Identity in Motion

Through creating the course business, there was a lot of me in there, it was my way of expressing myself and also0:06creating who is Danielle, the owner of a business? Who is0:09Danielle, someone who presents, you know, on stages and teaches0:13people. So that was me really creating myself. That's when I0:16created the business and then created this dream life, having0:20run the business for a while and realizing, oh, there's this0:23question of who am I? Without the business? Who am I without0:27these relationships? Just who am I some of the practices I took0:31on, were asking that question of, How can I be in the pursuit0:34of pleasure? So what brings me pleasure, I think the epitome of0:38me feeling like Oh, all right. Like, I remember who I am, was,0:41I walked in my door one day, I had this thought of I found my0:45joy. It's, it's here like it's within. So if you're thinking0:48about what phase you're in, whether it's discovering and0:51creating or remembering who you are, I can share how I knew that0:55it was time for me to shift. Hello, and welcome back to0:58SINCE3000. I'm Danielle Leslie, and we are here to embody our1:02past, present and future selves. Now, today's a really special1:05episode, we are talking about identity, and what does that1:09process look like to shift your identity. And when do you know1:12it's time to do that. So I'm gonna walk you through how I've1:16done it. Let's get started.1:23I'm so excited to bring you today's episode. But before we1:26do, I need to make sure you've heard about member up. So1:30community driven products are the future. But Facebook groups1:33are a thing of the past. And after 10 plus years in the1:36online education space, I've taken all my learnings and I've1:39built this incredible platform member up. It's a customizable1:44easy to use all in one platform where you can build a premium1:47course community or membership site without the tech headache,1:52gone are the days of having to duct tape together, your1:55content, your community, your payments, all on different1:59platforms, I want you to do me a favor, do yourself a favor and2:02head over right now to member up.com Ford slash Danielle. And2:07you can get started for free today. I promise you, I can't2:11wait for you to see this platform. It's beautiful. Okay,2:13the design is amazing your community is going to feel at2:16home here and you are going to take pride in your online2:19business, it is the place to start, head over to member2:22of.com Ford slash Danielle. Now let's get into the episode. So2:27I'm really excited to speak with you about identity and my2:30relationship with identity. It runs long and deep it runs I2:33think under every project I've ever worked on, it's commonly2:37and overlapping points of intersection with good friends2:41of mine people I surround myself with. And what I want to share2:44with you is kind of how I see identity and how I have2:46transitioned my identity sometimes from moment to moment,2:49but at a macro level from year to year, decade to decade phase2:52of life to stage of life. And I'll get into a recent identity2:56shift I've undergone but first I'm going to lay kind of the2:59undercurrent of how I think about it. So when I was on the3:01sofa, and I was actually thinking about writing my book,3:04my first book, and I ended up thinking about you know, it's3:06not just gonna be one, it's gonna be three books. And then I3:09thought about artists. And then I ended up thinking about3:12identity and how I see my life. And what I realized is the three3:15books that I thought about writing were in alignment with3:18three different phases of my life. And I thought about the3:21first phase of our life being when we are discovering3:23ourselves the second phase when we are creating ourselves. And3:26the third and we are remembering ourselves. So when I think about3:30the first phase discovering myself, I think of me, you know,3:32a little Danny and I'm trying different things I'm you know,3:35figuring out what do I like to do? We're in school, I'm trying3:38different hobbies and really trying to figure out okay, let3:41me try this on. Do I like it? No, let me try this on. Do I3:43like it? Yes, love it. So that's kind of the first phase of3:46discovering who I am. And that was high school that was college3:49getting involved in every club organization. And then it was3:53creating myself. So once I had that foundation of Alright, I3:56want to go into the startup world, I want to be a tech3:59founder, that was my interest. Then I said, Okay, now it's time4:02to create. And that was my phase with course from scratch, you4:05know, with with building this business, getting steeped into4:08the online education industry, and creating something for4:11myself, which was the course business. And through