Welcome to What Would Amber Do with your host, Amber Howard. Each week, Amber dances in conversation with inspirational leaders how to make a difference for what matters most to people. She brings you incredible guests who share their real life experiences of being a leader and what it looks like to live a truly created life of service to others. And now, here is your host.

Welcome back, everyone. Welcome back to What Would Amber Do. It is really my privilege and my pleasure to be speaking with Lana Ivanoff this evening. Lana is a confidence mindset and aesthetics business consultant who helps spa owners achieve unparalleled heights in their field. Lena's commitment is to help every woman look and feel their best and to help female business owners achieve success. Lena's passion is to empower women. Lena, it's such an honor to have you on the show. Thank you so much for being here.

It's so interesting. And finally, I'm here. So thank you so much for having me. And um, I can wait to have some fun and talk about it.

Yeah, it's really great. So aesthetics. Why aesthetics? What what what was your journey like? You're, you know, we were talking before we kind of hit record on the session, and like myself, you're an immigrant to the well, I'm an immigrant to Canada, you're an immigrant to the US. So what's your journey been like to you own your you own an exclusive spa, you create like skincare lines, you're you know, you're up to a lot of amazing things in the world. And what's the journey been like to to and I hear there was a little bit of a dropping out of the corporate world along the way. So I'd love to hear about your journey to get to today.

I have a crazy life. Uh, I probably can write like five different books about it. So I started with corporate dropouts just to empower other people to uh start their own businesses and don't waste their time. Uh, but of course, there's a lot of different angles to the story. It's like one of them. Well, uh, kind of like not to go crazy and start or be overwhelmed with the story. Uh, let's begin with one important thing. I went in the beginning when I moved to the United States about 25 years ago, I went through a really, really bad domestic violence, uh, divorce and you know, abuse and all that stuff. And uh, but God grace, I ended up um leaving that person, and that left some of the emotional feelings in me, the way I felt when I was with that person, and it scarred me because the most of the time it's not as much as physical abuse, which of course it's horrible, as much as mental, you know, abuse. And I never felt really confident and I never felt really beautiful or smart. I would never consider myself being a businesswoman or entrepreneur or any of that. And it took me some time to actually like build myself up. So I put myself through school, I've got my business degree, then I work in a corporate world. I decide after five years that it's not for me. Uh, but I didn't know what else I want to do. I I know I like hands-on working with people, so I decided to become a nurse. Went to a medical school, graduate nursing, I started working in a hospital, and uh that was more kind of like close to me what I want to do, but not exactly. It was a job, but it wasn't my job, it wasn't my career, let's put it this way. And uh it was just one night I was uh, but I always start um since since I was in the nursing school, I start practicing more self-care and self-love. So I would get facials and I love skincare even back then. I always did so much stuff to myself, and I was going to one spa in particular, and that was Friday night. And my aesthetician, she was an older Russian woman, so that that was Friday night, and she was doing facial on me, and she was telling me how she's getting older, she wants to retire, she's tired, she developed carbon tunnel and back pain, and on and on and on. And just to kind of shut her up, literally, I literally just said, like, oh my god, like maybe I should buy it from you. Like, I would I would dream to have this job. Like, I'm working in a hospital, it's so exhausting. And I was like, I think I would love to do that instead. And I just said it that so. And second later, she was like, actually, you know what? I think you'll be perfect for this. And I was like, um, no, that was that was just a joke. Like, I cannot imagine switching another career or doing anything even. Uh, but you know, and you know how we women, we're just like you put like a little seed in your brain, and then you like you don't want to think about it, but you think about it, and it's just like conversations start going, and and and then she just started telling me all about it. We talk, we have a little fun, she finished the facial. I went back home. I didn't say anything to anybody, but I couldn't fall asleep. I'm sitting and thinking about it. Okay, in the morning I got up, I called her again, and I was like, um, I I want more information. Like, let's meet and talk about. So I went back and I talked to her, and then then I was already getting excitement like butterflies. So I started researching and you know, Google it, like, what is this? What is that? It's and I can be my own boss on the top of it. It's like, and do make people people feel beautiful. Like, what else can be better than that? Like, oh my god, and the most important thing, I'll have access to all of the secrets myself. You know, it was just like blowing my mind. So I get back, I came back home, and I was telling my husband, I'm like, I'm gonna be, I wanna be an aesthetician. He almost choked. He's like, uh, that was 12 years ago because uh when when aesthetics was not popular at all, and uh that's kind of uh start as a conversation. So I try to explain to him what that even is, which is like imagine my husband is a contractor with like a man brain and just big hands and handyman, and I'm telling him about the beauty, and after all that stuff that I went through help going through school, getting my nursing license, uh, and stuff, and now I want to do something else. He's like, Do you have like midlife crisis or something? You know, um, but I was trying to explain, and I was thinking, worst case scenario, if that's not gonna work, I can always go back to like nursing, right? Like, that's not gonna go away from me. So, and we I dragged him to that place on Sunday, and he checked the place, and we talk about it. And on Monday at 12 o'clock, we met at the city hall and we bought the business.

