Hey, my friend. Welcome back to Do Life Big. I am so excited for you to hear today's episode, because, in today's episode, you get to hear from a good friend of mine who I met a couple of months ago when I attended a business conference out in Phoenix, Arizona. Her name is Liz Garcia, and she is the host of the Light Your Fire podcast. She's also a working mom of two and she is just incredible. You are not going to want to miss the interview that we have with each other.
Throughout this episode, we touch on different things such as limiting beliefs and how to change your life by changing your thoughts. And Liz shares a real personal event that happened to her in her life that really just enabled her to see how fragile life is. And that you shouldn't waste one single second of it. And she just loves to be a positive impact on others. So make sure to tune in. Let's get this started.
Kathi:
Hey, what's up? Here we go.
Liz:
What is up, girl?
Kathi:
How's it going?
Liz:
It's going great. I'm so glad that we're able to finally like do this. I know we've been talking about this for a while, you know, because we just met a couple of months ago at the event that we went to, and here we are.
Kathi:
And here we are. And I almost didn't go to the event because I was so worried because I didn't know anybody, and it was gonna be my first event that I had gone to in like eight years not knowing anybody. And I was like; this is really out of my comfort zone. But I know I need to do it and unlock it. I ended up meeting you. You met me. And now, look at this for like podcast professionals.
Liz:
Yes. So like, for those listening and you're like, who the hell are these two ladies like chit-chatting right now? So if you haven't met me yet, I'm Liz Garcia. I'm the host of the Light Your Fire podcast. And then, we've also got the amazing Kathi Reuter, host of the Do Life Big Podcast. And so quick rundown we met just a few months ago. We went to – her name's Kacia Ghetmiri, and she's got the Empower Her podcast, and she had her first live event in Phoenix, Arizona, which was amazing. And Kathi, I think you and I first met - it was, I sat next to you. I think it was. Like, we were like scrambling like one of the speakers was about ready to start. I'm like; I'm gonna sit next to this chick. And then you start chit-chatting, like, Oh, she's fine. Like she's gonna, be a good time to sit next to.
Kathi:
You didn't realize how your life was about to change.
Liz:
I love it. I love it. So that's kind of the quick story of how we met for those listening in. So, this might be a little bit of a unique episode because before, we were, like, chit-chatting before we recorded. We were like, okay, are we going to just do like your questions first? In my mind, I'm like, let's just have a big conversation. We'll see where it goes. You guys are in for a joyride here.
Kathi:
It's gonna be a good one. Probably the best episode yet?
Liz:
Oh, hands down. So and what's interesting is I always like to look up a little bit of information. So obviously, before our episode, like last night, I was checking more. And I'm, like, just so impressed with everything that you've done, by the way. And so, let's get into it. So, you know, you've been in network marketing for several years, and you've been crazy successful at it. So, how did you kind of first get into network marketing and coaching? Tell me a little bit about how that got started.
Kathi:
Yeah, so it's a very interesting story. So I have no business background at all. Like I went to college to become a teacher. I got my Master's Degree in Special Education. I was actually a teacher for ten years before having kids. And what actually got me into network marketing was, I was going to have to go back to my teaching career. And so at this time, this was about, Jesus, it was like 11 years ago now. God, time is flying by. But about, yeah, 11 years ago, I was home with Kiersten and Landon. Kiersten was like; I don't know what, maybe like four months old at the time, and Landon was 22 months old.
We had depleted our entire savings account and racked up, like, almost $40,000 worth of credit card debt. We were sinking by $1,000 every month. And we were doing all the things that we could to make ends meet, and it wasn't happening. And somebody just happened to tell me about, you know, becoming a coach. And, you know, I'm all very solution-oriented, like, if I have a problem, I need the solution. And I need to just go and make it freakin happen.
And, you know, I had all the odds against me, but I said, you know, I want to be home with the kids. And so that's what prompted me to go into network marketing. And what really, you know, fueled my fire was number one, I had, like, the main purpose for this has to work and I went into it with no plan B. There was no like, “Hey, let's just test the waters and see if it works out. You know, if it doesn't work out, then I'll just go back to teaching and put the kids in daycare.”
You know, like, for me, it was, this has to freakin’ work. Because I am not putting the kids in daycare. I'm going to be with them. And I know not everybody wants to do that. But for me, you know, I had to do that. And you always have to listen to what's in your heart. And another thing I think that really prompted this is happening was I had a lot of things going against me and a lot of naysayers. Like I had everything under the sun going against me. Like, if you wrote it all down, Why this won't work for you? Versus why you would have been like, what are you a moron for starting? I'm never going to work. And so I just was like it's happening.
And I love to prove people wrong. So when I had those naysayers, that was actually more fuel to my fire. So that's really what prompted that. Yeah. So it's been quite the journey. It's changed over time. You know, now, obviously, because so much time has gone by now. But yeah, that was what prompted me to go into that fast to success there.
