Unconventional Life – Podcast, Blog, Live Events

Category: Wellness

Ep:194 From Pain to Purpose, with founder of the Inner Glow Circle, Katie Depaola
Katie DePaola is an entrepreneur, author, and founder of Inner Glow Circle. She built her business from her bathtub, taking the company from a self-funded startup to a million-dollar business. The road to 1 million wasn’t exactly smooth… exactly 100 days after opening her business, Katie’s brother died from an accidental overdose and she had a diagnosis of Lyme Disease.

Between business meetings, she cried, punched her pillow and made deals with God. She knew giving up was not an option.

The trials in her life that could easily have caused her to shrink away, or give up on dreams, but instead she chose to grow and continue to glow even though times were dark and difficult.

Katie turned her greatest challenges into her greatest opportunities. She’s rebranding resilience, showing women how to use their challenges as a platform to better the lives of others and build profitable businesses.

“I worked hard to save my business, but in the end, my business saved me,” Katie says. Her business was the giant gift she gave herself but hadn’t even realized.

In this episode, Katie shares;
- Her journey to 7 figures and why giving up wasn’t an option
- Why solo-preneurship didn’t work for her and what she did to build a legacy
- How traversing a non-linear and imperfect path is actually perfect!
- Why marketing is the breath of the business
- How to keep people engaged in a subscription service
- What an Unconventional Life means
Free month membership to the members-only community “Inner Glow Circle Mastermind“. This includes live training calls, life-changing exercises, and breakthrough tools.

Inner Glow Circle teaches women to work for themselves, not by themselves. With her growing team, she trains thousands of women across the world on how to find their purpose, live it and get paid.

Want to find your GLOW? Take this free quiz!
October 28, 2019
“Ep:193 Want to Be Successful? Quit Hustling” With Mindvalley’s Co-Founder Kristina Mänd Lakhiani”
America glorifies the #hustle. We’ve got an entire city that never sleeps. We don’t take our paid vacations; we work over the holidays; we eat at our desks.

While the #hustle is real, the question we’re all dying to know is, it is effective?

Kristina Mänd Lakhiani, the co-founder of Mindvalley, a wellness education platform that serves 2.5 Million active users a month, says, without hesitation, no.

“We have this fantasy that hustling is the thing that brings you success,” Mänd Lakhiani says. “So what a lot of entrepreneurs do from not knowing better is they put themselves in the hamster’s wheel.”

Chances are if you’ve been on the hamster wheel, you’ve also wanted to get off the hamster wheel-like, immediately.

That’s because the hamster wheel is exhausting.

Everyone—no matter how much momentum they’re starting with—eventually burns out on the hamster wheel. And then, says the Harvard Business Review, becomes a more cynical person. #relatable

So if hustling doesn’t work, what does?

“[Entrepreneurship] requires some space to do nothing, to think nothing, to catch that elusive inspiration,” Mänd-Lakhiani says. “If you think of business as a creative process, then you realize you cannot be in a rush, you have to have space.”

Okay, but wait.

How do you create spaciousness in your life when you’re literally busy #allthetime?

For starters, you can start delegating things to others.

Hustlers tend to want to do everything there is to do, all by themselves. In theory, this seems like a good idea—after all, you’re saving money and maximizing the amount of control you have at every level of operation—but it keeps you from having the space you need to thrive as a creative.

“I’m very good at cleaning my house,” Mänd-Lakhiani says, “But I would never do that because [if I hire someone else to do it] I’ll have much more time in my day.”

Ask yourself, can someone else do this task? If the answer is yes, let them, if you have the option to.

When we see entrepreneurship as a creative process, spaciousness becomes integral to that process rather than threatening to that process. It flips the value-system of #hustling on its head so that “busyness” is no longer something to strive for and spaciousness is no longer something to be guilty for.