Wow.

In three days, and that was the most craziest and spontaneous and insane decision I've made in my life. Uh, and you know what? That was the best decision I ever made in my life.

So Lana, it's amazing. I, you know, there's so much that you said in in that in that chair that's very powerful. But you know, the thing that really stands out for me is like, you know, we get, you know, you could call them lots of different things. I call it the knock, but there's a future that calls to us, right? And it's like when you get the knock, like it was people go their whole, yes, people go their whole lives like ignoring that knock because of considerations and reasons. And there's something so powerful when you just, it's like you don't ignore that. And and for you, clearly it's like, no, I and I'm I'm moving to Bali soon. And and Bali would like living in Bali was never on my to on my my vision board or anything like that, although I wanted to visit there. But what I had been saying to the universe, God, whatever's sourceful for you, is like, I want some more adventure in my life. I want to change. I'm ready to take on something different and new. And then Bali showed up. And and I suspect, like one of the things you also said that I really liked and and loved, because I think it's the most important question that we can ongoingly ask ourselves is what do I want? And not allow, you know, decisions that we've made in the past to stop us from like really answering that question authentically from where we are today. And and I think it's really admirable. You kept looking, right? It's like, oh, that's not quite it. You know, okay, it's not business, it's not the corporate world. Let me try nursing. Oh, you know, that that's closer, but it's still not quite it. And you were willing, and I think this is really key to to creating a fulfilling life, is you were you're not willing to be stopped by other considerations, even your husband's, about that might be foolish or whatever, other people's thoughts about what you should do. Because it's like at the end of the day, if we can't fulfill, if we're not willing to fulfill on the things that our hearts desire, what we really want, then it has a ripple effect on the other relationships around us anyway. So I think I just really acknowledge you because it takes courage. Uh, you know, especially you've never been a business owner. I know, you've never done aesthetics, and then you buy a business in three days. And and it's like, but when you look at the results, it's like extraordinary because you've been you've managed to create so much abundance and and clearly a beautiful life for you and the people around you through following your heart. So I think that's so powerful.

Thank you. I was thinking back then, and it's stuck in my head for a long time. Uh, of course, family, husband, my sister, everybody was like, maybe you should think about it. Like, what if uh, you know, a lot of what if? What if you're not gonna make money? What what if uh you're gonna fail? And then I start feeling that that's what actually people do. They start pulling their brain, like filling up with so much fear, and then they kill that excitement that before it even happens, you know. And I was like, what if not? Well, what do I have to lose? I have this amazing opportunity all in one to pursue, and it's something that I am good at it, and I love it, and it's mine, I own it. Uh, what's the worst case scenario that can possibly happen? So, the worst case scenario, it's not gonna work. Oh well, then life moves on. I go back and do something else, but what if it will? Why do you have to be constantly negative? Like, because I try and be not negative, I'm a very positive person. And when you positive and you work hard and you do something that you love, it always works out. It always does.

