A Guide to Living a Life You ABSOLUTELY Love | Maya Comerota

What is the dream that you have and who is it that you would love to be? Create that very detailed image. How do you walk? How do you talk? How do you dance? How do you hug? How do you kiss? All of these things. How do you speak? And then become that person right now.

And now a quick word from our sponsors. Thank you so much for your support as it helps keep our content free for everyone. This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker. Do you want to join me and have more healthy years? Not just a longer life, but the ability to do things you love in your 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond? InsideTracker can help you optimize your healthspan so you live healthier longer. Something, as you know, I'm a huge advocate for. They do this by providing personalized plans based on your body's data. InsideTracker tests your blood, DNA, and can sync with your fitness tracker. Then provide clear, science-backed recommendations like nutrition, exercise, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations. InsideTracker recently added hormone testing to their plan, which already includes important markers like ApoB, the heart health indicator, vitamin D, magnesium, cortisol, and many more. They cover 47 biomarkers in total. You can also test your DNA and even get your inner age, which is a biological age calculation, along with recommendations on how to lower your inner age. InsideTracker is offering you, dear audience, a special deal. Get 20% off by going to my link, insidetracker.com claudia20 to get the deal. That's insidetracker.com/claudia20.

And now back to the show. My guest today is Maya Kamarota, a visionary entrepreneur, international speaker, and transformation teacher. After spending 15 years in a biotech company, Maya had a profound life-changing accident that she will share with us today, which led her to a personal transformation journey, learning from the best in neuroscience, in quantum physics, and high performance. And through her company's consulting programs and live events, Maya has actually empowered over millions of people to achieve new heights of wealth, joy, aliveness, and authentic success. Maya has been a featured speaker and coach on major media outlets like NBC, ABC, CBS. She has been featured on stages with Dean Graziosi, Mary Morrissey, Bo Eason, amongst others. And Maya was recently invited to train other visionary entrepreneurs on the art and science of turning dreams into reality. On Sir Richard Branson's island. Maya is a true force of nature, and I had had the honor and pleasure of being her student. So I'm truly excited, dear audience, for you to learn from Maya today too. Please enjoy. Welcome to the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast, Maya. It's such a pleasure to have you on today.

It's such an honor to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

So I'm particularly honored and grateful because Maya has been a mentor and teacher to me over the last years. And I'm just so delighted, dear audience, to share Maya and her amazing work with you today. And I'd love to start, Maya, with your passion in helping people to live a life, as you say, a life you absolutely love without apology and compromise. I think it's something that so many of us are striving towards. But what— how do you define life you absolutely love? And why is it so important that each and every one of us should be striving for this mission?

Yeah, such a great question. We have this journey of life, and so often we have this idea that life is supposed to look a certain way. We're taught that way growing up. You work hard, you get good grades, you go to good school, you get a good job, and all of these things. And then all of a sudden you end up— and you should love your life. And I won't go too deep into this right here, but I had that scenario. I was very young and was very successful by external You know, everyone outside of me would have said, oh, Maya has it all. She looks— she's great. She's got a great marriage. She's got a great life. She has a great job. She's got a great title. And, you know, I made plenty of money, all of the things. And yet I was super unfulfilled. And so what I started to realize, and it took a car accident for me to really understand it, was that there was a particular life that I was here to live and a particular person I was here to be.. And I had been compromising her, and I had been apologizing for her, and I had been not allowing the full expression of Maya to be in the world. And so this car accident really helped me to understand, you know, there's a person that I'm here to be and a life that I'm here to live. And if I don't live it, then I'm going to live my life with regret. And so I started really following the little whisper and the little spark inside my heart after this car accident that said, Maya, you love to sing. Maya, you love to dance. Maya, you love to speak. Maya, you love to teach. Maya, you love to learn. And started allowing myself to follow that whisper and not be guided by the, you should do this and you should do that and you should have this title and you should have all of these things that the external world thought was so important, none of those things are that important. And so after that car accident, it really became my mission to, one, live a life that I love because I knew that my life could be over tomorrow. It could have ended that day. And so I made it my mission to live a life that I love and to stop apologizing and to stop compromising, whether it was the jobs or the relationships or what I'm supposed to do in my schedule every day or what people I'm supposed to see or anything in the day that is the shoulds that each of us have, right? Like, you should say yes to this and you should say no to that. And it was like, no, my life could be over tomorrow. Who do I want to be today and what kind of life do I want to live? Because if I don't do that, then I'll live a life of regret.. And then that then became a mission to support, you know, so many women to, and so many people to live a life that they absolutely love so that they don't have regret.