So what are you waiting for? Own your inner creative and choose to make some space for yourself today.
- 3:02 Mänd-Lakhiani on her “absolutely magical” experience of motherhood
- 9:55 Why entrepreneurship is actually a creative process
- 16:06 The art of delegating
- 17:12 How Mind Valley developed into the company it is today
- 25:13 Why you should never judge yourself for the thoughts and feelings you’re having
- 28:08 What your judgments about other people have to say about you
- 31:08 Mänd-Lakhiani’s favorite resources for self-development
*Article was written by Raya Schroeder
October 21, 2019
Ep: 189 Have you Discovered your Truth? with Poet, Janne Robinson

Janne Robinson is the CEO of ‘This is for the women’, a line of poetry products and apparel. Janne is a feminist poet, a life coach, an activist and a motivational speaker who shares slabs of her heart for a living.
With popular poems such as “ This is for the women who don’t give a fuck’, “I will never be a well-behaved woman” and “There’s cobwebs on her vagina”, the world is being exposed to a whole new level of raw and unfiltered truth. These topics may seem controversial, and Janne has fought off her fair share of kickback. However, what she holds strongly to is sharing her vulnerability and truth, no matter what. She doesn’t tiptoe around trying to please anyone and breaks through societal “shoulds” and conventional norms while encouraging people to ‘build their own box’.
Janne gives a voice to experiences that many women and people have, but don’t always have permission to share or have the ability to articulate. In this episode, Janne shares how she “walks tall” in her truth and how you can too.
“I think that our truth is medicine because it allows other people to have permission to understand themselves and to access different pieces of themselves.” – Janne Robinson
Janne’s journey to truth started back in 2014 when she got pregnant and decided to have an abortion. As she was laying in bed and healing the words started to pour out of her.
She wrote about the opinions of the doctor, telling her she shouldn’t get an abortion to the conversations she had with the potential spirit within. That day, as Janne processed her emotions, she found that it was the first time her words had depth and really took on a greater meaning.
The article “Aborting Shame: One Woman’s Experience Within Abortion” was born and soon after was published to the 17 million readers on Elephant Journal.
The decision to share the article stemmed from her not finding any information explaining a woman’s emotional process with her choice to have an abortion and how the world needed to hear stories like hers. So many people are shameful regarding their choice to have an abortion and its talked about in hushed whispers and the stigma doesn’t need to exist anymore.
She received 500 messages, emails, and comments from women all over the world. One of them read “I was 16. My father dropped me off at the clinic and told me not to tell anyone—including my mother. You’re the first person I am telling.”
Hearing the impact she made from so many women lead her face to face with her “why” she does what she does— and she has been empowering women to take back their narrative ever since.
If you have stuff inside of you that you haven’t given a voice to but you want to share, keep reading because Janne shares insights about truth and how to access it.
Your truth is medicine
Janne is a believer that emotional and physical heaviness, disease, illness, depression, and anxiety comes from when we’re not living in our truth.
What that means on a deeper level is that when you’re doing things that you don’t love, they exhaust you, you feel resentful towards them and you get tired. They’re not true to who you are what you do and they weigh you down.
When you don’t live from your truth you are denying a part of yourself that wants to be seen and expressed. How often do you say yes or maybe to something when really you want to say no? Maybe you want to be polite or you’re shy but when you are not living your truth it manifests as negative emotions in your life, like anger and guilt.
A recommended book is “You can heal your life” by Louise Hay. This book takes a look at how emotions directly result and manifest as a physical disease when we don’t look at them or talk about them and how you can heal yourself by making choices in your life that empowers you to step out of things that don’t fit anymore.
“Truth is medicine and sharing that truth is so healing and liberating” which is why Janne’s main mission of empowering women to take back their narrative is woven into everything she does and creates.
All artists need someone to believe in them
“I think all artists need someone to believe in them, see them, and say yes. Ultimately you decide that your art belongs and your art belongs simply if it gives you joy, but to have someone cheer you on in the infancy stages is massive.”
Our parents and friends are like not always the best cheerleaders because they teach us and want us to walk a path that has made them feel safe. Don’t be afraid to find mentors that are walking on, or have walked on a similar path and receive advice and guidance from them.
Connect to the natural world
Humans need to connect to the natural world. We become sick because we do not spend enough time in nature. “we need nature as much as we need ourselves.”
The earth is nourishing and grounding and rooting for us connecting us back to many generations to the truth of who we are and what we are made up of. We have seven generations inside of us and how we walk on this planet influences the next seven generations of our family, which is why doing this work of speaking your truth is so important because it breaks cycles, seven generations backward and forwards.
“Our Earth really needs us. Our Earth is not just asking, she is crying for advocacy, and it is fairly hard to care about the earth when you do not feel taken care of. So I think that it is our duty to create the space to come beyond your work to become in alignment to then be able to go, ‘how do I want to create impact and change? How do we protect our mother?
Because, without her, There’s nothing.”
Be Brave
A lot of courage is needed to step outside of the conventional mold. As Abraham Hicks says, there’s not a lot of people on the leading edge, and it can be quite lonely out there, Sometimes you won’t have anybody else in your life living in courage.
That’s especially hard if you are wanting to branch out and do your own thing. You might not have those courage cheerleaders, but go find them because we need people brave enough to become exactly who they are, and do their work.
It doesn’t matter if a hundred people are doing it, or nobody’s doing it. It’s what calls us and when you follow that you heal yourself, which heals this world.
“Believe differently, you get to choose your story. You and every human being are worthy of love, and any story that you want.”
Check out Janne’s Poem ‘I am a woman of distinction’ feature video, which is also directed by Janne.
If you want to connect deeper with Janne you can check out her website or follow her on Instagram for her latest poetry and inspiration.