Liz:
Wow, that's unbelievable. And obviously, to have that type of success in such a short amount of time. I mean, you clearly had to have some sort of focus, like laser type of focus. So you know, a lot of the people that listen to my podcasts are busy moms, even if they're not moms yet, maybe they're soon-to-be moms or want to be. So how, like, kind of explain to me a little bit, how did you put aside that focused energy to be successful? Since you really didn't have that plan B to fall back on?
Kathi:
Yeah. So one of the things I remember when I started, one of the things I said was, “Oh my gosh!” Well, one of my reasons why it might not work was, I was worried that I wasn't going to have the time because I had a four-month-old at home, and I had a 22-month-old at home, and I quit my teaching job. So what really prompted me to be able to kind of set aside the time to really focus on building that business while also being, you know, a stay-at-home mom and giving them attention was, you know, because when I first started, I also did have that thought cross my mind like, “Oh my gosh, how am I going to really find the time to do this?” I have a 4 month old and a 22-month-old at home. And I did not quit my teaching job to spend all this time home with my kids to then now ignore them and have my face buried in my phone or behind my computer, ignoring them. Like that defeats the whole purpose, right?
And so I had to get really strategic with my time, and you know, you have to make some sacrifices, you just do. I spent all day long with the kids. I would be with them, taking them to baby music class, like having the play date thing, doing all that jazz. And then when they would go down for their naps, I would quickly get my workout in. If I had a little bit of time after that, I'd start working on my business. But honestly, most of the time, that did not work out. And so, my nights were spent building this business. And instead of sitting here on the couch, watching hours upon hours of reruns of just different Netflix shows, which is what Nick and I would do. I said to myself, “You have two choices. You can either go ahead and sit on the couch and watch all these movies like you used to do and not build your business and then not earn any income and then put the kids in daycare and go back to teaching and live with like the guilt of that forever. Or you can choose to work your business at night.”
And so pretty much almost every night of the week, especially that first year, I was working my business. When the kids would go to bed, I'd have my cup of coffee, or I'd have my energize. It'd be 8 pm. And I'd sit down on my kitchen counter every single night and work, and I literally had, I call them, “My Six-figure Dents” because I would sit. I was in Massachusetts at the time. Now I'm in Florida, but I would sit on the edge of my seat at my island on the barstool, and I'd sit on the edge, and my knees would be pushed up to the kitchen counter. And I'd be just aggressively working all night long. And I literally gave myself dents in my knees, but I'm okay. Those are six-figure dents right there. I did it.
Liz:
Hashtag Six Figure Dent (#SixFigureDents). Love that! Those listening, go ahead and definitely post a picture that you're listening to this episode—Hashtag Knee Dents (#KneeDents).
All right. Well, the reason I love that you talk about this is, honestly, like, I'm kind of going through this type of transition right now myself where I have that corporate job. And it's going really well. I do find a lot of passion with what I do. But like long term, long term, I'm trying to work towards, you know, building up the podcast and starting to monetize it, things like that. And so, I love hearing tips of how people really went from kind of zero to 60. And what that, in between looks like, I know it's not sexy, right? It's not cute. It's like you got to put in the action and the effort. And so I just thought of my curiosity because I know I need to dedicate more time, like in this is a great, great visual, I guess, for the listeners, you know, if they're on the fence, where maybe they've got a side gig right now that they want to not even necessarily take full time, but they just want to dedicate more time to it for it to be more successful. Like, how many hours a night I guess, would you say that you were dedicating to it? Or was it more of like a weekly basis?
Kathi:
Yeah, it was every night. So yeah, a couple of things with that. So I truly loved it. Like it gave me life, being home all day long with the kids, it can be extremely lonely. You just kind of tend to lose yourself a little bit. And so even though people looking on the outside in would say to me things like, “Oh my gosh, how do you even have the energy for that?”, it honestly gave me energy because it was my thing that I had control over. And it gave me that outlet to be able to produce my own kind of income to help support the family and be able to still connect with other grown-ups, which I was missing since I wasn't teaching anymore because I can be a very sociable person, as you may know.
I would sit down every night, and I would work till midnight every single night. But I do always tell people this, because people have always asked me this, like for years now, or when they hear my story, that it honestly does not really matter how long you're working if you're lacking the belief and confidence in yourself. Like first and foremost, I always tell people that because I've worked with people that they're putting in the time and they're putting in the effort, and they're sitting down, and they're working every single night. And nothing is happening. And it's because they're missing that mindset component piece, they're missing that. And honestly, 90% of your success in business is your mindset. And then the rest is action.
