Building Psychological Strength

One of my very favorite quotes is by Henry Ford:

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.

Now, that all sounds nice, right? Sure, April, failure is the opportunity to begin again. That sounds lovely.

However, when the rubber hits the road, most of us enjoy failing about as much as we enjoy having dental work done.

But here’s the thing, the longer I’ve been an entrepreneur, the more I have come to truly understand how necessary and inevitable failure is in this journey.

And that’s what we’re focusing on this week with my interview with Sophia Sunwoo.

Sophia is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Social Entrepreneurship, a Forbes 30U30 All-Star Alumni, an ELLE Magazine Impact2 Awards Pitch finalist, and a Fred Alger Finance Award winner.

Sophia built her first company when she was 19 years old and sold it before her 23rd birthday. (Yes, you read that right.)

She also co-founded Water Collective, a non-profit founded to fix and prevent broken water projects in the developing world by building community ecosystems of water maintenance care.

Since 2012, the organization has secured clean water for over 76,000 people in West Africa and has been recognized by Forbes, DevEx, African Business Review, and ELLE Magazine.

Here are some highlights of this conversation:

• Being naive can work in your favor. When you begin a new goal, especially if it’s a big one, being a little naive about what stands in front of you can work in your favor. So many times, if we know what the barriers are that we’ll hit, they keep us paralyzed. If we know how hard it’s going to be, we may not start. But, if you begin with a bit of naïveté, you might just be more likely to succeed…simply because you started.

• Failure can be a necessity. In the same way that you build physical strength by working out at the gym, there are things you can do to build psychological strength. Failing repeatedly can help you become stronger and more able to handle difficulty down the line. Failure is NOT a sign that you’re not cut out for something. It’s inevitable, and it’s necessary.

• Designing your own career. Sometimes people feel like you only have 2 options: have a 9-5 job or be an entrepreneur. There are infinite paths you can take, many of which lie in the grey area between the 2 obvious paths I called out before. I encourage you to think about the characteristics your career needs to have to make you happy, and then ask yourself “How might you” accomplish that? Check out this interview for more detail on how to do this.

How well do you know yourself?

I mean, truly know yourself?

How well do you know the innermost aspects of your true self, including the things that subconsciously influence you?

This week, we’re talking all about self-awareness…how to develop it, and what it means to live in a self-aware state.

We’re also talking about what that self-awareness allows you to do: LIVE AS YOUR TRUE SELF!

This week, I’m chatting with Ginni Saraswati, and if you can find a brighter light in the world, I’ll…I don’t know…do something gross. I’ll eat a bug. l

Truly, Ginni is an incredible woman, and you’re not going to want to miss our conversation.

Ginni is the founder of Ginni Media, a boutique podcast production company, and she is the host of The Ginni Show.

Here’s what we chatted about:

• How can we be our true selves? Ginni and I had a really deep conversation about her experience as a lesbian and coming out to her family. In the end, it was fear that kept her from telling her family who she really was so that she could live authentically. However, the paradox is that fear holds us in an inauthentic state that can be psychologically damaging. You won’t want to miss this conversation.

• Self-awareness is always step 1. Being self-aware means understanding yourself at a deeper level….and being honest about it. Sometimes these revelations can be incredibly difficult for us to admit to…but its crucial. If we want to live authentically (to my earlier point), you have to be aware and honest about who you are.

• Happiness is so important! Focusing on your own happiness is NOT SELFISH! We all have one life to live. If you aren’t living life with an eye toward what’s making you happy, you’re wasting your precious time here.

• Have the audacity to believe you can be more than you are now. The size of your dreams and goals do NOT get to be dictated by other people. If you have the inclination that you might be capable of reaching something big…you’re probably right. The audacity to reach for HUGE, SCRAY GOALS is what propels me forward, and if there’s one thing I can give you, it is the audacity to be your biggest self.

Go get ‘em tiger!

Fill in the blank: I’m the type of person who __________.

Are you the type of person who takes risks? Makes a lot of money? Needs the support of other people? Is brave?

The way you instinctively answer these questions can tell you a lot about your self-identity, and this is what we’re zeroing in on for this special mini episode of the podcast.

Here’s what we’re digging into:

• What is our self-identity? From a Cognitive Psych perspective, we’re digging into what our self-identity actually is and how it was formed. As it turns out, our minds are powerful, but not that sophisticated.

• How our self-identity shapes our behavior. Your self-identity is one of the things that draws a line around your comfort zone. It keeps you safe, but it also holds you back. We’re digging into how that happens.

• How to reach your true potential, in spite of your self-identity. The self-limiting parts of our identities can keep us from reaching our true potential, but there is hope! This is why I’ve created a free download you can snag for yourself. Click here to get your copy --> www.aprilseifert.com/podcast/0118.

This week, I’m covering a topic that I’ve never talked about on the podcast before: divorce.

Specifically, I’m chatting with Anna Shpilsher, a woman who focuses on helping people rebuild their lives after divorce.

Anna says that her life began after her divorce. Before then, life was pretty awful. She suddenly found herself 30, divorced, and a single mom to 2 small children.

She hated her new identity.