And I'd love to dig into a few parts of that as well. But just to reflect back, and also for people listening, I mean, how many of us are doing something because we think we should, you know, growing up, I had an older sister, I felt like I needed to be the boy and the achiever. And then, you know, 3 master's degrees, 4 languages later working in investment banking, I was like, Okay, still not achieving enough. Like, I have to do more. I'm not super happy. What is it? What is the purpose? And it's just what I should be doing, right? Everyone says I should. And I think it's that external looking that will never get to the happiness. And as you said, but you, you needed a near-death experience to reflect inwards. And I want to touch on that in a moment. But for some people who are thinking, okay, but society has always told me I should do this. And my parents always said I should become the lawyer, the doctor, whatever it is. And for some people, that's their passion. And that's exactly what they're supposed to be doing, and that's perfect. But if there's that doubt inside of them, what would you recommend?

Where should they start? You start by listening to that part of you that says this either is it or it's not it, right? So the question I ask all the time is, what would you love? Like, what lights you up? What makes you excited? What makes you passionate? What makes you sad? What makes you angry? What are the things that you're like, oh, I want to poke my eyes out if I have to sit in this thing. Please don't do that thing. Like, please don't. If you want to poke your eyes out now, you're going to want to poke your eyes out later.

Right?

If you feel the should, I mean, even just that feeling, if you just even take a pause and feel what you should do this feels like in your body, it's this huge weight. Yeah. And if you just said, Maya, what? Or whoever's you're listening, what would you love? Like, if you didn't have to be bound by how much money you make or, you know, what our preconceived notions are of what life is supposed to be, how would you want your life to be without any limitation? And I've always used that as like, that's a really great question to ask yourself as a guide If I wasn't limited by money, if I wasn't limited by time, what would I want to do? How would I want to live my life? And that's a really great guide for how we're meant to be living our life. And then you start to take the steps to create a life within that framework instead of creating a life that you created and I created of, I should be working this job and I should be doing 4 languages and 5 titles and all of these different 5 degrees and all of these things. And all of a sudden,, you know, you're stressed out and overwhelmed and unfulfilled, and yet you have lots of titles and lots of languages but no laughter anymore and no joy, and your body might even be in some level of dis-ease. Yeah. And so the best place to start is, what would I love in my life? How would I love to live my life? What would be my ideal day?

And to really feel into that, because, um, I, I know when I speak with some clients as well about this, they're like, oh, but but this, but that, and like, oh no, I can't because— and I think for people also listening and watching, it's listen to that restrictive voice, or don't listen to it, I should say much better, but just be so aware of that. That's a really trained neural pathway that we have. And as Maya was just saying, really feel into that expansive place of like money is no object, time is no object, what would I love, and just attach to that as well. And so, Mai, one of your key teachings for women, but also for men, I know you have Be Her Now or Be Him Now. And this is so simple yet so profound. I'd love if you could share a little bit more about what do you really mean with that?

Yeah, I love it. Be Her Now was a principle that came through this car accident, was the voice that I heard in this car accident said I wasn't yet the woman that I was supposed to be. I didn't yet become her. And I thought, well, if I make it out of here alive, I want to, you know, I'll be her. You know, just give me another shot. You know, if I get another shot, I'll be her and I'll be her right now. But I didn't know who she was yet. I didn't know why, you know, at 30-some years old and I was a corporate executive and I ran a team of 300 people and, you know, that I hadn't yet become the woman that I was here to be. And so I started sitting with after this accident, who is this woman? Who am I here to be? And I started to feel what she felt like. And I started to see, at the time I had a 3-year-old son and a husband, and I'm like, what is the relationship I want with my son? What's the relationship I want with my husband? What does it feel like to have freedom to go to work when I want to go to work and come home and still have time with my son. You know, at the time I was leaving, leaving the house before he woke up and coming home after he was in bed. And it was excruciating for me. And so I started to create this image of this woman. And this woman was free. This woman was playful. This woman, you know, this— and this was me. It felt very much like my true essence was so playful and so free and you know, would be at home in the mornings with my son and be able to work several hours during the day and then be home with him in the afternoon. And we went on adventures and we went on family vacations. And, you know, we had plenty of prosperity to be able to support our freedom and the adventures that we went on. And, you know, I had created this image of this woman that wasn't living to work, but that that was one really fulfilling component of my life, but I had these other fulfilling components. And so I created this image of this woman and how she would walk and how she would talk and how she would laugh and how she would sing and how she would dance. And I started to live into and practice being that woman just even in my imagination. And so Be Her Now was what was birthed in, you know, who is it, what is the dream that you have, and who is it that you would love to be. Create that very detailed image with all, you know, how do you walk, how do you talk, how do you dance, how do you hug, how do you kiss, like all of these things. How do you speak? And then become that person right now. Behave like that woman right now. Make the decisions of this woman right now. And so I created that image. And then as I was navigating this next portion of my life, I would bring up this image and say, what would she do? What would she do in this situation? What would she do in this circumstance? How would she respond to this woman that I am created to be? And then be her now.