So you can be putting in all the action. You can be doing all the things. You can be teachable. You can be cranking out and going to bed being like, yeah, I built my business today, I was so busy, I worked. But being busy is not going to give you the results that you want if you're missing that mindset piece. And so that's why after finally, after all these years, I went on to create my Mindset Program and teach other online entrepreneurs now how to do that, because it's not about just working more and working harder and working longer. None of that works if you're missing that mindset piece.
Liz:
I mean, you’re so right. Where you can have, like, you could put in all the hours that you want to, but if that mindset piece is lacking, you're not going to get to that next level with everything. Oh my gosh, that's so good.
Kathi:
It's so true.
Liz:
I mean, the Mindset Accelerator is what you're referencing, right? And I'm obsessed with personal development. In your Instagram page, even says, like, you know; you're teaching people how to build that six-figure plus business by reprogramming the way that they think so, you know, with working with so many people over the years, what are the most common limiting beliefs would you say that people generally need to reprogram, to lead to improved success?
Kathi:
Yeah, I mean, there are so many of them. But the most reoccurring ones that I always hear are just people saying, I don't really know if I have what it takes. So they don't believe that they really have what it takes to go on to learn the business, to build the business, to get to the level - they don't. They'll say things like, I just don't know if I have the time for that right now. I don't have the support at home. I don't know anything about it. This is new to me. They'll say things like, you know, I'm an introvert, and you know, you're not. So that's why you're having success like I could never do what you do. And they just lacked that belief in themselves.
And so, all of that is just all learned thinking through past experiences that you've adopted for years and years and years and years. And we don't realize it, but we keep those things on repeat in our life so much. It is not just for business. Like if we choose to listen to that negative voice, and that self-doubt, and all those limiting beliefs. It affects every single area of your life. It affects how you show up to your relationships, how you face your day when you roll out of bed. I mean, it affects everything, and so people don't understand that you can actually reprogram the way you think so that you can think like a successful entrepreneur does, which will then affect all areas of your life. Like sometimes, people think, “Oh, well, this is just how I am,” which is also another limiting belief. So, you need to be able to first recognize it. You have those limiting beliefs there. And then that's the first step right there. It's just being aware that you have them and work from there to go forward.
Liz:
Of course, when I was scrolling through your Instagram, I liked checking it out more of your page. So you had a link where you have, which is totally free. So for all of you guys listening, I'm going to have this in the show notes. It's Kathi’s guide. It's a Top 19 Limiting Beliefs of what you're typically saying and what you can reprogram to say and a more positive spin on it.
So, you know, is it really sometimes as simple as just, you know, when you catch yourself saying, a limiting belief, just to like, you know, literally look at that list? And then just verbally say what you need to say? Or, like, how does that process evolve into a habit? I guess?
Kathi:
Yeah. So the first step is definitely – you have to first know that you have limiting beliefs. So figuring out exactly what yours is, like, we all have so many different limiting beliefs, right? But there's when you narrow it down; there's really only a couple that are like reoccurring, affecting you on the day-to-day, right? And most of the self-talk in your mind that we do anyways is negative. That's just how brains are programmed. Our brains don't want us to grow. They don't want us to change. And so we're constantly thinking, even subconsciously, all these negative little things to keep us right where we are so that we will not grow. Right?
And so yes, the first step is number one; what is your limiting belief? Being aware of it, and then being able to catch it right as it happens? Okay, here it is. I see it coming up. I don't really know if I have what it takes, or someone might say something like, I don't really know if I'm going to be able to figure this out because this is new to me. And then you're like, alright, that's a limiting belief, right? You were aware of it, and then you automatically replaced it with a more positive self-serving belief, like, Alright, hey, this is new to me. But that's okay. There are resources out there. I'm okay being a beginner. I'm going to learn this, like I'm gonna be okay, being a beginner, and I'm going to figure it out.
And constantly training your brain to catch yourself every time that negative little thought comes into your mind. Like it's catching it, stopping it, and then replacing it with a self-serving belief. And it is. It's something that you have; it's like anything else in life that you master and learn. You have to practice this every single day, as much as possible. And then it just becomes automatic.
Liz:
Exactly. Oh my gosh, that's so good. I love it. I kind of think of it. I'm such a big analogy person because I'm such a visual learner. And so I kind of think, and I wish I could remember which podcaster said this, but they referenced it kind of like a little bubble might be like, I don't know if it was like Jenna Kutcher, Angie Lee. But they'd mentioned it like negative thoughts that come into your mind. And you just visualize it as like a little bubble that's like passing by, and then but all sudden you like, you pop it, you're like no, get out of here. Like, getaway.
Kathi:
It's so true. It's kind of like, what did I say? And before, it's kind of like, right, you always, they're always there like they never fully, like completely go away, like, oh, they don't exist, right? We all have them. Like all these, successful entrepreneurs still have them. It's just they've gotten really good at being able to stop them immediately and replace them with those more serving thoughts that they can keep growing and get to the level they want to get to.