A good friend of mine says, You're following your hell yeah. She she says other swear words that I'm not gonna say right now, but uh, following your hell yeah is never gonna lead you into a ditch. Like it's just it's like if you're following your authentic desire, your your pleasure, the things that light you up and have your heart sing, then you're never gonna end up in a bad place from that. And I love what you said about the what ifs because our brains, you know, I I study a lot of neurolinguistic programming and how the mind works, and I know you have too. And it's it's that lizard brain that brings up all of the negative what ifs. And it's the well, what if it's the best thing that I've ever done? What if it's the pathway to creating the life of my dreams? What if it, what if it does work out? And what if it is successful? And that's a a choice we get to make, right? Uh to in in terms of how we choose to frame our circumstances and other people's feedback and and all of that. So that's so so wonderful. And you're kind of really pointing to, and I you talk about this in some of your content. You specifically specifically say, like, if I waited till all my ducks were in a row, you know, I'd I'd never have gotten there, right? And this idea of acting before.

It's never a right time, it's never a right time, it's never enough money, it's never enough, you know, anything. We all always be busy with the kids and family, and always something come up. But if you just take a little step at a time and just, you know, life is like a river, it's always flow. You're never gonna have a same water flow through it twice. You're never gonna have a same option or opportunity come up to you again. So, and it's just a matter of time if you go with the flow or you go against the flow, and uh that's that's kind of uh the mindset that I love and I teach others, um, and kind of be open for this opportunity. Otherwise, um I know so many people that opportunities come up, but they start be too too much overthinking, you know, like and counting and putting too much fear to it and financing into it, and just before something beautiful can kind of come up, they already kill that idea. Or they be like, Well, I never had opportunities come up to me like that. And I'm like, Are you kidding me? You have this and this and that. Oh, I didn't even notice that this is opportunity, so you know, so this it's always kind of um, I think it you have to be that person, be positive and open, um, and just kind of just take it when it comes to it. And it's been 12 years, it's been hard. I don't say that it's just like boom, I become successful overnight. Not at all. In the beginning, I questioned myself a million times, especially in the first couple of years. Oh my god, what did I got myself to into? And uh, I have to go to school again, I have to get my license, and besides become uh aesthetician, I have to teach myself how to be an owner and uh a leader in my spa. And now I have employees even. I had a couple employees on the top of it. I had no idea like how to be a boss, even. So, so I of course I've made tons of mistakes and have to learn from those mistakes. And back in the day, coaching, like business coaching wasn't available, it wasn't like a luxury to hire someone, especially in an industry that I am in. And you know, I had some friends and family that I would ask for an advice, or what do you think about this and that? And people be like, Lana, you're doing so good, you're doing a good job, just keep going. And uh later I realized I'm I'm talking to a wrong people, they have no idea what I do. Of course, they're gonna say, uh, you're doing a good job, you know. So uh, but I learned from my mistakes, and which is I don't even want to call it mistakes. I think this is just experience. That's how the life goes on. And if I wouldn't make those mistakes or get that experience, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.

So it's uh it's such a uh uh I think it's such like wonderful advice because uh I think we allow our fear of making mistakes or our fear of possibly failing to stop us from pursuing the things that we really want because of all of those like what ifs and the and the like what do we make it mean about us if we make mistakes? And someone in one of my chats just posted this like literally an hour ago, and it was like a journalist asked a CEO, what's the secret to your success? And the CEO says, two words and sir, what are those words? He said, See the good decisions, and how do you make good decisions? One word, what's that? Experience, and how do you get experience? Two words, and what are they? Bad decisions, so if I and I'm always present too, you know, Edison, 10,000 times that human being made a light bulb, like like you at the beginning of your business, like me, you know, I've spent money and it didn't go the way I wanted. I've been like, oh, I want to be a pop proctor consultant, and then I'm like, no, I don't want to do that. Like, right? Like, no, that's not quite it, right? In the pursuit of like your authentic desire, it's like you're gonna make decisions. And then it's like, okay, well, am I gonna learn from those and do something differently next time? Or am I just gonna pack my toys in and get out of the sandbox? But uh you have to be, I think you have to be willing to just say, no, what's the what's the lesson here? And and how do I move forward from this place?