I think that is just so powerful. And I just want to reiterate for people listening as well, because people come to me, well, I've been working on this goal for like 5 years and nothing's happening. And whatever it is that I I sometimes hear from clients and even sometimes myself, frankly, that's why I'm so glad to have Maya in my life that she can remind me of these beautiful messages as well. And I think that's really the power in it. And just to reiterate that you have to be in the vibration, you have to be that person and make the decisions from there and not from the place of lack and scarcity. And not the place of it's not going to work anyway, but like, I'm still going to try because nothing's going to happen, right? I mean, do you see that a lot with, with clients also that you work with, Maya?

Absolutely. I think I was actually talking with— I just did an endurance challenge that I know we'll probably talk about, but talk about that. My endurance coach, I was asking him, he's an Olympian, Olympic athlete and number one Olympic athlete for Kona triathlon. And so I many times talk about how to support people to make their dreams come true. And I asked him in the context of endurance events. So, these are people doing 100 miles, 200 miles, 500 miles, like 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days, like these kinds of things. And so, I know a system for success is the same across the board. So, I was just curious, in an endurance event, what does it take to make a miracle like a number 1 Olympian athlete? What does it take? And he said, consistency over time, faith over time, action over time, dedication over time. And this is exactly for, you know, I think so many of us, we want the result right now, right? And it's like, okay, so you told me that if I dream the dream and if I hold the vibration and if I, and if I be her now, then I will be it and it should be now.

Right?

But there's this in-between that is how it's all coming together and the consistency over time and the faith over time and the dedication over time. And then all of a sudden there is a quantum leap. You know, I went from where I was as a corporate executive to, you know, I mean, it felt like it was taking forever. And maybe in the last, in the last 3 or 4 years, you know, built a multiple 7-figure business, has incredible relationships with my family and my friends. And I mean, the most beautiful relationships. Have a business partnership with Dean Graziosi and Brendon Bouchard. And, and so if you look at it, 3 or 4 years, it actually feels like that happens so fast. But in the experience of it, there were plenty of times of frustrations of, is this ever going to happen? Is this ever going to be? You go from struggling one day to being invited to speak in front of a million people the very next day or 8 months later. And it really appears hindsight 20/20. It's like it looks like it happened overnight. But when you're living it, that moment feels like a lifetime. And so this practice that we're talking about is a practice that creates significant and exponential results very quickly, and yet it will feel like it's taking forever because when it happens, it happens, right? It's like the invitation. If I use an example, I was invited last year. I had this feeling in my heart that I was going to speak at the Time to Thrive event, which is to a million people.. And I didn't know what to do about that knowing, like that dream and that knowing. And like, am I supposed to tell someone? Am I supposed to do something about this? And I got a very clear answer. No, just be her now. And so I prepared my talk. Nobody had invited me. I'm preparing my talk. I hired the coach and she's like, okay, when are you speaking? And I said, well, it's this date, it's August 8th. And she says, okay, what are you talking about? I said, well, I believe that I'm talking about this. She said, well, they would tell you. I said, yes. They haven't invited me yet. And she's like, I mean, she also knows how it works. She's like, okay, they haven't invited me yet, but they will, right? So I prepared and I planned. Well, it's 8 days before the event. I still haven't gotten invited. I've got my talk. I'm practicing my talk 7 days before the event. I get the phone call and says, hey, can you speak at this event? And are you, you know, can you be ready? And I was like, I was ready 1 month ago. I was born ready. I was born ready because I hired the coach and I did the thing. But that's actually such a beautiful demonstration of Be Her Now, right? If you have a dream, so let's say you have a dream. It could be a health dream. It could be you have a dream to speak on stage, whatever it was. In this scenario, it was I believed I was speaking on the stage. Well, I didn't wait to be asked to then take the action that I would take once I was asked. I know, okay, if I'm going to speak on stage, then I need to know what I'm talking about. I need to have the story. I need to be practiced and be ready. So whether they ask me or not, these are the things that I need to do. So let me get the coach. Let me do the thing. So somebody who has a health or vitality, it's like, I'm not waiting for the moment that I feel in the best health to be able to do it. I'm going to sign up for the marathon. I'm going to get the coach. I'm going to start the training. I'm going to start the practice. And so what would she do what would he do if this dream were true? And then behaving in that way. And then realizing, to your point, it can feel very frustrating along the way because it feels like it's not happening fast enough. And so being able to hold ourselves in the knowing that this is done, in the knowing that this is true, and continuing to hold that dream and hold that faith, and continuing acting as her or acting as him, is a really powerful practice.