It's kind of like if you had a stranger come knocking on your door, right? Pretend to strangers your limiting belief. You would hear the knock of the stranger, but you wouldn't open the frickin door and be like, “Come on in! Hey, take a seat. Would you like a glass of wine?” Oh, forget the wine. Who wants a captain? You wouldn't do that. You'd be like, Oh my God, there's a stranger at the door. Don't open it. Right, you would ignore it. It's like the same thing with your limiting beliefs. You cannot pay attention to them.
Liz:
Awesome!
Kathi:
Yeah, it is awesome. Can’t wait.
Liz:
I love what you're doing. And especially offering, like, the free content, that is huge. Because I know that takes time. You know, money. Like it's just, it's very valuable time. But I love that you're really trying to just impact as many people.
Kathi:
I know. I love that. So tell us a little bit about yourself, Liz. Like, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
Liz:
I mean, really about me, like I grew up in the Midwest. I'm from Wisconsin, originally. I've been living in Iowa for over ten years. I've got two young kiddos and my corporate job – my husband and I are both in publishing. So we've been in publishing for a long time. I'm a sales rep, so I'm usually traveling to college universities. So I meet with professors, and I help them, you know, I hate using the term like textbook sales wrap because it's not really textbooks much anymore. You know, I'm selling in Foursquare, things like that. But I love just being able to talk with people face to face. You know, it's so funny being in the Midwest, like, I just, I love seeing different personalities, and that's why I loved us going to that event, and in Phoenix, it was like you and I got to meet each other. You live in Florida. And it has just been in a container with a lot of different people. But about me, like, I love sports. As a three-sport athlete, and I just I truly love being a positive light around other people. And that's why I was so pumped to, like, get into the podcasting space just even if I feel like I'm talking to myself half the time, right? Isn't that, like, you feel like you're just staring into the microphone? Like, who's listening to it, but I'm still gonna talk.
But, like, I've always had a glass-half-full type of mentality. And I think that's really resonated well with the podcasting space that I'm in now. And even if someone's having a shitty day, like if they tune in, you know, getting that DM from someone saying, hey, like, you put a smile on my face, like that means the world to me.
Kathi:
That's the best part of getting those messages. I love that. I'm like, “Yes. Tag me. Send me messages.” I love it.
Liz:
And it was so random how I got involved in podcasting. Like it literally was about a year ago. So it was April 22 when I took the “An Intro to Podcasting” course. And it was because I just felt like I was ready to learn something new, right? Like, you're just not that I was plateauing with my corporate job. But I'm like; I could learn something new. Like I'm a lifelong learner. Yeah, I took this course, launched the podcast two weeks after, and here we are. This is episode 40. So, I love every second of it.
Kathi:
That's exactly how I operate when I have an idea to do something. I'm like, let's go. Like, I'm not gonna spend all this time researching it all. It's like, we're doing it as soon as the idea pops into my mind. Very impulsive. Like we're going.
Liz:
Yeah, yeah. And sticking with it. Right.
Kathi:
That's awesome. That's so great. So tell us then what actually inspired you then to start the Light Your Fire podcast? How long has it been again? Since you started it?
Liz:
It was May 26, 2022.
Kathi:
Oh my gosh, that's so exciting. And so what actually really, like lit the fire literally under your butt to actually do it?
Liz:
You know, Laurie Harder talks a lot about, like, life-giving you little lessons along the way. And they can either feel like a pinch or a nudge or like a two-by-four hitting you in the face. And there was kind of I kind of had that two by four moment. And it was in 2021. It was my husband, and I was seven months pregnant with our second kiddo, like, we had just moved into our house that we built like not too many months beforehand. And but when we were seven months pregnant with our second child, we found out that my husband had stage one testicular cancer. So like, could you even imagine like hearing that type of news? Like not only in general, but you know, I was seven months pregnant. And let's not even talk about like hormones. Right, like adding that on top of it. And it's like; it's crazy.
I can still remember to this day like I was in my basement recording this right now. But I was upstairs, like in the kitchen, like sitting at the island, when he brought the news to me. And it's just like, “WHAT?” It was scary. Like there were just a lot of emotions that we both had to navigate through because there was so much unknown, right, like there was a lot of that fear creeping in. And we had never gone through a traumatic situation like that. And so it really put a lot of things into perspective for us very quickly. And, you know, really fast forward, he ended up he had surgery to remove the tumor. And then it was literally a couple of weeks before we had our son, Luca; we had to we still weren't entirely sure what his chemotherapy plan was going to be. Well, he ended up going through one round of chemotherapy; it was elective. So he chose to do it just to reduce his reoccurrence rate. And he's now had a clean bill of health.
