Do you believe you can work less and accomplish more? 

Many of us (including me) believe in hustling hard to achieve more. One cannot achieve their goals working less. The truth is it is doable. Our guest today, Milena Regos, has done it. Her pursuit of living better and with more mindfulness lead to the creation of Unhustle, an organization that offers a counterintuitive approach to how we live, work and play that leads to increased well-being, presence and performance.

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[01:57] Milena’s journey to becoming an entrepreneur

[04:19] neuroscience angle to work less accomplished more 

[06:20] Understanding internal hustle

[09:52] From hustle to flow

[20:00] Mindfulness practices that have helped Milena get into her current lifestyle

[22:41] Comparing and contrasting Milena’s life before quitting her marketing job, during the hustle period, and now in her current state

[27:48] Slowing down is not lazy

Magical Quotes from the Episode:

“Flow is being fully present, fully engaged with the activity you’re doing.”

“Putting your well-being first allows you to tap into flow more frequently.”

“Everything extends to the amount of time you give it.”

“The only way we’re designed to move through our days is from a place of mindfulness.”

Connect with Milena Regos:

Website: https://unhustle.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milenaregos/ 

If you’re like me, you too have wondered whether it’s THAT important to create a personal brand in today’s times. There’s a huge hype around it, yes; but is it worth all the talking?

Turns out, it is. My guest for today’s episode, Cressida Hamilton, gets into the details of personal branding, including the importance of staying authentic, understanding yourself before understanding your brand, upholding and enforcing your values, and gaining internal clarity before adventing on the journey to establishing your own brand. Listen in!

About Cressida 

Cressida Hamilton is the founder and CEO of Chryse Coaching LTD, a company that specializes in coaching, mentoring and training.  

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:10] Meet Cressida Hamilton

[01:33] What is a personal brand and why do we care about creating one?

[04:31] Why personal branding is a journey of discovery

[05:31] Why we tend to worry so much about what others think of us

[06:45] What makes up a personal brand? 

[10:51] Is having clarity on who you are a prerequisite for building a personal brand or does your personal brand evolve over time?

[12:49] Being yourself is the first step to establishing your personal brand.

[15:27] Strategies to create a powerful personal brand.

[15:44] Values are a key component to understanding your brand.

[17:48] The power of writing down your values

[18:04] Throwing away a value is like making yourself a coffee in the morning.

[20:21] How has having a personal brand helped Cressida navigate her way in her career?

[22:26] How to take back control of your own career.

[24:25] Your brand is a business: Training yourself to think about your brand as if you were running your business.

[28:32] How you can connect with Cressida

Connect with Cressida

Website - https://chrysecoaching.com

Connect with me: 

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What does stress do to your body? Can you do anything to reduce it? How does stress cause leadership errors at all levels? What does stress have to do with resilience?

And finally, how do we regulate our stress levels to be our most productive selves at any point in time?

We’re finding answers to all that and more in today’s episode. Sue Firth, my guest for this episode, gets into the vast array of symptoms and characteristics shown by those affected by constant mental stress, the role of adrenal glands and adrenal fatigue, how different body hormones like cortisol, dopamine, and serotonin work together, and how to practice physical movement to bring down your stress levels at any point.

About Sue

Sue Firth is a psychologist, stress expert and a leading authority on ‘stress and managing change’. 

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:13] Meet Sue Firth 

[02:03] Critical errors leaders make when trying to overcome adversity.

[04:40] Adrenals are not made in the brain, it’s triggered by your perception of an event that is in your brain.

[05:55] The importance of staying calm in controlling the adrenals

[07:30] Why, as primitive humans, we weren’t equipped to deal with the physical manifestation of a threat, and how adrenals were produced during a threat

[08:50] Managing stress and sleep as a leader.

[09:17] Physical body responses to stress.

[10:38] Understanding and managing stress: regulating cortisol levels.

[13:15] How to help dissipate cortisol from your body: easy and accessible ways.

[16:29] The role of dopamine and serotonin in the body and how hormones work together all the time.

[19:22] If you are happy, you are not stressed. If your productivity is affected, your enjoyment is affected.

[22:10] The circadian rhythm of the body

[24:35] How to create an ideal day that works for you.

[29:07] How you can connect with Sue

Connect with Sue

Website - https://suefirthltd.com

Connect with me: 

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A professor at a prestigious research institution. Exceptional academic soundness – a Master’s and a PhD. An invitation for a mentoring award at the White House. Married. How does that all add up for a life as a regular human?