September 23, 2019
Ep: 184 Confessions of an Artist, With Singer/Songwriter, Pip the Pansy

In today’s world, some would argue your presence on social media is essential. The content you share should represent who you are and what you stand for and can be a gateway to great opportunities. For some, it can be really easy to become consumed by the idea of these opportunities and becoming a famous influencer. Who wouldn’t want complimentary trips around the world, access to luxury villas, and free product sponsorships, right?

But the question we fail to ask is, what is the energetic cost of this lifestyle? Many Instagram influencers are beginning to speak out about how what they post on Instagram isn’t always an accurate representation of what is actually happening in their lives. As a viewer, you are shown manicured highlight reels and you start to compare your life with the staged influencers’ life and this is so dangerous for our mental health.

A recent article by Psychology Today discusses the “Social Comparison Theory” This theory states that “individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others they perceive as somehow faring better or worse. As a result, humans are constantly evaluating themselves and others across a variety of domains, such as attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and success.”

It is basic human nature to compare yourself to others and in some cases, it could be a positive way to foster self- motivation but the birth of social media has taken the comparison to a whole new level. “Some research shows that people who regularly compare themselves to others often experience negative feelings of deep dissatisfaction, guilt, and remorse, and engage in destructive behaviors, like lying and disordered eating.”

This week on the Unconventional Life Show is Pip The Pansy. Recently Pip was on tour and had a rough show with less than hoped for attendance, instead of posting how great the show she posted a story called “confessions” highlighting more embarrassing behind the scenes things that happened to her, as an independent artist. I just decided to let people know that it’s not always glamorous. And I expected that some people would relate. But I did not anticipate the amount of response’s that I got.”

Comments and other people’s personal artist confessions started overflowing into her inbox. The “confessions” are now an Instagram Highlight on Pips Instagram page when people can anonymously share their personal behind the scenes story as a thriving artist.

Some anonymous confessions state “Recently went into debt to put up my own art. Toughest experience of my life, but I grew.” and “Sometimes I turn the volume down on Spotify and play my own music on repeat to get my numbers up” Post like these remind artists that they are not alone and that everyone goes through the similar struggles. Pip states “I have such a love-hate relationship with social media. And that was the first time that I truly loved it because it felt like all of us we’re connecting over the fact that we do really pitiful things to make it look like it’s working.”

Lucky for us, Pip shares some advice that she uses to keep it real and authentic with the rise of fame and social media.

Focus on “who you are, rather than what you are”

You might be an artist or an athlete but that identity is not the box you have to stay in. You can be anything you want to be and feel anything you want to feel. For example, you might think that a person with a career as a performer is outgoing and the life of the party but “who” they really are is shy and introverted. So “constantly feeding the who instead of what is a way that you can remain fulfilled in your life.

Don’t be afraid to be honest.

Be open with people about where you are at because it turns out, a lot of people could be also feeling that way. By simply communicating how you feel, you are building a community that can support one another.

Create just to create!

If anyone listening is looking to be an artist, you should work out that muscle and create as much unfiltered content as you can. Pip advises all artists to pay extra attention to the things you create that you don’t like or doesn’t feel truthful or genuine after some time goes by. “Art pieces that are really soulful, truthful, and genuine will be timeless for you and your audience. “

Don’t compare yourself to others

Comparison puts a damper on your inspiration and creativity, you are unlikely to create a when you feel a sense of dissatisfaction within yourself. If you do find yourself caught up in the comparison game then talk about it with the people around you. Having friends and community around us to keep reminding us how far we have come and how much we have improved is essential when we have our self-love blinders on.

“Artists excavate truth out of mystery” when you’re able to do this successfully, it will resonate with other people and that is really fulfilling. And it doesn’t matter how many people are in front of my stage, and it doesn’t matter what number is next to my Spotify streams, All that matters is that I’m trying my hardest to dig through mystery and figure out what truth is in there that needs to be said at the moment.”