And so it was like, literally, when our son was, I think, about four weeks old is when Matt started chemotherapy. Where you know, it first it was like my husband taking care of me when I was pregnant, you know, like, I'd be going to bed early like, out and then it was like all of a sudden this light switch went off, where you know, I had to take care of him and be the caregiver.
So I'm like, a wild, wild, you know, several months of emotions, but man, it made us so grateful for what we had. And, like I said, it really put a lot of things into perspective. So, you know, his clean health bill came in February last year. It was amazing news. And I still kind of felt like not necessarily not happy. I just wasn't happy with myself, like I was still going through postpartum, no body shaming myself. And I had a bunch of, you know, all the unhealthy foods during the holidays. And I was in a hotel room for my corporate job. I had just gotten done, and I was just kind of reflecting on the bed, and I'm like, that was the draw the line at the moment for me where I'm like, I'm done making excuses like I'm done throwing a pity party for myself.
We just went through a really traumatic experience. So now I'm going to start taking steps and actions that light me up. And so then that's when I literally started binging podcasts. You know, I had a lot of window time for my corporate job. And I'm like, so instead of, you know, tuning into just the radio, I'm like, I'm gonna do podcasts now. So I was like, you know, swag for you. And then that's what I landed on Kacia Ghetmiri’s podcast. And she mentioned she was gonna be offering a course. And here we are, like, that's literally how all things evolved.
Kathi:
Oh my God. That is so awesome. What a cool story, though. Well, good for you for actually doing something because so many people just, they let all those ideas just sit there forever. And they never actually take action to go for what they want, you know?
Liz:
Yeah, yeah. It's truly figuring out, like any traumatic situation you go through, right? I don't necessarily always believe that things happen for a reason. But I know there's always a lesson that can be learned out of any type of adversity in life.
Kathi:
Oh my gosh, you're like taking all my questions. It's so true. No, it's so like, I was going to ask you obviously about, you know, what you would say one of your biggest challenges probably would have been and how you work through it, and the lesson that you learn? But I feel like, is that, would you say that that was it? For you?
Liz:
It was, yeah, it was a huge lesson. I'm just that life is so short. And I always used to be this. When then, girl? I call it like, then. So what I mean is, when this happens, then I can do XYZ, like if I, you know, when I get the extra $1,000 in my bank account, then I can, you know, do this with my business. So it was like, that's the mentality that I had for so many years. I love network marketing. And that's why I love that you've been in it for so long. I've been in network marketing for over ten years myself, and like, I've always had that mentality, though. And it's, again, limiting belief, like what you're talking about. And, so then it was like, it was always figuring out, oh, well, the perfect situation to me hasn't happened yet. So that's why I'm not there. It's like an excuse, right? Yeah. And I've grown to know, like, no, like just taking a little step, like little steps daily. Taking action, like that's what's going to get you to where you want to be.
Kathi:
It’s true. It's that compound effect. I don't know if you've ever read that book. Do you read that book called “The Compound Effect”?
Liz:
It’s already on my list, so thank you, I will write it down.
Kathi:
It's so true. I just feel like so many times, for any area of your life, whether it's like a business or something, or maybe a health and fitness goal, or just something that you're trying to go for, it's so easy to look at, like the end goal of like how you want it to look and how you want it to be. But it's so far away, you know, at that moment, so it can also be a little bit discouraging. But the only way that you actually really get there is by doing those small, little baby steps along the way. And then actually, you know, freaking celebrating those little, small steps and wins along the way. Because if you continue to do that, then those compound over time to create that big-picture result that you really want.
You can't just go like from it. That's what I always tell people; it's not about taking, like, this massive amount of action to get you the results. It's just consistently showing up a little by little like; what can I do today to move me just a step closer to where I want to go?
Liz:
Yeah, I would - In the micro tips, I honestly find that I end up having the biggest transformation. By those the tiniest little improvements that I make, whether it is like swapping out instead of having like a bag of chips on the weekend, like, you know, having like carrots and celery or you know, you don't I mean like or maybe instead of making a dip with sour cream, you're using Greek yogurt like literally, it seems so my new in the moment, but then it's like when you look back, you're like holy crap, like I've saved myself 500 calories.
Kathi:
I know. It's like, Go me. I'm rocking it out.
Liz:
I'm curious, Kathi. Like for you, what are the small, little tricks that you do throughout the day that have really compounded over the years?
Kathi:
And just are you talking about, like, some areas specifically or just in business and health and fitness?
Liz:
Yeah, I would say, you know, a lot of the listeners listening are probably I was gonna say, I know a lot of people are always, you know, cognizant of the of their health, and we're still, you know, in the early part of 2023. So probably like health-related but then also business related. What are some tips there?