And I um every single month we make some decisions. Uh, what are we doing next? What's our offer? So uh how we're improving our business, and uh we try, and some of it that is like, oh my god, that works amazing. Okay, we're implementing the system, we're doing this, we're doing this offer, we're doing this facial, we're getting this device, and we're moving forward. If something didn't work, okay, well, we tried, bye-bye, we're moving forward. I'm not gonna sit and cry like, oh my god, it didn't work, I lost some money, and now what do I do? Because it's just that's how it is. And I teach now lots of aestheticians, I'm an educator, and because I've developed my own skincare line in 2018, again working on people's faces, which is the most intimate and sensitive thing, and I've done incredible facials and I've developed my own technique by experiencing different ways of doing it and see which one works, which one's not. And I work with over 13 different skincare lines, professional skincare lines. So I've learned lots of different ingredients and formulas, and when I had an opportunity to create my own skincare line, again, that's just opportunity came to me during COVID. I could easily to decline, but I was bored to my mind at home, and I'm like, you know what, what else to do? So might as well create the skincare line. So and uh now when I'm teaching educating aestheticians on skills, uh, that's when questions start pop up. I did not plan to become a coach or business coach at all. Like that wasn't my intention to begin with. Uh, it's another opportunity came up to me because when I'm teaching aestheticians how to provide luxury and high-quality services, they start asking, oh my god, Lana, you've been in business for 12 years. Now you like uh this big spa owner, you're so successful, you're building clients, you're booking clients a year in advance, and you're doing this and that. How did you do that? Or what system do you use? Or, you know, just business questions start pop up. Uh, in the beginning, I was just answering them, thinking I'm just answering them until I met a good, good coach of mine. She's like, Lana, you know, this is coaching, you're coaching people like it's a business coaching, and I'm like, It is. I'm just giving them an advice. And she's like, No, this is called business coaching. You're taking your time of the day, you're spending hours and teaching and educating people how to build and scale their business. I was like, Oh, I didn't even know there's a name for it. So uh, and you know, before you know it, that's what I do. And um, if I can save people time and cut it in half, I can, of course, save everybody from not making mistakes. It's not how it works. But at least if I kind of like shorten the time, because statistics now says 50% of the spas close their doors within two years. And uh only 20, about 20% of the spas, new of them that opened up that actually stays and go over like three to five years. So, like where you live now, if you really, really think about like how many nice big spots do you see around you? Maybe like two or three, and then you see those little, like little shops, you know, kind of like a little salon here, little here, little there, that nobody knows about them, see them, they kind of like a hidden treasures, and uh. That's why, because not every spa owner knows how to scale them or have that fear. Oh my god, what am I gonna do? Or don't have the business mindset. Um, again, like because it's so much stuck up on fear and um possibly you know barely making month-to-month rent. So that's what I love to do. I love to on one side work with my beautiful clients and help them to improve their quality of their skin. Because if you really think about how we're human designed, we live every single day and we make decisions depending on how we feel. And it starts from early morning. When you get up in the morning, uh, you start acting like you feel certain things, either you're too happy, or you already like, what the fuck? How do I look? I hate the way it looks. That's it. Your whole day already goes crazy, you don't feel good, you don't know what to wear, and at work, you're not too productive, or just doing it just because. And the whole mood kind of like gets like a chain reaction because the way you feel. And for us females, we are very, very emotional when we look good, when we feel good, we behave better, we we we act better, and we become a better person, and we're more lovable, we're more sexy, we we, you know, it's just kind of becomes as a chain reaction. So when I see that change in my clients, bring that confidence up. So uh, and that's what I love to do and and empower and bring that confidence up.