creating4:14the course business. There was a lot of me in there, it was my4:16way of expressing myself and also creating who is Danielle,4:20the owner of a business who is Danielle, someone who presents,4:23you know, on stages and teaches people. So that was me really4:26creating myself that's when I created the business and then4:29created this dream life figuring out where do I want to live,4:32started working with a stylist, you know, to start trying things4:35on creating who that knew Danielle was. So that was that4:38phase. And I would say that the last couple of years has been me4:42remembering who I am. And I think it probably coincided4:47with, you know, being indoors a lot, having run the business for4:50a while and realizing oh, there's this question of who am4:53I without the business? Who am I without these relationships?4:57Just who am I? And that was time when our Number fiance's The5:00Lion King, the gift soundtrack album came out. And there are if5:05you think about the story of The Lion King, it is his journey of5:08you know, remembering who he is, you know, you have this little5:11boy little cub, he grows up, and he's discovering who he is he's5:15learning from his father, you know, Mufasa is this like,5:17larger than life character?5:19So he's learning right from them.5:21He's learning from his family and everything, and he's5:24inheriting this, you know, this, this land. And that's him, you5:28know, discovering who he is. And he realized, you know, he has5:31that point where he runs away. And he's like, Oh, I don't this5:34is too much for me. A tragedy has happened, and he runs away.5:37And that's what he's creating himself when he meets Pumbaa5:40Timon. And they're like Hakuna Matata. And so he's like, let5:43me try that on.5:44You know, let me try this new philosophy on which is much5:46different from the philosophy I grew up with. So he tries it on5:49he's creating himself, he's eating different types of5:51things. He's eating a little insects hanging out with5:53different people playing in the jungle, not having a cure in the5:56world. And that was him figuring it out, right, like creating5:59himself who is Simba who is symbol without his family, who6:01is he if he has no quote, unquote, last name, so to speak,6:05no legacy to protect Who is he so that was his phase of6:07creating, and then you have that final phase where Nala now we6:10got an outlet in the picture where Nala comes in, he runs6:12into an artifact from his past, who is there to remind him of6:18who he is, who he was born to be, that he himself is legacy.6:22And he himself can remember who he is not necessarily, who his6:26family is, what the family name is, or anything like that. But6:29who is Simba as a leader who is similar as a son, and so she6:32comes in reminds him. So when I think of different people in my6:37life, one of the people, there are four kinds of people. And6:40I'll get to that in a second. But one of the people I put6:42myself in proximity with are catalysts. And catalysts have6:45the ability to let your life on fire without being consumed by6:48it. And a lot of times, they help you remember who you are.6:51So Nala collides with him literally in the jungle. And you6:55know, just like shakes him up, and she's holding her own, she's6:58not consumed by his new identity. She's like, This is7:01who I am. And I'm gonna stand here and who I am. And I'm going7:03to remind you, I'm gonna give you glimpses and nudges of the7:06past, you're trying to forget, and that you're you ran from.7:09And so that's when he decides to return to remember who he is. So7:13that arc, as it ties to that soundtrack. I remember, you7:17know, it was it evening, and I'm listening to the soundtrack. And7:20it's find your way back, right. But the song the track, is find7:23your way back. And it's all about finding your way back to7:26yourself. Because I believe our soul does come here with all the7:29answers like, you know, God is everywhere in everything. It's7:32in us. It's running through us if we allow, allow the Spirit7:35to. And so it was it's finding a way back to yourself. That's7:39what I mean by that phase of remembering who you are. And7:42there are people who when I think about those, you know,7:45there's three phases. Well, I'll go through my process of7:47remembering who I am, you know, some of the practices I took on7:50are asking that question of, How can I be in the pursuit of7:53pleasure. So what brings me pleasure, so it could be having7:56an evening by myself putting my Galaxy light up having hookah8:00brainstorming, it could be hanging out with friends,8:03listening to music, traveling more in my ear, remembering it8:06was putting myself in proximity with different friends circles,8:10and getting to know the new me or the old me however, you want8:13to look at it through