An awe-inducing life of tremendous accomplishments and worth, isn’t it? But can you imagine, submerged in these achievements and worldly appreciations, could lie a lost soul, struggling to find her true worth? That’s Lisa Pruitt, an unbelievably talented researcher, author, and teacher, and my guest for today’s episode. She joins me in this episode to reveal why, despite so much academic recognition, she had to battle her internal demons to know her worth, and how, in spite of the challenges, she took charge of her life, first by filing for divorce from a strained marriage to unlocking the secret toolbox to her real self.

About Lisa

Lisa Pruitt is a professor of mechanical engineering and an equine-guided educator. She uses her horse wisdom to inspire herself and others.

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:00] Meet Lisa Pruitt

[02:06] Finding a sense of worth in academic recognition yet struggling to find that worth internally.

[04:47] How alcohol and food became Lisa’s way to cope with disconnection.

[06:41] How it was for Lisa when on the outside, everything seemed normal; but on the inside, she was falling apart

[08:51] How did Lisa make the connection between self-worth and outcome?

[10:38] Life before the epiphany

[12:31] Facing and healing the uncomfortable bits of your life’s journey

[14:00] How divorce looked like as someone belonging to a family that didn’t believe in divorce.

[15:38] Getting on the self-healing journey

[16:44] Vulnerability – showing the weak part of yourself to others.

[18:18] When you speak the words or use your body language in a way that resonates with your true heart callings, your real self is in alignment with the life you’re living.

[21:09] What does it mean to be authentic? What does self-love mean? What is forgiveness?

[23:04] You can’t love someone else until you can love yourself first.

[25:09] Advice to people feeling lost and struggling with finding their worth

[26:52] How to connect with Lisa

Connect with Lisa

Website - https://lisaapruitt.com

Connect with me: 

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A desire to discover people and communities in the most unique way led a regular person on a heart-stopping adventure: a month-long cycling journey from London to Asia in a total of 27 marathons. John Horsfall’s most talked about adventure rewrites the definitions of success and failure, possibility and impossibility, and teaches the world to experience every bit of life they’re blessed to live.

The trigger to do something remarkably big sparked him long back – in 2011 – post-graduation when he felt empty despite having achieved something. He still wanted to prove himself – to himself. That’s when he stumbled on the idea of cycling across America from New York to San Francisco, seeding the idea of cycling as a way to connect with the world. John sits with Shivali to discuss the adventures his cycling journey has taken him on, the lessons learned, the stories told, and the new plans for the future he wishes to check.

About John

John Horsfall is an adventurer and the host of The Modern Adventurer Podcast, where he connects people from different worlds through stories.

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:00] Meet John Horsfall

[01:29] What triggered the idea of conducting 27 marathons in a month cycling from London?

[04:02] What he discovered about himself during the trip.

[06:58] Discovering the real people in America.

[08:58] The discoveries made about self-discipline and drive through the journey

[10:59] Taking it day by day in the middle of the Nevada desert and going forward despite it being hard to push through the days

[13:20] How has John’s definition of success and failure changed through the experience?

[15:39] What was the inspiration for the 27 marathons in 30 days?

[17:59] Being introduced to his family that he didn’t even know existed on his first night in Kenya

[21:01] Going with the flow to experience surprises and life lessons as they come

[22:26] Key takeaways from John’s trip for you: Enjoy life, take a step back from the hubbub, pause, reflect, be present, live.

[24:17] John’s next life adventure

[25:13] Connect with John

Connect with John

Website - https://www.zibaadventures.com/

Connect with me: 

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We all have high ambitions – wanting to live our best lives, working for what we love, and whatnot. Our minds constantly live those dreams forever waiting to take off – until – the effort seems too much to put in and you start to feel like you’re in a losing battle. 

If that's the case, then I'm here to help. To help you keep your mind away from giving up, from thinking it's not worth the extra effort. And to help me out, I have Randy Hain, Founder of Serviam Partners, on the show. His undefeatable love for coaching and writing led him to leave the luxury of C-suite executive level jobs to start his own business, a job he not only enjoys doing, but is also skilled at. Stay tuned to Unbox Yourself today as he gives away lessons from his inspiring journey: his powerful “Rule of 15” to get your head around starting something you’ve wanted to for a long time, creating a trusted circle of advisers for yourself, and staying on track with your dreams even when your ambition turns into frustration.