So that's that's beautiful, Lana. I um, you know, I spent a lot of my life not really taking very good care of myself, and it came from a lack of self-worth and self-love. And, you know, I took care of all of the other people in my life, and I didn't actually, you may be surprised to hear this. I'll be 44 this next weekend. And I had my first massage in February ever. And it's so funny because I had a dating coach, like, I don't know, back in 2018. And and she, I she treated, she like awarded me for being my word and doing the things that I said when she said she'd send me this spa. And at that time, I remember, I remember Beth saying to me, like, I want you to spend, like, I request that you spend half a day just doing what you want. And at that time, I was like, Well, I've got my to-do list and I've got work and I've got the kids, like I can't, we, you know, but that question and like learning how to like take care of myself first and fill up my cup so that I can serve other people from the overflow has been so, so very transformational. And I love what you said, like how we start our day sets really sets the tone for everything else that comes. Are we going to start our day in gratitude and meditation or self-love practices, whatever that is for us, right? Like self-care, because it's different for every person. Um, and when you're talking about the evolution of your business and it's kind of all over your social content, you talk a lot about customer service. And that's really what I hear is like when you're really looking at serving your customers, then you don't really have to think a lot about your strategy because it's gonna come from listening. And it's just gonna be a natural evolution from, you know, I started this spa and I'm taking care of people's skin. And oh, I'm noticing that the techniques that I've been taught, there's an opportunity to elevate those. So I'm gonna like I'm gonna create my own technique. Oh, you know, there's some good skincare lines out there, but I think there's an opportunity to elevate that too. So so I can provide better service to my customers and take better care of them. Oh, I'm teaching these statisticians and they need support with their business. It's just customer service, right? It's just being of service. And I think that's the most important thing that we ever do as leaders, is have a heart of service and listen for what's wanted and needed by other people around us. And then we then to the best of our ability, based on the things that we want and are important to us, we we, you know, we we fill those gaps and and and fulfill on what the the people are really looking for. So I I think and I think that's the most organic and powerful way to create your business and expand your business and and grow.

We everybody is in customer service. And sometimes people like I when I talk to aestheticians, I have to really tune up that kind of a work to them. And I'm like, you decide to become an aesthetician. I didn't make you to make that decision. So uh like because a lot of them they don't know how to build a relationship with the client, how to talk to the client. Uh, I don't know how to sell or sell the products. I'm not a salesperson. I'm like, yes, you are. The minute you decide to become a business owner, you are a sale person. Either you're selling product, either you're selling yourself, either you're selling a service, either you're selling your time, whatever it is, you you decide to become one. So it's just like education comes to it. And what kind of customer service would you like to provide to your clients that is a service that they will remember and come back to you over and over again, or they will come back and try it once and move on. So I'm like, I want you to think about that very, very much and kind of answer that who is your ideal client and would you like to see that person again? And people really think about it, and then that's when they say, Yeah, I'm like, Well, then why aren't you acting like it? You know, so it's again, it's a lot of comes from the mindset because my biggest quote that I love it says, like, um, how did I um put it on? Every um expert once was a beginner, so it's like you don't become an expert overnight in anything, and by practicing and practicing, um, you know, you become better.

So that's how you become an expert in certain things, and you know, I I you know what I hear on what you're saying, and I think this is like the the key to so much of it. And one of my mentors would we used to say all the time, you will never outperform your beliefs, right? So for those of us that go into being an entrepreneur or owning a business, it's like whatever you your beliefs are about salespeople, you know, whatever your opinions are, your points of view about salespeople, that's really gonna inform how you are as a salesperson, right? And and if you have negative views or negative connotations or negative beliefs about salespeople, that's gonna be in the way of you serving your customers because you're 100% right. We that's what we do, whether we call them clients or customers, whatever they are, we're here to be of service to them and provide what it is that they need. And if we if we allow our own limiting beliefs or our own points of view about sales or about service or about any of that to get in the way, then we're really not, we're not showing up every day doing what there is to do in order to provide the unique gifts that we have. And you know, but I also think there's a lot of power. There's a new kind of a conversation that's come into my world around this idea of gifts and lacks. And we all have gifts and we all have lacks. And when you can just own your lacks, like I have lacks, and so maybe maybe sales isn't my my area of expertise. So I'm gonna go find that. And and I think this is one of the things I wanted to talk to you about was collaboration and partnership. Um, I I know that a lot of powerful women, myself included, have kind of struggled with that over the years. I've really had to, I've gone a lot of my life being a bit of a lone wolf trying to do everything on my own. And um, and it's important to be able to, if we really want to increase your impact, I can hear, you know, you didn't go from having a spa with uh, you know, just a couple of employees to creating skincare lines and coaching businesses and and all of these things with Lana doing everything on your own. So I'd love to hear kind of what's been your journey around collaboration, around partnership, around being able to reach out for support and ask for help with achieving the things that are important to you.