being in proximity with those friends. So8:16when you're in that transition of remembering who you are, a8:19lot of solitude helped me, I develop this muscle of listening8:22to myself. So I started the practice of Transcendental8:25Meditation that a friend introduced me to He's been8:28practicing forever. And I went and I started practicing it for8:31a few months. And that was my first foray into actually8:34creating what Deepak Chopra calls the gap. You know, it's8:37that moment in between the space and Dr. Joe Dispenza calls it8:40the space in between, right, but it's that gap of moment, moments8:44of stillness and silence. And that's what TM that transitional8:47meditation did for me, sitting in silence, you know, for 208:50minutes. And that was my first time being able to tune in and8:54just see, okay, what is the voice saying, and starting to8:57distinguish my voice from the ego from the voice of society,9:01from maybe parents, significant others friends, peers in your9:05space, realizing there's a difference between those voices9:09and just training that muscle of being able to decipher the9:12difference? Now, this is still a practice y'all. I will probably9:15this9:15is a lifelong, you know, attempt to master but it's like a muscle9:18that I'm trying to grow stronger.9:20But it is that practice of okay, what is my voice? What is my9:22desire? What brings me pleasure, because when you reach that9:25point, I remember, I think the epitome of me feeling like Oh,9:29all right, like, I remember who I am, was, I walked in my door9:33one day, and I remember I had this thought of I found my joy.9:37It's, it's here like it's within. And that was my first9:42moment really like having that like, like sitting in, oh, I9:46just need to pause and listen, be still hear the voice and also9:51like, enjoy and be because the joy is here. And it's a way of9:55being and it's a way of doing so that practice of remembering who9:58I was meant it helped me relinquish the expectations that10:03I had built in that phase of creating right when I was10:05creating who I was, it was alright Danielle Leslie is a10:08brand course from scratch as a brand. And you know any brand10:12brands have guidelines, they got brand colors, they have a vibe,10:15they have the three adjectives that describe it, they have a10:17motto, they have an audience an avatar, and I got really locked10:22into this brand I created. And me shifting into remembering who10:28I was, was me being like, Yo, like, I'm just gonna be like10:30from moment to moment like there is no brand to protect there is10:34no, these are the three words I need to show up as. So that's10:36been huge for me making that transition into this new phase.10:39Hey, this is Danielle Leslie and I have a question for you. If10:42you are a creative entrepreneur, and your business is unique, why10:46are you working with a generic accountant? One of the best10:49decisions I made was who I would partner with on my taxes and my10:53accounting. So if you're a creative entrepreneur, you are10:56growing your business you're scaling your business, I want to10:58introduce you to revel revel is a firm that can help you whether11:02you're looking to prepare your taxes or you're looking for that11:05year round support. They will tell you what's happening in11:09your business and why so if you're tired of being ignored,11:12talked down to or feeling like you are chasing around your11:16accountant and meeting to drive the relationship yourself. It's11:19time for change, head over to revel cpa.com Our EVL cpa.com11:25Head on over fill out their interest form and make sure you11:28look into working with them. Again that is Rebel cpa.com r e11:33ve l cpa.com. We all deserve the right firm to partner with. It's11:38been proven that procrastination can be one of our biggest11:41enemies to success. Now contrary to belief, procrastination is11:45not based on a lack of time management or organizational11:48skills. Procrastination is directly linked to to our11:51emotions. Now the reason I know this is because of Patti11:54Johnston. Patti Johnson is incredible. She's a course from11:57scratch member. But even more importantly, she's built11:59multiple multimillion dollar businesses once she learned how12:03to overcome procrastination, so she's created a program where12:06she shares her system on how to overcome procrastination. And12:10it's based on emotional intelligence, neuroscience and12:13accountability, she's going to show you step by step how to12:16overcome negative feelings. So you can start taking action and12:19start seeing a difference from day one. So text this number12:23right now to schedule an appointment with Patty and her12:26team to see if this is right for you, and what steps for you to12:29take to overcome your procrastination 813-789-1097.12:35And