So I have two questions for that. I absolutely adore that story. That's the really embodiment of it as well. But for some people who might say, with, you know, financial constraints and lack and scarcity, and they're like, well, Maya, what does that mean? Do I just go out and spend all the money I have in good faith? It feels so scary. I have kids, or whatever the case may be. So in terms of the financial and spending aspect, if you will, or investments. What, what do you advise people in that regard?

I always say there's— you have an intuitive knowing always, right? And so you can't trick— like, you can't trick yourself into feeling a certain way. You actually must feel that way, right? And it must feel true. So if you're not feeling abundant or prosperous. You will not get to feeling abundant or prosperous from not feeling it. You've actually got to create the feeling within yourself. And so you first create the feeling within yourself of like, so I know we were born, we really were born wealthy, born rich. We live in an incredible environment and universe with mountains and oceans and all of these things. And we're not necessarily always grateful for these things, but we have a heart that's pumping and there's so much to be grateful for. So getting in that space of knowing that there is, there is so much more abundance than I'm even aware of. Getting yourself into that space and then asking the question, like, if there's something that you are meant to do— am I, am I meant to be in this, spend this money in this way? Am I meant to— like, is this, is this the opportunity? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. But just because you spend the money, it's not like I'm going to go out and just spend $1,000 to pretend that I'm rich. That's going to trick myself and trick the universe into thinking I'm rich. Like, that's not how it works. It's what is aligned for me in this moment. And going from a space of alignment is the most powerful practice. So for certain people, spending certain money would feel in alignment. For other people it wouldn't. And it's really, this is really a practice of understanding, is this in real alignment for me? Does this feel good in my system? And what would she do in this space if I was this woman with this prosperity? Would I spend this money in this way? And then being really honest with yourself of the truth, and your body will know. This takes a little bit of practice to understand and hone in on your real intuition because a lot of people spend money still from a place of lack.

I'd love to touch on that a bit as well, Maya, because it sounds so interesting. I think for people, they're like, okay, Maya's got it figured out. She has this great intuition. She has this voice. But some people are sitting there and they're like, I hear my monkey mind and I don't hear any intuition. And my phone's ringing and my computer and I have to do this. And how am I supposed to tap into that? What was that practice for you, especially maybe at the beginning? And maybe you can share a little bit more about that journey and what really happened in that moment for you. I know you mentioned it a little bit before, but to understand that beginning stages, because I think there are people listening and interested in this are probably like, you know, sometimes I hear voice, but then I don't, and I don't trust myself. How can I tap into it? How can I train myself to be better at that? So yeah, I know I asked a bunch of questions there.