Uh, it was a relocoaster from the day one. So in the beginning, uh when I bought that place from that woman, it was a small place, but it was a more like a salon type of thing. Where she had a couple hairdressers, uh massage therapists, and it's uh like you know, a little bit like five or six people. I was there, I bought this place, but I was there for only a year and a half, and I bought it with excitement and everything, but I had no idea what I'm actually doing. I just only had that excitement. So within a year, I learned that it was not in a good location where I want to be. Uh, second of all, the people that work there, they are not my type of people. It was a lot of drama, lots of negativity, a lot of toxic people. And uh I couldn't continue like this. So, but again, I learned all these things, then I close that place and I moved to a much better location. So I partnered up. My my daughter was growing up, and she was 16 years old. So I was like, All right, uh, she was homeschooled. I'm like, you will be my partner and you will be my secretary. So mom is working and you covering the phones, paperwork, booking, and she's like, How do I do that? I'm like, I don't know, Google it, figure it out. That's how we started. And um, little by little I would hire a person. Um, and because I was so new to it, I didn't even know how to exactly interview that person. Like, what do I even looking for? I don't know. Well, do you know how to answer phone? Yeah. Um, well, let's try, you know. I didn't even know that what quality should I hire a person, they would don't show up or be late or root to a client. And I was like, uh, I don't like this, I don't like that. My clients complaining, something started popping up. All right, I'm sorry that doesn't work, move on. So it took lots of errors and trials to find a perfect working machine team that actually have a same mindset, have the same goals, and we kind of understand each other just by looking at each other. So now we have I have a doctor working with me, I have my daughter, which is she's 24 now. Uh, I have my manager, secretary, uh, and a couple other staticians. So, and where now, before I when I hire people, they go through a trial period of time of 30 days. And then um after like an interview to set every question crystal clear, like who is doing what, so there is no misunderstanding. Uh, and after 30 days, I decide if we actually are good with each other because you never know a person until you spend a few days with them actually working. So, and I learned that from my mistake. So, for me, 30 days that's kind of like you can, you know, you spend with me a few hours a month. You we can feel it. Like, are we binding? Are we not? Because my place, my spa is very, very sensitive, and I feel like it's my second home, and I need to be comfortable when I'm at work. And if I have somebody there that I don't feel comfortable or weird or something wrong, uh, I don't want to take that responsibility to hire them, like you know, full full time right away. So 30 days, I usually that works for everybody, and um it helped me so many times to kind of like no hard feelings, either you hired or you're not, until I found that perfect crew. So, and then I fully trained them for about three months. Uh, before I didn't train people either, I'd be like, Oh, you aesthetician. Okay, well, uh, let's try. I'll give you a few clients, see what they say, and I don't do that anymore. So now they go through specific training, and so everybody's working by the clock. Uh, but and that's how you learn, and you know, that that's how you grow. So now we are winning uh award-winning spy in West Springfield, Massachusetts. We win multiple awards already. Our customer service is really, really good. Our clients um pretty much my I call them like it's like family. Like we know a lot of people by name, they belong to us, they've been following me for like 12 years. We have families, cousins, uh, aunts, neighbors um in our town. So and we're booking clients now. I'm fully uh I'm solid, like solid book without not even one opening now until second week of November. And uh going forward, holidays already almost packed and going like January, February, which when I started, that that wasn't even my dream. I would be happy if I have my first week clients booked, maybe second couple, but almost a year in advance, like uh, and not many, not many, many professionals have that. And again, it's a lot of system, a lot of strategy plan. How do you book your now? My clients leave, they pre-book it pretty much a year in advance, otherwise, they won't be able to get in on time. Uh, and I'm really happy, and it's really hard to say this word. I don't want to so show up like like I'm I'm showing off, but I am start feeling like I am proud of myself of my hard work because my kids always say, Mom, you should be proud of yourself, like what you've done. So I provide work for my daughter. My my youngest one is growing up, she's 15, cannot wait to start working with us. And I think that's the best thing I can do for my kids, provide like a full-time employment and teach them to live their dreams and you know, follow their heart. So an age.