And, to make matters worse, she was stuck… stuck thinking about what once was and not being able to move past it.  All things were becoming a burden, including parenting, and she was longing for normalcy and adult connection like never before.

Anna found her way out of those feelings and has gone on to live an incredibly aligned, happy life, and she’s passionate about helping other people do the same.

This is why she does the work she does today.

We had such an intimate conversation, and we hit on some important topics:

• Radical responsibility - Anna took responsibility for the situation she found herself in, even though it was her ex-husband’s fault for putting her there! This is the purest example of radical responsibility that I’ve ever seen. My question to you is this: if you aren’t willing to do what Anna did and take responsibility for your own happiness, who are you giving that power to?

• Negativity habit - Our minds naturally move toward the negative, if we don’t intentionally work to balance our thinking. Anna and I talk about how pervasive this habit is, the impact it has on us, and what we can do about it. (Psst, check out episode 59 for an entire episode on this topic). Head over to Peak Mind to learn how you can break the negativity habit by building psychological strength.

• Your value as a person - You are valuable as a person, simply because you are here. That’s it. Your value as a person is not dictated by your successes, failures, other people’s praise, or criticism. Anna and I have a powerful discussion about the intrinsic value of every single person and how we can embrace that value, even in the face of hardship.

Thank you, Anna, for your openness and for sharing your wisdom with us!

Imagine this: you make a contribution at work, or you score a big win. What do you do next?

Do you tell people about what you achieved?

Or, do you wait for other people to recognize you and leave your fate in their hands?

This week, we’re chatting with Carla Howard. Carla helps women become more Influential and promotable so they can rise with confidence and grace!

Carla was catalyzed to do this work after she asked her daughter and granddaughter to draw a picture of a leader. She was shocked to see that both of them drew pictures of men.

She knew she had to do something to help women rise to their own potential, and we’re so fortunate to have her here on the podcast this week!

Here’s what you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Personal brand - Knowing your personal brand means knowing who YOU ARE AT YOUR CORE. Knowing your values, strengths, weaknesses, and what you look like when you’re at your best will set you up to create a strong, meaningful personal brand that serves to shout to the world who you are and what you stand for. Self-awareness is a powerful thing!

• Self-promotion - Shudder. I know. This one is TOUGH! Self promotion can just be difficult for us, yet it’s so incredibly important. One of Carla’s genius abilities is to make processes like self-promotion feel systematic and easy. In fact, Carla is offering a free PDF to help you figure out how to self=promote in a way that doesn’t feel so heavy.

• The spotlight effect - We tend to believe that other people are paying more attention to us (our wins AND our losses) than they actually are. This has a huge impact on our behavior! In some cases, we avoid taking a risk because we think other people will watch us fail. Or, we don’t feel the need to self-promote because we think other people see our accomplishments. This is called the spotlight effect. However, when it comes down to it, people aren’t paying attention to us, they’re paying attention to themselves.

Thank you, Carla, for such a powerful conversation!

What is your biggest goal?

Nope, I mean your BIGGEST GOAL?

The one that is so big that it scares you?

That’s the one I want you to have in mind as you listen to this week’s episode.

This week, I have the incredible honor of chatting with a powerhouse friend of mine, Bri Seeley.

Like many of us, Bri once lived in the land of 'should.' After completing two degree’s in fashion design, she built her own fashion label from the ground up and was convinced fashion was her path. Except, it didn't feel right.

Bri took the leap to close her fashion brand and follow her soul’s calling: to become a business and transformational coach.

Since then, she has coached thousands of people around the world, has been featured on the Today Show, in Forbes, and in so many other media outlets.

Bri is the author of the book “Permission to Leap,” and her passion is helping people reach their goals and live their truth, unapologetically.

You’re going to love this one!

We hit so many powerful topics:

• How identity can hold us back. I’m going to have to do a whole episode on this soon. Bottom line, if you believe you can do something or you believe you can’t do something, you’re right. Your concept of your identity and what “people like you” are capable of will dictate how high you can fly.

• Give yourself permission to want what you want. Sometimes we feel ashamed at the size of our goals or at the outcome we truly want to shoot for. STOP! Give yourself permission to want that huge salary, to want that perfect job, to want that expensive bag, etc.

• Your brain can be your biggest asset - USE IT. Your brain has an incredible ability to goal-seek, but it needs a crystal clear target to go after. If you can give your mind a clear target of what you want it to get for you, it’ll do its job and find opportunities, people, circumstances, and events that align with the thing you want. Let your brain goal-seek for you.

Recently, I announced my partnership with Ashley Smith to form Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. Think of it as a gym membership for your mind! We’re so excited about this new venture that we’re offering a FREE 4-part Achieve Your Peak video series. Sign up now - the doors won’t be open for long!

Every once in a while, we get to meet someone so multifaceted and interesting that they shift the way we think about the number of paths we can take during our lifetime.

This week’s interview was one of those conversations for me.

This week, you’re going to meet Sheira Brayer. Sheira is an empowerment speaker, an award-winning songwriter, the author of the book “Motiv8: 8 Ways to Rock Your Own World,” and a mom.