No, awesome. So, you know, it really started— I believe we're always connected with our intuition to something, you know, a power much greater than us. And so, you know, and we're being guided. There's nobody like you or I or anybody who's listening. We are very unique and we're uniquely guided. You know, I always use the example of like the Earth traveling around the sun, traveling in the galaxy. Like this is happening right now. The Earth isn't going to fall out of the sky anytime soon. There is a power at work here that's keeping all of this in motion. That same power is alive in us. And so it's about harnessing and tapping into that power that is living and breathing us. And we as human beings have this unique capability where we have our own willpower and our own will to do what we decide to do that's either in alignment or not in alignment with a life force that's living and breathing us, right? And so I would say I got pretty off-kilter when I was a corporate executive, where I kept doing all the shoulds and I wasn't listening to the voice inside of me that was like, this isn't it, Maya. You're not happy. And at a certain point, I got super depressed. I actually went— like, I was diagnosed with depression for about 6 months. When I left my career, I was miraculously saved. And so, but I mean, it took a car accident like I mentioned. And in that car accident, like cars are flying through the air, I hear this voice that says, you haven't done what you came here to do. And for the first time in my life, I pray. I hadn't yet done that, but I'm like, if I make it out of here alive, I'll be her. Like, I'll be this woman. I don't know who she's here to be. And so after that car accident, the police officers were like, you've got to go to the hospital. You must be— something must be wrong with you. There was nothing. I had not a scratch on me. So I know there was something much more powerful at work here. Yeah, thank you. And so, you know, after that experience, I went home. Everything looked the same, but I knew everything was different. And there was something inside of me that knew I was here for a reason, just like every single one of us. That message wasn't just for me, it was for everybody. And that was part of what I was here to share with the world through some of that experience. But then what I also realized was that I had gotten so off-kilter and that those, like, I saw these images of my life and these little moments that were the most meaningful. And it was the moment of a hug and a moment of an embrace and a moment of, like, the first moment, you know, when I was kissing my husband on our wedding day and holding my son for the first time. And I just, I felt the feeling of these moments and the meaningfulness of them. And when I scanned the other experiences in my life, it didn't have that same feeling of meaning. And so, you know, I'm putting thought to something that really became more feeling. So what I hope to invite everybody to do is really feel the feeling of you know, like a little spark or a little whisper or a little joy or a little inspiration. And when you feel that, you know, it was like I saw a book and something lit up in me. I saw a person's name or an event and something would light up in me. And I would say, okay, I am supposed to read this book. Oh, I feel this feeling with this person. I'm supposed to talk to this person. Oh, I'm supposed to go to this event. But it was all from this, like, a little, like, spark. Oh, like a little spark, a little— and very different from, you know, like, there's so many people, it's like, I must do this so that I lose the weight, or I must do this so that I have the money, or I must do this for— and it's a very different— one is coming from, that feels amazing. Expansing. Yeah, that feels a little tingly. That feels a little exciting. That feels like— I just look at your eyes, Claudia, like it's just this little— and I get chills and I get little tingles, right? And so it's versus like, oh, like I've got to, right? I should do this diet because this diet I'll finally lose the weight, or I'll exercise this much because then it'll happen, or I'll take these 27 courses and then it's going to happen. And it's not from a should. It's not from a logical— sometimes it doesn't even make logical sense. There was one night I woke up in the middle of the night. I got this email and it said by midnight this night I needed to respond that I was going to go on this trip to Greece. I had never been to Greece. I roll over and I'm like, I'm supposed to go to this place. I'm supposed to go to Greece. I can't make any sense of it, but I just know I'm supposed to be there. And there was this like, I woke up right before midnight, I signed up to go to Greece and to be for the first time, you know, I had left my corporate career. This was to be with, you know, entrepreneurs and mission-driven people who wanted to make the world a better place. And I mean, I just came from corporate. I don't even know that this is what I am or who I am, but I'm like, I'm just called to be in this new environment with new people in a new place. And so it was— I did something scary, but it all came from— and I love the question— it's this— it's the difference between expansion and constriction. It's the, that feels exciting, that feels inspiring, that feels like something I would love versus something that I should or I have to or I'm missing out on if I don't.

It's the heart skips a beat versus the cerebral, logical, this would be good for something or other in a logical space as well. So hopefully people listening and watching know the difference of the two. And we've hopefully all had moments in our life. I hope for everyone they've had many where the heart skips a beat a bit and there's that excitement and joy that comes with things.

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And the one, the one thing I'll share just as context for— because it's not— I wasn't great at it at the very beginning. I followed those like, ah, ah, ah. And then I also did the shoulds sometimes that I thought were the— and then later on, looking back, I was like, oh, it wasn't that. And I could look back on it and see it. And so sometimes it just takes trusting it. It takes trusting it and taking the action and then starting to sense the difference because you'll feel it when you're on your path and you are doing what fulfills you and brings you joy and brings you alive and brings you fulfillment. I mean, it is more and more joy, more and more expansion, more and more of that. But you'll also feel the constriction when you're not in that space. And, and that contrast is going to support you to continue making the, the decisions that are in alignment. But it wasn't— I didn't do it 100% at the very beginning. I'm so skilled at it now where I trust it, just I trust it with more than anything. It's like I get that feeling, I trust it more than I trust anything.