I think it's so important to acknowledge our accomplishments and celebrate. And and I I say I when I train people in in project management and change management and business, I say we're stingy with acknowledgement. Like we're as human beings, we're just really stingy with acknowledgement. And and we're especially stingily stingy with acknowledging ourselves, right? I mean, as parents, I think we're pretty good at acknowledging our children most of the time, but we're we're really like, and so you have so many things to be really proud of and and really acknowledge yourself for, Lena, because there's lots of people who would have, you know, they would have allowed their failures or or the the things that didn't go quite the way that they wanted them to to stop them. And you just kept you were really resilient in the face of all of that. And and you know, we didn't talk about it a lot, but I I too had a similar experience to the one that you had when you first got to can't uh to the United States. And and um when when you have that kind of early experience in life, it it takes something to, you know, rebuild your sense of self-worth when you know, when someone who's supposed to love you and someone who's supposed to protect and take care of you um hurts you physically, mentally, emotionally. So I I really get the the journey that you've gone on to get to where you are today. So I think you have so much. And and I say, you know, rent a billboard or you know, get a balloon and fly, you know.

I was in one of the retreats with uh other powerful females that got invite me for like uh leaders, you know, like it was like 12 ladies, and Carrie, she was our main woman. She gave us papers and boards, and she's like, I want you all right from the day after you graduate high school, like what you accomplished, all your certificates, all your degrees, all your awards, little trainings, something like just list it. And we were like so weird out about it. Like, what I want you to just list it, like just list it, like whatever, right? So everybody's like sitting looking at each other and writing down, and just uh, oh, I forgot about this one, I forgot about that one. Yeah, I did this, and uh, and most of us have like a whole page, you know, of just uh life things that we've done and worked so hard and accomplished. And she's like, now read this to your partner, and it was so weird, we were so shy to say this out loud, and I don't understand why we women do that, but then after I just read everything that I've done in my adult life since I was 19, um, I literally started crying, you know, and um my biggest thing I was so insecure is my accent. And I was like, oh my god, I have this accent, people are gonna make fun of me. I'm not sure if I, you know, I'm gonna be like the you know, own my own spa or do I have to talk to people? That was my biggest insecurities before, and uh then when I'm talking to them and you know, I say stuff like that, and she's like, oh my god, Lana, I would talk to you just because of your accent. Are you kidding me? And so they start encouraging, and I wish now that when I do the coaching, I use that to other women too, and remind them like how much they already've done, because we for some reason don't think that you know much of ourselves, like it's like a normal thing. Ah, I just got a degree, ah, I'm just mom of three, uh, I just you know, I don't do much. So it's kind of but when you remind yourself, like you amazing, beautiful person and positive and successful, um, it helps a lot to our mindset and just as a human and as a woman, you know, be more powerful.

