you can use it to strengthen both your personal and professional relationships, starting today.  

Connect with Thais: http://www.personaldevelopmentschool.com/

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen to podcasts!

Free webinar in late January for coaches, consultants and service-based businesses: Learn how Brave by Design became a Top 125 podcast and Laura gained new clients through podcasting. Register at podcastbrandlab.com

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• What attachment theory is, and the four major attachment styles with their characteristics [11:11]
  
  
• Whether or not dating habits are a form of attachment theory [23:26]
  
  
• Three key things that create attraction at a subconscious level [28:33]
  
  
• What we need to know about the dynamics of our business relationships [33:32]
  
  
• How to approach coping mechanisms and reprogramming, and a specific tool you can use to start doing this [41:01] 

Additional Links & Resources:

Thais’ Instagram & Facebook Group 

Her YouTube Channel & LinkedIn

Her Book, Attachment Theory: A Guide to Strengthening the Relationships in Your Life

“When we can start to identify, really tap into and have the courage to express those qualities of who we really are, that’s when we really come alive. That’s when we get the freedom to fully experience life in all of its glory.” - Spencer Snakard

What does it take to be truly fulfilled in life? This can be tricky if we aren’t sure what it will take to feel this way, or where to even start along our journey. That’s why I’m speaking with today’s Brave By Design expert guest about what is most often holding us back from living our dream life, and what to do to determine what it is that we really want moving forward.

Spencer Snakard is a mindset coach, transformational trainer, and motivational speaker for entrepreneurs who are ready to stop struggling and instead create the thriving business and life of their dreams. She helps her clients achieve the kind of life filled with financial freedom and doing the work they love with passion, purpose, and profits, without ever having to give up what matters most to them.

This conversation with Spencer was so impactful, and she even shares exercises and insights that you most likely won’t hear talked about elsewhere. It is my hope that anyone listening can benefit from what she shares today, whether you are looking for more happiness in your personal or professional life - or in both. 

Connect with Spencer: https://spencersnakard.com/

Connect with Laura Khalil online:

instagram.com/iambravebydesign

linkedIn.com/in/LauraKhalil

Learn the five habits that help women rise:

http://bravebydesign.net/fivehabits 

Invite Laura to speak at your live or virtual event http://bravebydesign.net

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• How Spencer quickly found the world of coaching after studying psychology in school - and never looked back [2:04]
  
  
• The things that stop most people from doing what they really want to do in life [6:24]
  
  
• Where identity comes into play, and the reasons that some people struggle to shed theirs in order to grow [9:54]
  
  
• How to know where to even get started getting to where you want to go, and the specific questions to be asking yourself along the way [11:26]
  
  
• The ways to identify if what you think that you want is what you really want [16:02]
  
  
• Why checking in with yourself in this process is key, and Spencer’s tips for doing this in the most effective way possible [21:01]
  
  

Additional Links & Resources:

Spencer’s Free Mindset Masterclass 

Schedule a Call with Spencer For More Information on Her Business Breakthrough Program 

Her Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube Channel

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

Connect with Laura Khalil online:

instagram.com/iambravebydesign

linkedIn.com/in/LauraKhalil

Learn the five habits that help women rise:

http://bravebydesign.net/fivehabits 

Invite Laura to speak at your live or virtual event http://bravebydesign.net

“The premise behind working with difficult people is that nobody is difficult until you label them difficult. So the word ‘difficult’ is not a fact, it is a label.” - Kris Plachy

When leading a team, or working as part of one, not all people will be the same. It takes awareness and skill to recognize each individual’s personality traits, and to work as effectively and efficiently with that person. That’s why in today’s Brave By Design we are talking to an Entrepreneurial Management guru who helps leaders lead a successful well-rounded team, and the advice she shares here today can prove invaluable to any member of an organization. 

Kris Plachy is THE thought leader and expert for Entrepreneurial Management. Known for her simple, honest and authentic style, Kris has poured her life’s work into learning about, understanding and then guiding leaders through the tricky path of learning how to lead a team. In a space where there is a lot of “noise” and advice, Kris has designed the “how to” of team & CEO leadership through her unparalleled How to CEO for Female Entrepreneurs course and coaching integration program. 

Kris provides actionable strategy combined with insights from her years of experience in leading others, and I’m sure all listeners will enjoy, and learn from what she has to share in this episode. 

Connect with Kris: https://krisplachy.com/

Connect with Laura Khalil online:

instagram.com/iambravebydesign

linkedIn.com/in/LauraKhalil

Learn the five habits that help women rise:

http://bravebydesign.net/fivehabits 

Invite Laura to speak at your live or virtual event http://bravebydesign.net

What You’ll Hear In This Episode: 

• How Kris became an expert in this field and the extensive hands on experience she has working with difficult people [1:58]
   
• Specific challenges that women face in a male-dominated workplace [5:12]
  
  
• A powerful reframe you can make to realize that “difficult” is only a label we attach to other people [8:30]
  
  
• The viral post blog post Kris wrote that affirmed people are needing more knowledge on how to work with difficult people, and how this led to her writing a book on the topic [10:05]
  
  
• Some of the most important things to acknowledge when one is moving into a leadership role that can help improve the relationships with others in the organization [17:25]
   
• Five core things to focus on in order to help you have the firing conversation, if needed [19:46]

Additional Links & Resources:

Kris’s Do You Know How to CEO? Quiz & Course, How to CEO for Female Entrepreneurs 

Her Podcast 

Kris’ LinkedIn Article, Five Truths for Dealing with Difficult People & Book (of the same name)