But it took practice to get there. Yeah, no, thank you for clarifying that as well. And I can't remember who mentioned it recently as well, is that every time you have that little intuition, to give gratitude, be like, thank you so much, like, thank you for that guidance, thank you for the gratitude, so that you actually associate it with joy and something positive. And follow it as well. I mean, as Joseph Campbell says, you know, follow your bliss. And I love the word bliss, that sparked that joy as well. And so you're the embodiment of this, Maya. So thank you for sharing that. Which leads me to my next question was part of the jump and spark for 29029. And just as a side note, so some of my audience will know I've signed up for a half marathon at the beginning of October this year, and I run sometimes, but I'm not a main runner person. I have fast-twitch muscles, which is better for short distance, better for weight training, not the endurance athlete long-distance ones, I've discovered. But I was so inspired by Maya's journey and your learnings, and I'd love if you could share some of those as well. And for those who are unfamiliar, 29029 is climbing the equivalent of none other but Mount Everest. In under 36 hours, which is just insane. I mean, that's 19 times up and down the hill or the mountain, I should say. So, Mai, what did this challenge mean to you and why did you do it? And can you share some of your biggest takeaways from it?

Absolutely. Absolutely. So I had registered for 29029. This was almost probably 2 years ago or 2 and a half years ago. And, you know, a lot of it was this this is an exciting adventure. You know, every year I choose a new word for the beginning of the year. And in this year it was like, I'm going to be the most vital in my entire life. And so this was my intention. And so 29029 came up and I had some colleagues and friends and Jesse Itzler and Colleen O'Brady and a couple other folks who were, you know, who were the founders of this event. And I thought, you know, this sounds exciting, this sounds fun. And didn't actually logically process it because I think if I did, I would have been like, that's ridiculous, which I later thought, you know, later I did think that's completely ridiculous. What did I do? And which many of you, as you follow your intuition, are going to say, that's completely ridiculous. What am I doing? It should feel that way because it's— I mean, this is you guiding you on a path you've never been on. So, um, so I had this little inspiration of adventure and, and that I was going to do this thing. And then it turned out that, um, there was another plan in my life, which was I, I got pregnant, and so I wasn't able to do 29.029 last year, so I postponed it 1 year. And so I would have done it. The doctor said no, that that was completely out of the realm of what I should be doing. From the mountain? 8 months pregnant. Yes. At altitude. Like, please don't climb the equivalent of Mount Everest at 8 months pregnant, Maya. And so I postponed it 1 year. Well, what I didn't realize at the time was really how trying preparing and training for climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest would be with an infant. I mean, I didn't have the capability really of— well, not that I didn't have the capability. I didn't choose to train in the way that you would need to train because it meant that I would have to compromise and sacrifice the most important thing to me, which at the time is my baby. And so my training, my training for 29029 was more like everybody else's rest day. Like, my 90-minute training was somebody else's rest. And I'm like, oh my Lord. And so I was really scared.

Oh, go ahead. But that said, Maya, I did see you on your stories at like 1:00 a.m. or something, and I was like, really? She's training at 1:00 a.m.? I was like, hats off to you.

Yes. Well, so I did get a couple 6-hour trainings in, although they had recommended like 13 hours. I couldn't do 13 hours and I couldn't do 12, 13-hour trainings, but I was able to do 2 6-hour trainings and I was able to do them in the middle of the night when I was traveling. So when I was talking to the endurance coach, he was like, train exhausted. And I said, well, I got exhaustion covered because I have an infant and she's up every couple of hours. So I got that on everyone. Like, I'm exhausted 100% of the day and I'm doing it. But what I learned, a couple of things. You know, one, it really— all of it is really a mindset, heartset game. You know, I didn't— I was, I was really challenged in my mind because I thought my physical body isn't prepared for this. And so I've never done a physical feat like that. I had done marathons, I had done some other things, but to plan to, to be hiking at altitude at a 65% incline, the equivalent of Mount Everest, for 36 hours, it's like you may not be able to stop. You've got to go 30 hours, 30-plus hours. I didn't know if my physical body— like, my brain can handle a lot and my mind is very strong and a fortress, but I didn't know if my physical body was going to fall apart. And so, you know, I remember talking to a friend who had done 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days, and I just said, I'm a little scared, you know, if I'm honest. And he says, okay, how's your body? And I said, well, my body's fine. He said, how's your training? And I said, I have very little. I've done very little. And he says, well, this is good because I know you and your mind is a fortress. And so you actually need some level of greater challenge. And you will be challenged because you're doubting yourself because you haven't trained or prepared as you always train and prepare. But for you, actually knowing and using the power of your mind and your heart, which you know how to do, to overcome that self-doubt is going to be everything for you. So the only thing he's like, what I would recommend is don't quit when you want to quit. Just go one more step. And so, you know, as I approached this mountain, I was thinking, you know, okay, I don't know if I'm gonna make it. I really don't. I don't know if I'm gonna cross the finish line, get the red hat, do it. What, what I do know is the only way to summit a mountain is one step at a time. And so I'm going to keep going one more step, and I'm going to just keep going one more step. And then anytime somebody came and they said, how much longer? I say, one more step, because it's always one more step. That's it. And so I said, you know what? If I don't know if I'm going to cross this finish line, then what I do know is I better have a whole lot of fun doing it. Otherwise, it's going to be 36 hours of suffering, or even more.