Sheira is on a mission to educate, guide, and inspire mothers and their young daughters with the tools and skills they need to feel better in their own skin!

Imagine that! Focusing on one of the most important relationships we’ll ever have - the one we have with ourselves!

Imagine if every single person in the world made it their mission to understand, support, and love themselves as fully as they possibly could. Imagine how different our world would be?!

I absolutely adored this conversation! Not only is Sheira so entertaining to chat with, but she takes such a creative approach toward the empowerment work she does. Yes, her curriculum is incredible, but the way she infuses her musical ability into it to generate even bigger results is just remarkable.

I know you’re going to love this conversation! In particular, we touch on:

• Self Awareness - I am willing to bet that I could pick almost anyone at random off of the street and they could benefit from increasing their level of self-awareness. This is one of the areas where we “don’t know what we don’t know,” and the more time and effort you put toward getting to know yourself at a deep and intimate level, the better chance you have of living in alignment with that authentic person inside of you.

• Self Beliefs - The views you have about yourself will impact the way you interact with others. Isn’t that profound?! Not only do we project our own beliefs onto other people, but once we understand where our motivations and habits come from, we can start to understand why other people might act and react the way that they do. Talk about a way to foster compassion and empathy!

• Personal Development - Friends, I got on a soapbox with this one. So many times, people down-play the impact of working on yourself. Of becoming a better person. Of showing up in the best way you possibly can. I’ll circle back to something I said before - IMAGINE IF EVERYONE DID! We’d live in such a more vibrant, incredible world. So, from that perspective, self-improvement is not selfish, it’s a good deed we’re all doing for society.

Recently, I announced my partnership with Ashley Smith to form Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. Think of it as a gym membership for your mind! We’re so excited about this new venture that we’re offering a FREE 4-part Achieve Your Peak video series. Sign up now - the doors won’t be open for long!

Today’s episode could very likely change your financial life.

I’m serious.

Today, you’re going to hear from Tess Wicks, a financial expert, and the founder of Wander Wealthy.

Periodically in past episodes of the podcast, I’ve focused on the important topic of focusing on building wealth to create financial stability, opportunity, flexibility, and options.

But, here’s the thing. Many times, talking about, wanting, and trying to create wealth can feel GROSS. It can just feel uncomfortable.

Why is that?!

So many of us have beliefs around money that, quite frankly, hold us back from earning at the level that we can and should be earning at, and today’s episode is meant to squash all of those.

Today, my interview with Tess is your permission slip to unapologetically build wealth in your own life, and she even gives some practical tips about how to do it.

I can’t wait for you to hear these incredible topics:

• Why one of the riskiest things you can do is stay out of the wealth-building game.

• Contrary to some beliefs, money is NOT evil.

• Aligning your spending with your values can make each dollar go so much further

• Our identities around money and wealth create the ceiling of what we will ever go after for ourselves.

Check out this episode and put these tips to work in your own life. Let’s go build some wealth!

Recently, I announced my partnership with Ashley Smith to form Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. Think of it as a gym membership for your mind! We’re so excited about this new venture that we’re offering a FREE 4-part Achieve Your Peak video series. Sign up now - the doors won’t be open for long!

Wow, I actually had a really tough time putting a title on this week’s podcast episode because we discussed so many amazing topics!

How do you pick just one to highlight?!

This week, I had the chance to sit down with Monica Zimmerman. Monica is a life and success coach who helps people elevate their emotional intelligence at work and in their relationships. She has a special place in her heart for women returning back to work after having a baby, and she draws from her past experience as a midwife to help women through that important transition.

Monica and I got into some incredible topics!

In this episode, we cover:

• The power of self-awareness - Being able to understand yourself and the situations, people, and events that impact your emotions is such an important skill. It’s one that many people believe they have, when in reality, they don’t. It takes intentional work to cultivate this skill, and Monica and I talk all about it.

• The massive impact of small changes - Our lives are comprised of the thousands of small decisions we make on a daily basis. This means that even small shifts can create a massive ripple effect on your life. Monica shares such wisdom about how to incorporate these small changes into your life to make meaningful improvements.

Recently, I announced my partnership with Ashley Smith to form Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. Think of it as a gym membership for your mind! We’re so excited about this new venture that we’re offering a FREE 4-part Achieve Your Peak video series. Sign up now - the doors won’t be open for long!

How many times have you felt the urge to try something new, but you stopped short because you felt like you weren’t qualified?

For example, maybe you want to write a book, but you didn’t go to school to be a writer.

Have you ever considered that the qualification doesn’t precede action? Rather, it is through action that you become qualified.

Also, it is through action that we literally become the person we need to be in order to stretch outside of our comfort zone.

In this episode, we cover:

• That you don’t have to be perfectly qualified to try something new

• How your identity dictates the size of the goals you’ll go after

This episode is your permission to pivot.

Recently, I announced my partnership with Ashley Smith to form Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. Think of it as a gym membership for your mind! We’re so excited about this new venture that we’re offering a FREE 4-part Achieve Your Peak video series. Sign up now at www.peakmindpsychology.com/webinar. The doors won’t be open for long!