It's come up a few times in the conversation, but I think it's like, what are you focusing on? Right? Because whatever you're focusing on is what you get, right? So if we're focusing on, oh, like the things that we've accomplished in our successes, then it's gonna pull for more of that versus like, oh, am I gonna focus on the failures or the things that didn't work out in my life, right? So it's like, and and and no one can control what we focus on. That's a choice that we get to make. And and there's things that we focus on by default, right? Like, let's be honest, we don't get out of bed every morning necessarily into like being a created human being who focuses on the positive things. It's kind of, but it's a choice that we get to make at any moment to say, where am I going to put my attention? And uh, and and even with the other people in our lives, right? Echo, this is something that I'm just so getting in my life these days. Like I'm constantly creating the other people in my life based on what I want to focus on about them. You know, my I'm I'm in a romantic relationship. We've been together for after being single for a very long time. And uh it's been almost a year, well, it's just been over a year since we met. And we're at a distance right now. We're gonna be moving to Bali together, but right now we're at a distance. And I was finding myself in an episode, like just like focusing on the things that weren't working the way I wanted them to. And I don't typically do a gratitude practice anymore daily, because I kind of just like after a long time of really choosing to take on gratitude and writing out gratitude lists. It's typically it's like just kind of a natural way of being. Like I can be grateful for even the things that don't go the way I thought I wanted them to because I can see how it's I can trust that things are unfolding for my greatest good, right? But I noticed in my relationship with Peter, I was like focusing on the lack and the things that weren't there. So I literally said, okay, I'm gonna take on a daily gratitude practice with him. So every morning when I wake up, I text him to say good morning. And then I text him the five things that I'm grateful for about him that morning. And and it's like, it's again, like the more I focus on what I'm grateful for about him, the more I follow like it's like, oh, like it's not out there. And I think, you know, it's a perfect place to leave this conversation for now because I I hope to get keeping in dialogue with you. And but for the people listening to this show, I think, you know, what are you focused on in your business? What are you focused on in your life? And what do you have your attention on? Because what you have your your focus and your attention on is really what you're gonna get more of in your life. So choose to focus on the things that you want instead of the things that you don't want.

Yes, absolutely. And uh this month, I'm not sure if you feel the same. It's August. It's kind of like I feel it's that lazy month when you don't want to make any decisions and you don't even want to work and you don't even want to do anything. It's kind of just I feel like it's a lazy month. So before I would worry about it, I'm like, oh my God, time is slow, I don't feel good, and I would make decisions sometimes, and I make bad decisions. But with time, as I'm getting older, I start realizing and recognize this time. So I I just literally said to myself, you know what? We have two more weeks left. I'm not gonna make any decisions, I'm just gonna go to work, do what I love to do, and enjoy if I have some free time, and just September, October coming, holidays. It's gonna be a busy, fun time. So I'm gonna get back on a horse when my mind will get back to it. But right now, uh just relax and enjoy the ride. So, and I kind of accept in this and I'm not stressing about it. Like, oh my god, I'm not in a good mood. I don't want to, why am I like this? What's wrong with me? Is it full moon?

So sounds like August might be the month that you take off work completely. I've heard that there are some, I can't imagine it right now, but I know that there are some very successful CEOs and leaders take, you know, they work for three months and they take three months off. Like, and and it like so, but I'm just saying perhaps I I love what you said, and I think it's you know, that that to me is the ultimate love, right? Is like that accepting ourselves just where we are and just where we're not and and not trying to fix ourselves. And and uh so just thank you so much, Lana, for coming and having this conversation with me and sharing your journey and and so many, you know, so much wisdom about what you've learned along the way, and and just really acknowledge you for your leadership that you're bringing to this space and to the people in your life and and for being someone who is, you know, congruent, like your actions are aligned with who you say you are and the difference that you're committed to making for other people. So just uh thank you for being that kind of human in the world and thank you for coming on the show and sharing yourself with us.

Thank you so much and uh have fun and Bally.

Yes, for everyone listening, you'll be able to follow up with uh Lana and find out how to connect with her and her products and her everything, all of the amazing things she's up to in the show notes. And uh just thank you for being part of this conversation with us, and I will see you next week. I love you.

Thank you so much for joining us for this week's episode. For more information on the show and our extraordinary guests, check out what would Amber Do.com.