again, the number to text right now is 813-789-1097. Let's12:41all overcome procrastination together. Now let's get back to12:44the episode. So in these three different phases, I've noticed12:48there are four types of people who I continue to put myself in12:52proximity to. And when I find myself off balance, maybe12:56feeling uninspired and not connecting to me, you know,12:59remembering who I am, I look at the folks around me. So one of13:04the people is a builder. And builders are people who help13:07ingrain my good habits, like they know what habits that I13:11have exercised in the past that have me show up as my best self.13:14And they're encouragers of that An example would be like my mom,13:17right? So she's someone who can she knows my good habits, and13:21she can nudge me and say, Hey, Danny, how about this, I noticed13:24you're a little sad, how about this, those are the builders,13:26then you have the profits, and the profits are the people who13:29interact with you, as if you are already your future self. So13:33this would be like my business manager who when we have13:35conversations, it's with the let's say my goal, the future me13:38is to have $100 million net worth, I want to be a13:41billionaire, then he would be talking to me and having13:43conversations with Danielle, the billionaire with Danielle $10013:46million net worth, or with Danielle, who is fully awakened,13:50enlightened and at peace, whatever that future state is,13:53and the highest version of me as the prophets interact with you13:55as if you're already there. And then the visionaries are those13:58in my life who have done things that I look up to. So they're 1014:02steps ahead in their journey. So this might be someone who is14:05maybe more spiritually experienced and advanced. And in14:08my case, I had a lot of business mentors who were ahead of me in14:11terms of, you know, when I had certain revenue metrics, they14:14had already done it, they were already living in the penthouse14:16in midtown Manhattan, those would be the visionaries, and14:18they let me know what's coming. They've already seen the future14:20and they're just telling me what they what they've seen, so I can14:22collapse time and get there quicker. And then the last one14:25are the catalysts. And these are the people who they live your14:27life on fire without being consumed by it. So in my case,14:31it would be girlfriends who would take me out and we would14:33go dancing. And as opposed to me being shy and I don't know, I14:38would be motivated and inspired to like wear my just biggest14:41fullest fully express outfit for the gems on my eyes. Go and14:44dance until 2am 4am Actually, and just have like a blast and14:48feel fully self expressed or go to the Lizzo concert and dress14:51up and matching animal print and be singing at the top of our14:53lungs. Those are the catalysts and they helped me get in motion14:57and remember who I am for you. It's a great time to ask14:59yourself Do I do identify with any of those avatars? Do you15:02have those kinds of people you're surrounded by? So I want15:04to share a story with you. Because I think it really speaks15:07to a practice, I try to exercise as much as possible of taking on15:12another identity when I have a new opportunity. And I'm finding15:16myself hitting a wall when it's time to like think that bigger,15:19big, and I can't quite do it. So we hosted a SEO retreat for our15:24course from scratch members right here in this living room15:27about a month ago, and we were in on the couches, doing an15:31exercise of creating your offer. So they're thinking about, okay,15:34what is my online course offer? What's the pricing? What are the15:37features? What are the benefits for the customers, so they're15:40working hard, and I saw getting real serious in here, and the15:42air was just getting real solid. And I was like, exactly, they15:45look real serious. And I knew that the next exercise, I needed15:50them to expand what they thought was possible. So I was like,15:53alright, this will be about to do, we're gonna show him how to15:55change identities. So I grabbed our head coach, I brought her15:58upstairs and she was like, Am I in trouble? I was like, no, no,16:01I need you to be located with me. So I'm like, put on this16:03blue wig. I'm gonna put on this blue wig. She was like, Wait a16:05minute. First of all, why do you have to Blue wigs? I was like,16:07that's a story for another day. Don't worry about it. Put the16:08blue wig on, she put on my blue fur coat. Although faux fur16:12coat. And then I put on like a clear rain coat jacket. We16:15turned on crush on you didn't. didn't, didn't? Didn't. We were16:21there at the top of the stairs. And we're like16:22y'all What's up, y'all. And then we busted down the staircase.16:25And we're just dancing coming