Right?

So I'm going to decide that I'm going to do it and have so much fun. So my first intention wasn't crossing the finish line and getting the red hat. It was having a whole lot of fun. It was enjoying every single step. It was not quitting, but continuing to take another step. And so I wasn't going to quit when I wanted to quit. I was going like either my body was going to fall apart or like I was going to be left there on that mountain. But I wasn't. I just wasn't going to quit. I was going to take one more step and then I was going to meet amazing people along the way. And if I felt like I couldn't do it, my other intention was I was going to help someone. Because if I helped someone else, I knew I would help myself. And so, and then my very last intention was to cross the finish line in less than 36 hours and get my red hat. And what I can tell you is, you know, I crossed the finish line, I got my red hat, but I had a blast doing it. I met incredible people. I helped people along the way. You know, my last trek, so it was 19 summits. It was 19 summits and I did it in about 30 hours. And my last summit, I just— I think instead of it taking me an hour, it took me about 3. But it was because I really paused to enjoy every moment. Because I even had somebody who wanted to cross the finish line with me. And I said, I'll wait for you before we cross the finish line. But I really want to experience this last trek. Like, I may never take this step again. I may never be on this mountain again. I may never experience this again. And, you know, with tears almost the whole way from summit 15 through my 19th. I mean, it was the last 4 that I was so emotional, like, wow, I'm doing this thing. And so, I mean, big lessons I learned were it's really not about the finish line. It's about how you approach it. It's about having fun every step of the way. It's about knowing that all you need to do is take the very next step. I didn't need to worry about 19 summits. I just needed to worry about one step. And that if I ever needed my own help, that if I helped somebody else, that I would find my own way.

So beautiful and such a beautiful analogy as well for life in general and for entrepreneurs. And we all have these big goals and we want to be in, you know, what might be in 10 years' time now. And we're disappointed and struggling on the way, but actually find the joy in the present moment. And put that as the main focus and, and help others as well. So you have that feeling of community and sense. Um, so it's really, really beautiful, Maya. Thank you for sharing that as well. And you have an exciting event coming up, so can you share with my audience more about that?

I do, I do. So, you know, one of the things that I absolutely love and I'm so passionate about is that every single person is unique and every single person has a unique special X factor that creates even greater passion, even greater prosperity, even greater purpose in your life. And I think most people don't know how to tap into and tune into that X factor that lives within them. And I even believe that there's a lot of people, super successful people, that believe that not everybody has one. But I actually know in every cell of my body because I heard it in this car accident that we are each here, like there's someone that you're here to be, right? And that I know that message wasn't just for me. And so that message is for everyone. And I love helping people to tap into that X factor that lives within them and show them that every single person has it. You have it. Everyone has it, and it's unique to you. So yours isn't anybody else's. It's yours. But so I go through a process, and it's a 5-step process to help people tap into that very unique X factor, that passion, that purpose, that prosperity that lives within you. And be able to share that then and experience that and show up really powerfully in the world.

So beautiful.

And when is it taking place? And we'll link everything in the show notes for everyone as well.

Awesome. It's September 11th through 13th, and it's 9:00 Pacific to 10:30 Pacific. So it's 90 minutes. And then there's a VIP option that people can upgrade for. But it's, you know, at the very minimum, it's about, what is that, 5, 4 and a half hours. And then if people want to stay for the VIP, which I recommend because there's laser coaching and a variety of other things, then it's another hour after that for the laser coaching.

Amazing. So we'll link everything in the show notes. And for people listening to this episode in the future, then just stay tuned to Maya because she might have something for you in the future too. Maya, I'd love to jump into some rapid-fire questions. Yeah. Who would you consider the most successful person of all time and why?

You know, I love Oprah. I love, you know, her story. I love her embodiment. You know, she really, she seems very present and fulfilled. And knowing what she's been through in her life, that would be, that would be one.

Yes, I love that she shared all her struggles along the way, makes it so real for everybody else as well. So in the last 5 years, Maya, what new belief or behavior or habit has most improved your life?