Kathi:
Yeah, so I mean, health and fitness-wise. I mean, for me, personally, it was just making those switches to making sure that I was having a lot more vegetables, protein, and lean protein with every single meal. So, you know, mostly where I was struggling was the nighttime. The nighttime would come. And that's usually when I stay up and get some work done because it's the only time I can have peace and quiet because I have a three-and-a-half-year-old at home. Still, he doesn't go to school until August.
So that's the only time I can really concentrate. And that would be the time when I would start to get hungry. And I've already had dinner and all that, and I'd start to pick at little things. And so what I started doing was just started making either like healthier protein snacks, you know, where I'd have like some hard boiled eggs or boiled egg whites or I'd have some carrot sticks and tomatoes with the hummus, or have a fruit, or I'd make a little like chocolate protein, you know, low-calorie snack with my superfood shake mix that I have. And I would do that and drink a ton of water versus going in and grabbing the chips that maybe my parents just bought. I spent a lot of the year here with us. So sometimes there's like a lot of junk in there. But I just stopped doing that.
And then I carry around a water bottle with me every single day, everywhere I go; that's a lot of it too. Honestly is that people just aren't drinking enough water. And I know personally for myself when I am super hungry during the day; it is most likely all the time because I have slacked on my water. And so I will put a water bottle next to my bed before I sleep at night. So that way, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing that I can do is have a drink of water. You know, get that going.
Then in terms of just growing. Whenever I'm getting ready in the morning, and I get up, and I do my makeup, and I'm in the bathroom, I'll put like the podcast on or listen to Audible. I'll do something like that; you know what I mean? To just kind of get my mind right? Even though all hell's breaking loose around me. It's like a shit show. I guess. I'm like, Alright, I'm gonna focus and get this done. So I just think those little things, you know, if you're in the car, putting on the podcast, listening to personal development that way, just getting in, that kind of stuff really helps you get your mind right.
I can't imagine not doing any personal development. Like, it's crazy to me to think that when I started down this business path, you know, ten years ago, I literally did none of it. My husband actually went to school, and he got his MBA in Entrepreneurship. And he used to do that stuff back in the day. All the time. And I would make fun of them. And be like, Why would you be doing personal development? Like we are already good people? Why don't we need to get better? Like, I totally poo-pooed it. And then, when I started my business, I realized, well, you're not going to be able to have the kind of impact that you want to have on other people's lives. If you're not working on yourself. And if you're not growing, then you're going backwards, because no one just stays the same. And I didn't really understand that until ten years ago. You don't know, just nobody just stays the same, like in any area of your life or either getting better, slightly better, or slightly worse. And so I love squeezing it in whenever I can.
Liz:
I love that. It's so good.
Kathi:
I know, right? What about you? Do you do any kind of little things during the day too, like, do you ever get overwhelmed? Like anything? Like how do you deal? How do you deal with that? Because I know, like, your listeners are probably the same to like a lot of my listeners, you know, they want to do these things. They have these big ideas and goals or, you know, they hear these podcasts, and they're all motivated, inspired, but they're also feeling so much overwhelm. And a lot of them don't know how to work through that or how to deal with that. So I don't know if you have a tip or a suggestion of what you do that maybe you could help them out.
Liz:
Yeah, I mean, especially when I was starting my health journey last year. You know, it was around January-February of last year. And it, like visually, I felt like I was in a rut, like literally in this pit, like trying to call myself out because it was like, the one day I'd be really good. Like I'd work out, and then it was like, the next night, both my kiddos would be up five times in the middle of the night. And I'm like, hell no, I'm sleeping in the dirt. I mean, so it's like, but I kept telling myself like, she's doing it. Like, I would see somebody on social media, who's in the same spot, as I am sure, who's got kids, you know, you know what I mean? Like, you're visualizing yourself in this person, but I'm like, but she's doing it.
And so I'm like, if she can do it, I can do it. So it's like you really have to find that accountability a little bit for yourself and just tell yourself, you know what, like, if I wasn't as successful today as I was hoping to be, tomorrow's a new day. And that's really the mentality that I've had ever since. Like this week, you know, I was hoping to work out about four days a week this week. It only ended up being like two or three so far, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. And my daughter was literally up like three or four times the one night, so I slept in a little bit.
The key that I tell myself is it doesn't have to be like a 45 to 60-minute workout to actually make a difference like I've been doing, so obviously for those of you listening, like if you know Kathi, you know, like she's been part of beach body for a long time. I love the job one workout cause they're only 20 minutes long. And they are so much easier to squeeze in than something that it's like 45 minutes. And even if you don't have 20 minutes like I've been like sometimes, so this is gonna sound lazy, like the mornings, I really don't want to do anything where I don't want to go downstairs to my workout room. I'll literally just go to the living room and, you know, do some squats. Like, no way. It's like, just bodyweight stuff, but it's like, everything helps - every little minute that you're if you're on the treadmill for five minutes, like, it still is something.