About Randy Hain

Randy Hain is the founder and president of Serviam Partners, and co-founder of Leadership Foundry. With a successful 30-plus year career in senior leadership roles, corporate talent and executive search, he is a sought-after executive coach for senior leaders at some of the best known companies. He is also an award-winning author of nine books, including his brand new book, Upon Reflection: Helpful Insights and Timeless Lessons For The Busy Professional. 

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:14] Meet Randy

[02:07] Randy’s first job as an Operations Leader with a national retailer + meeting his wife there

[04:30] How to summon the courage to do what you love + how Randy discovered his love for writing books

[07:33] Was it a slower transition from going into setting up his own business or was it like flipping a switch day zero?

[09:39] Finding work that you can fall in love with.

[15:13] LinkedIn as the “rolodex” for networking for functioning introverts

[17:22] The “Rule of 15” – the 15 most important stakeholders in your network

[20:02] How do we set boundaries while still being giving?

[22:18] Don’t sacrifice your authenticity for the sake of a relationship where you’re pretending.

[24:18] What advice would Randy have for a young professional who is hitting the wall professionally, with their ambition turning into frustration?

[26:16] Where to find Randy and his books online

Connect with Randy

Website - https://www.serviampartners.com/

Connect with me: 

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Parenting two young kids, a demanding job, and a fearful and mentally torturous marriage that luckily ended in a divorce: Rosie had too much on her plate when she decided to finally take charge of her almost-shattered life. 

In the process of reinventing her life on both the personal and professional front, she learned significant life lessons: the most important ones being never holding yourself back from advancing in your career and advocating for yourself at all times. She also learned the importance of opening up with your family about the issues concerning you. To know more about her inspiring journey and her passion for empowering other women, sit back with me on this episode of Unbox Yourself!

About Rosie Zilinskas

Rosie Zilinskas is a podcast host, corporate career strategist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and corporate trainer. With over 30 years of experience as a corporate veteran, her mission is to eradicate the gender gap in the corporate world by empowering women in their career development.

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:19] Meet Rosie

[01:39] Rosie’s journey from domestic abuse to finding her way out of it and toward a more empowered future

[04:11] “I grabbed my two little kids and fled.” Gaining the courage to stand up for herself and her children in tough times.

[07:01] What are some of the lessons Rosie learned from her debilitating experience?

[09:38] What has the process been like to pivot Rosie’s view of life after it had fallen apart?

[14:50] How to advocate for yourself at work

[17:54] What’s a good way to balance networking and mentoring?

[20:42] How to use your inner circle to uncover your own blind spots

[23:30] Advice for young female professionals juggling work and life

Connect with Rosie 

Website: https://www.nowomanleftbehind.com/

Connect with me: 

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Humans fall in love, and that's the wonder of it all. To love is to open up your heart to another person, and share your life with them. But what leads us to fall in love? And how do we find our identity through love?

In this episode of Unbox Yourself, I sit with Aaron, a professor of marketing and a research psychologist at the University of Michigan Dearborn, about the intricacies of love: how it evolved, the role it played in our evolution, the aspects that determine the kind of love we have for someone, the changes it brings in us, the identities it helps us create about others, and whether the powerful emotion can help us create a brand people would fall in love with.

About Dr. Aaron Ahuvia

Dr. Aaron Ahuvia is a professor of marketing and a research psychologist at the University of Michigan. He's been ranked in the top 2% of researchers in his field and his work has been featured in major media including Time, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Apple News, New York Times, NPR, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He is an author of Psychology Today's blog called Peace, Love and Happiness. And most recently, he's the author of The Things We Love: How Our Passion Connects Us And Makes Us Who We Are. 

The episode in a nutshell:

[00:13] Meet Aaron

[01:51] How do we fall in love? What role did love play in our evolution? How do we create an identity for ourselves through love?

[02:01] What does love look like in the animal kingdom?

[04:41] How love evolved out of the need for survival

[07:07] Human life as a team sport

[04:54] Why love is the most powerful motivation in evolution

[07:37] What’s happening when people fall in love with a mate?

[13:14] The early stages of love are driven by hormones oxytocin and hormones.

[15:52] What happens when you’re in a relationship with someone and you see yourself reflected in them?

[18:19] Why you can’t read other people’s minds

[23:43] Love and Marketing: Is there a way to create a brand people fall in love with?

[26:34] How do you get your brain to love something?

[31:46] Where can you find Aaron online?

Connect with Dr. Aaron Ahuvia

Website: http://thethingswelove.com/

Connect with me: 

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