Joy. Starting my day with fun and laughter. You know, when people talk about like, what are your morning habits? I have a habit with my son and we laugh at the very beginning of every morning. And that is, you know, that's exactly it. The other is build it as you love it. You know, I build my life exactly as I would love it to be. I think so many people compromise and they think, oh, I'll be able to live the life I love after I do this.. But because I make it a priority to live my life I love as I live it and as I build it, that it becomes the exact life that I want to be living.

Beautiful. Yeah. And so many people say, wait till retirement to do something. It's like, do it now. Yeah. What have you become better at saying no to, Mayan, be it invitations, distractions, and what new realizations or approaches might have helped? Because I think so many people are too busy. So what is some advice you would give on getting better at saying no to things?

So I say no to so many things because I know that when you say yes, it is a no to something. And so often we just don't realize what we're saying no to. And oftentimes what we say no to is the most important thing. And so I make a habit of saying yes first to myself. And I actually have a calendar of all my yeses to me. So I plan me first. And then if it aligns for me, then I would say yes to somebody else. But if it doesn't, then I say no. And a really powerful— so two powerful practices. One is I schedule my joy. I schedule my fun. I schedule all of those things before I even schedule my work. And then my work gets to get scheduled in there because I'm wanting to live a life that I absolutely love. And then I schedule that first, then I schedule the work in. And then I have a practice of what I need to do to say no, which is very little. I can say, no, thank you. I can say, oh, thank you, I have another plan. I so appreciate you thinking of me. But I have something that is very standard that feels so good for me to say, so I don't have to second-guess myself. And I also know, you know, one of my premises is without apology. That we don't have to apologize for anything. It's just, no, thank you. Thank you so much for thinking about me.

I have another plan. Thank you so much. Beautiful. Do you have a favorite quote or piece of advice that was a real game changer for you?

I do. And it's— I mean, there's so many. One of them is— I forget exactly what it was, but the quote is that people remember how you make them feel. And so my intention in my life is one to feel, to be the person that makes others feel great and to be the person that makes every other person better, but not at the compromise of myself, but actually because I am her and because I'm living it.

And you give from the overflow, not from the empty cup. I love that.

What book have you gifted most, Maya? I love The Science of Getting Rich. I give that all the time. Science of Getting Rich. The Power of Awareness is a super powerful book for me as well. And then my most recent is one called True Love.

True Love, I haven't heard of it, so I'll have a look at that one. Beautiful. Maya, if you could get, metaphorically speaking, a message out to a billion people, what would it say and why?

It would be my, it would be my message: you're born for this. You are born for something. That only you can share with the world. And the reason why I would want to share that is because I think if we don't come into the full expression of who we are and share our special gift with the world, I mean, that's the only reason we're here, to be this gift and to be this expression, to share that with one another. And so we will miss out on the most important piece of life, which is giving and sharing our gifts with one another. So If 1 billion people were to tap into the gift that they are and share that with the world and be who they're born to be, the world would be a tremendously joyful place.

Yes, here's to that mission, right? Maya, if you could live to 150 years old— we are interested in longevity in this space, right?

So if you could live to 150—

I'm planning on it, I'm planning on it.

So when we're 150, Maya, I should say, with excellent health,, how would you spend it? I would spend it adventuring with the people that I love. I would spend it in the mountains and in the ocean. And what I love is it's probably very similar to the life that I love and create now. And I don't think that— I think I'll just be able to experience more of it and in less time because our airplanes will take shorter. I'll be able to transmit myself there overnight, by my thought, you know, I would, I would be— and I think this is true for probably so many people— I would spend it with the people that bring me most alive, and I would do the things that make me the most joyful. I would have a ton of fun. I would take lots of adventures, and I would be out there in nature with the people I care the most about.

Beautiful. Maya, where can people follow what you're up to? Social media handles, websites, um, where's the best place for people to find you?

Yeah, so my website is mayakamarota.com.

My Instagram is @mayakamarota, and you can also find me at Maya Kamarota on Facebook.

Perfect.

And we'll link all of that for the audience as well. Maya, do you have any final ask or recommendations or any parting thoughts or message for my audience?

Go and live a life you absolutely love. There's another quote that I love, and it's, you can only live a life that you've imagined. And so go and imagine the life that you would love and go start taking action and be her now, be him now.

Beautiful. As Einstein says, imagination is the preview of life's coming attractions. So we have to start with imagination. Maya, it's been such a pleasure to have you on today. Thank you so much for your time, your wisdom, your gifts, for sharing them with our audience today.

So, yeah, thank you. Thank you so much, Claudia, and thank you all for listening.