Kathi:
Yeah, I know, I always try to tell people that, and I even remind myself that, you know, it doesn't have to be this perfect process because it's never going to be. Just know that it's not going to be perfect. And at least do something like get out there and move your body. And I think even like, you know, I was talking to you just a second ago about the overwhelm and, like, how to prevent that. I mean, for me personally, like, I have to know what's going to help, like put me in a better mood. So that way, I don't get so overwhelmed and stressed out because, trust me, we all have overflowing plates. And, for me personally, like moving my body and making sure I'm getting exercise. Like having a good playlist with some really awesome pumped-up jams. You know, something funny that I can watch, a good friend that makes me laugh. All these things like to keep my mind and our minds just in general just in tip-top shape to be able to handle the overwhelm and the stress that is just literally thrown at us all day long anyways, right?
Liz:
We talked about pump-up jam, and I love that you said that because, well, A) I want to know what the hell your pump-up jam is because I love every club. I love asking people this question because I have a Spotify list for the Light Your Fire podcast. But before we talk for too that, it's a lot easier for us to actually raise our vibration than what we think to raise our energy levels. And it literally could be just listening to a three-minute, you know, YouTube video; it could be a song like a music video, it literally could be as simple as that to then change our mindset for the rest of the day. Or at least our attitude. So, something to think about. What is your go-to pump-up jam, Kathi?
Kathi:
Well, you know, I have several. So I really do have like an entire, and I'm not just saying this like I have an entire playlist here, like on my phone of just pumped up. Like you're a badass, right? It doesn't matter what happens, you know, that I literally can just blast either when I'm in the car if I need it. Or whenever I go to do my workout. Like, I don't listen to the workout. I put my earbuds on. I put it so loud. I'm probably gonna be deaf in like a year.
You know, and I'm just like, This is it. So but I did write down like I have four of my top ones that I really liked. I wrote them down. Yeah, guys, so take out your pen. All right. Okay, so I wrote down I love “Players.” It's called “Players” by Coi Leray. Right? And, of course, I do love “High Hopes” by Panic (Panic! At the Disco). That's another one of my good ones. And I am a big Lizzo fan. So I do; one of my favorite ones is “2 Be Loved.” And then, I wrote down my last one here. It's kind of a little bit aggressive, but it's called “Badass” by Saliva.
And I will just, you know, if I'm about to do a call, or some kind of training or anything like that, I will put the earbuds in. I'll do some jumping jacks. Get the blood pumping. And I'm like; You got this, you know, just makes me feel awesome. Your confidence, and you got to be your own hype girl. Like you got to be the one to hype yourself up. You can't always be dependent on other people because sometimes, where are those people?
Liz:
Well, if you can't hype yourself up, then how do we expect other people to hype us up? You know, it's like from within first, come from within.
Kathi:
What about you? Do you have some favorite jams that you'd like to listen to?
Liz:
Oh my gosh, yes. So I've been jamming lately. I mean, I actually, I'm gonna pull up the Spotify list right now here. What do we get here? Kesha? Which one is she? Of course, Spotify is not pulling up right now. “This is Me.” It's from the movie. There's a movie that it's in. Oh, “The Greatest Showman.”
Kathi:
I love that one. That's a good one. Yes, I love that one.
Liz:
That one's good. And then, Sia, “Unstoppable,” has like this last year. I've just been jamming out to that one-time because it's just so good. It got to be good, like good tunes altogether. So those are some good ones. Then every now and then, of course, this “Girl On Fire” by Alicia Keys.
Kathi:
Yes, I know that one too, or “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood. I love that one too. Honestly, music is seriously like a therapy for me. It is between working out and music. It's my therapy because it makes me feel so good. And I'm one of those crazy weirdos that know every single word, every single song, and I love karaoke. And I love dancing. I'm not good at either of them, but I just love doing it.
Liz:
Kathi, what's on the horizon? Like, what do you foresee is the future of everything with the Do Life Big Podcast?
Kathi:
I know. Well, I 1,000% see a big live event probably three years down the road from now. Just because right now the Mindset Accelerator program and all my students that I'm working with are really where my focus is right now. Of course, I still do a podcast every single week. But I definitely like that it is on my goal board that I do - I want to have like an in-person live huge Do Life Big event. I would love that. And I would love to be able to either run it with like you, or anybody really. And I would love to be able to have different kinds of entrepreneurs from different backgrounds and different experiences. Come and be able to talk and just have it be like a fun-filled, inspiring weekend for people to go and take that next step in their life and really just build that business and life they want to build.
Liz:
I love it, and I'm so in, by the way.
Kathi:
Yeah, we're good. We're gonna do it together.
Liz:
Oh my god. I gotta be in Florida, though. This weather, though.