in the room performing.16:28I know, you see me on the radio true, like just singing and16:31performing. Like we're looking. everybody stands up there16:34recording with their phones. They're like what is happening,16:38they didn't know what was happening. I didn't either I was16:41in the moment it was happening. And so at the end of that I said16:45Rhl. What I just did is I came in here because it's time low.16:48Kim is here because it's time for us to dream up our $100,00016:51offer, like we're about to create a six figure offer. And I16:55know I know that some of us think that this this body we're16:58in right now this identity we're in the accomplishments we've had17:02this person, this this version of us, we can't think past the17:05five figure offer let alone six figures. So I invited them to17:08identify a new identity, they could pick any identity that17:12would help them think that bigger, big. So I asked each17:15person I said who's an identity one of our body. The first woman17:18said, Alright, Beyonce, so I'm Beyonce. Because Beyonce, she17:22would have no like, she probably it'd be 100k to spend probably17:2560 seconds with her, right? So she's like, Oh, we bout to dream17:29up this six figure offer. And that's what she did. And so she17:32was like, and she's like, it would have this, this, this is17:36the result they would have. And I was like, wow, look at how17:39seamless that was, it spilled out of her mouth as she embodied17:42this other identity. So that's a practice, I lean on time and17:46time again, where I find myself feeling like, you know, I think17:49there's a higher version of this, that I'm not quite able to17:53tap into this, this ceiling I'm hitting is what I think this17:56version of me is limited to let me let me just step on into a17:59different identity real quick, and be in a bigger, a bigger18:03space where there is no ceiling. And maybe it starts with a18:06slightly higher ceiling. But ideally, there is none. And we18:09can really dream that bigger bit. So that's been a practice18:13that's been so helpful for me and why I believe identity18:16really helps us think bigger, expand, what I would hope for18:19you to take away is for you to think about what phase are you18:23in right now in your life? Are you discovering who you are? Are18:26you creating who you are? Are you remembering who you are? And18:30how does that space feel for you? Because all three are18:33beautiful spaces where you can feel amazing in them? Or are you18:36feeling some resistance? And thinking, you know, I think I've18:40stayed I've stayed my time here and it's time to transition into18:43that next phase. And then looking around, who do you have18:46in your proximity? Who's helping you in that phase or in helping18:50you be the best highest version of yourself? So I hope listening18:53to this was helpful for you. You know, I would love for you to18:57identify what space you're in. Are you in a season of19:00discovering who you are creating who you are, or remembering who19:03you are? And all three are equally beautiful spaces? And19:07how are you feeling in that space you're in? Maybe you feel19:10you have overstayed their welcome there. And it's you're19:13feeling that nudge to transition into the next one. So think19:16about where you are and then look around and see who are the19:20people you're putting yourself in proximity to to help you in19:23that season. Help you show up as the highest version of yourself19:27in that season. Thank you so much for joining me and I can't19:30wait to see you in the next episode. Listen, sometimes life19:33be life in and we do not know what's coming down that road19:37next. Well, that's what happened to me in 2016 when I was19:40unexpectedly laid off from my job. And I was six figures in19:43student loan debt. I had no savings, and I didn't know what19:47was going to happen next. Now luckily, I had this little voice19:50inside of me at that time that I couldn't ignore, and it was19:53telling me to take the leap. It was saying use this as your19:57opportunity to build your business. Use this as your20:00opportunity to create your dream life. And so I believe that life20:03happens for us, not to us and that nudge in my spirit, I20:06should listen to it. Luckily I did. Fast forward to today I20:10have a business that's made over $20 million. And I've helped20:13over 10,000 people create their online businesses and their20:16dream lives. So do you want to learn how to turn your story20:20into an online product and launch in 30 days, head on over20:23to coursefromscratch.com/since 3000. I want you to join us on20:26this journey so you can listen to that little voice inside of20:30you too. So go now Do yourself a favor20:32coursefromscratch.com/since 3000.EnglishAllFrom Danielle LeslieRelatedListenableLiveRecently uploaded