Pip is an incredibly immersed artist, musician, and performer. She uses her dreamy flute melodies, explosive synth hooks, and colorful spirit to completely capture her audiences from around the world. Pip’s newest album Love Legends, Part 1 was released early this year and draws inspiration from Greek mythology and bringing the ancient back to life.

Want more of Pip the Pansy? check out her website or Instagram

August 26, 2019
Ep: 183 What do you do Once you “Have it All”, With founder of Think Different Theory, Josh Forti
Have you ever felt an emptiness that sets in when you realize that you are achieving what you set out to achieve and yet, you are unhappy? Sometimes when entrepreneurs reach an important milestone depression is common. This is because the thing they want did not give them the feeling they anticipated. When this happens people are forced to reassess their values and may need to redefine their definition of success and what truly makes them happy.

This week on the Unconventional Life Show is Josh Forti, the founder of the Think Different Theory. Through mindset, psychology, and modern-day philosophy Josh’s mission is to help you break free and define your own destiny and passion- all the things we love on the Unconventional Life show.

“I believe that we as a society don’t talk about what actually matters, we talk about what sells. And I am here to change that.” – Josh Forti

Josh had a near-death experience from what he calls “success depression.” From everyone’s else’s perspective, he was on top of the world. By the age of 25, he had already started and sold 2 different companies, grown and managed 5 million-plus followers and made a name in both social media and online marketing. He had all the money he needed but was still putting in 18 hours per day, working and striving to reach higher heights, and have “more”.

Josh remembered thinking to himself “something has got to break, I can’t keep up with this pace forever, I am killing myself slowly” Josh told himself he would “buy his way out of it & somehow push through”

After reaching false summit after false summit he emotionally hit rock bottom…

He canceled all of his clients and went from making 50k per month to 3k. He began to ponder what the key to success was. He started to study really successful people and read a ton of books. Not a single one of the people he spoke to or read about said, “Run better ads” or “Have a better product”. That wasn’t the key. The key to all of their success across the board? They ALL said mindset.

Over years of research, he has come up with 5 core principles to rewire your brain for success, create habits that actually last and become the master of your mindset.

The question of why

“You need to figure out why you are doing everything you are doing”. Josh discovered that 90% of everything you do, think or act on a daily basis happens in the subconscious mind so you don’t realize why you are acting the way you do.

When he started to ask himself these questions of why. Why do you want to be famous? why do you live here? why do you drive the car that you do? All of a sudden his life changed because he had a better understanding and perception of why he was living the way he was.

Objective thinking

This is the most powerful way of gaining clarity. When you are on this road of success and are going and going and going, you can get so caught up your own feelings and so involved in the process that you forget to step back and look at the bigger picture.

Have you ever looked at someone else’s life and can easily see and figure out everything that is wrong but can’t see what is causing problems in your own life? Being able to zoom out, as if you are an outsider looking in, without too much emotion is thinking objectively.

Identify what it is that you actually want in life

Quite simply, you get to choose what you want every day, from the food you eat to the people and activities you spend your time on. This is your reality. Make it exactly how you want it to be.

Shifting your identity

Everything that we do in life comes back to your identity, who you think you are and what beliefs you have about yourself. You can place our identity, subconsciously in so many different things.

Josh placed his identity in money. If he made money he had a good day. If he didn’t make money he had a terrible day. He had no freedom because he had placed his identity in something he couldn’t control and something outside of him.

Form new habits

If you want to change your identity form new habits because habits are at the core of everything you do. Josh refers to the Power Of Habit book by Charles Duhigg and a great quote by the author is; “The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.”

Do you have any habits or addictions that you want to quit?

What are the rewards, pleasure points, this habit or addiction provides you with?

Which punishment or pain point do you run away from with this habit or addiction?

Change doesn’t have to be a chore, inserting joy back into the process of creating new conscious habits will make the fact of change something much more welcome, more doable and more effortless.

So, start rewarding yourself for stepping toward the person that you want to become

This week on the giveaway Josh is giving away his training program called “Social Media Profits” – learn how to build a profitable personal brand online. Originally a $997 course but one of you will win it for free! To be entered to win the giveaway, click here. A winner will be selected next week.

Recommended books by Josh;
Psychocybernetics, The Power of Habit, Can’t Hurt Me

Follow Josh on social media –> Website, Facebook and Instagram
August 12, 2019