Kathi:
Yeah. Listen, guys. Listen, I didn't move down from Massachusetts to Florida for nothing. We're gonna have it by palm trees and an ocean with a beautiful sunset. Oh, I’m gonna have a tiki bar there.
Liz:
I mean, we can do a second event in Iowa. But it's got to be in the summer.
Kathi:
Mark your calendars, guys. We don't know where it's gonna be. But three years I've given myself, that's probably longer than I need. But you know?
Liz:
I agree. I'm truly, and I know this is gonna sound so cliche because the name of my podcast is that “Light Your Fire,” but I am still, like, fueled by being around people in person. And as much as I love Zoom, it's just not the same.
Kathi:
It's not the same.
Liz:
Oh, my goodness. It's magical being in person. Like, being at the Phoenix event in the fall, was just honestly a really great reminder for me of that because, like, I really had it meant to a lot of live events for a while. And I've been to a ton of live events, but it's just been in that container where it's like-minded individuals, like-minded women who get you there's no like totally judgment-free zone like that just really lights my fire. Honestly, pumps me up to go out there and be a better person, but also to impact others as well.
Kathi:
Yeah, it's really true. I was gonna say it's so important to make sure that you have these live events that you're going to throughout like the year because we all go through seasons of life, right? Where it's like, we feel so inspired, and we're so motivated. Yeah, we're gonna do it. And then something happens. And we're like, womp, womp, right? And it's so easy to kind of just fall back down and just feel like, I don't really know if I can do this, or I don't really want to do this. But if you have like events throughout the whole year, to always look forward to, so that way, when you're actually there, it'll you know, pull you up out of that slump that you're in that where you can keep growing, you just can't do it on your own. Like you need to be surrounded by other people or have a mentor or a coach or whatever. You have to have that in your life in order to be inspired and to keep growing.
Liz:
Yeah, it's truly like adding sparks. If you think of it, of course, this is me being cheesy, you know, bringing in more analogies, but like it'd be like building a fire. Like you need the kindling and like, and then it sparks, but it's like if you want to keep it going like you've got to keep adding more to it. And I think it was actually Chris Harder that made mention about how it's important to have, or at least attend some sort of live event quarterly at least four times a year. And I totally agree with that—that statement.
Kathi:
I mean, I've been doing that now for almost ten years going making sure I'm at some kind of business event, like multiple times throughout the year, and it makes a significant difference. Really does.
Liz:
Kathi, this has been amazing! Seriously, like, I can't thank you enough for wanting to do a collab with me. Number one. But number two, like, I could just sit and chitchat with you all day long. Like you're so funny. You're so I'm like, Oh, I'm just I know people listening in, especially at least on my podcast. They're gonna freakin love you. So where can people find you?
Kathi:
Instagram is the place to go. For sure. You can find me there. It's @katherinereuter. I'll be there. You can check it out there. And the other stuff will be in the show notes, right?
Liz:
Yeah, yep. All your Top 19 Limiting Beliefs are in the show notes, like your Instagram links. All that good stuff.
Kathi:
No, this has been so much fun, and I know that my listeners are going to absolutely love listening to you and hearing more about you. Make sure to go and follow her podcast. Okay, what about, like, where can people find you at?
Liz:
So Instagram is the best place. I love being on social media, and I love stories. So honestly, I try to keep it really real, raw, and relatable. So check out my stories.
Kathi, you seriously are one of the funniest people I know. I freaking love following your stories because there's always something going on with like your kids. And then there's like a drink in your hand. And it's like, so I love that.
Kathi:
I swear I’m not an alcoholic. I just love my captain. Alright?
Liz:
Nothing wrong with that. But yeah, Instagram. So @lizgarcia.lightyourfire is my handle. I've also got a linktree link in my bio, just that links to a couple of other things there. But, if you guys are, as I say, for anyone listening in, I have a free PDF that I'm giving away right now to anyone that wants to join my email list. And so just shoot me a DM that says “email,” including your email address, and then I'll be sure to give you that it's basically just a one-page PDF. With journal prompts. Like for me, I love doing quick journal prompts in the morning. I think they're so nice. My undergrad in college was graphic design, so I kind of like putting some stuff together myself. So yeah, anyways, also shoot me a DM.
Kathi:
Oh, that's awesome. I love that idea. I'll shoot you a DM.
Liz:
Perfect! Gotcha girl.
Kathi:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much again. This has been amazing.
Liz:
Yeah. I've had such a blast. So thanks for having me.
Kathi:
Thanks for being here, everybody. We love you guys. We believe in you. You guys are awesome.
Liz:
Go out there light that fire under your booty. You can do it.
Kathi:
Do Life Big. We're not settling!
Liz:
So appreciate you guys.
Kathi:
Yes, we'll see you the next time.
Liz:
Bye.
