Discover Your 52: Monique Worotny’s Guide to Designing Your Ideal Life

Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show podcast, the podcast show where we unlock potential one dream at a time. Today we have another guest whose journey is truly worth hearing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Moneyway experience.

So welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show in association with Believe Network, the podcast where we highlight The journeys of innovators and dream chasers, sharing actionable insights to help you create a life of success and purpose. I'm your host CJ Moneyway Johnson, and today's guest is a true inspiration. Monique is an author, podcast host, and creator of the Rise and Strive community. In her new book, Discover Your 52, Create Your Unique Path Towards Your Ideal Day, Monique guides readers on how to reconnect with themselves and take bold, actionable steps towards their goals. With a life shaped by career shifts, personal growth, and adventurous experiences like van life across North America, Monique's mission is to empower others to embrace change and strive. Monique, welcome to the show today. Can't wait to dive into your story about these incredible things you do.

Oh, CJ, thanks for having me. I can't wait to share. Uh, both of our podcasts are very similar in just making the world a better place and truly finding purpose. So I'm so happy to be here. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you for taking the time out today to come join my show, taking a rest from your show. I know exactly how that is. Uh, so Monique, uh, you've had a unique journey. So far, from navigating career changes to living the van life, as they call it, behind the scenes, covered the van life experience across North America. What were the pivotal moments that led you to create the Rise and Strive community and write Discover Your 52?

Yeah, actually, this has been a journey and a process that's come through ever since I was 14 years old. So I just thought that everyone had this knowledge of writing out where you want to go and making plans for it. And I had wrote out my ideal day many times in my life. And up until now in my 40s, it was really just a big eye-opener of helping others do the same. So many people have come up to me in the past and said, "Oh, you're going through van life. That's so cool. I want to do that." Oh, you've gone dog sledding. I want to do that. But meanwhile, these people, you know, they really need to figure out what they need to do for themselves to make them happy. But because a lot of the time you hear of experiences and that seems so cool, but does it really align with what you want out of life? And that's the big thing is, you know, discovering what you want and then making a plan to go after it. So for so long, I just, I enjoyed my personal life. I enjoyed my private life. Even when I went cross-country in the van, I, at the time, I'm like, oh, I'm going to vlog and everyone's going to know about my journey. But I woke up 15 years after being married in the Valley of Fire in Nevada, in my van with my dog, which is with my corgi. And that's what I wanted at the time too, is to be traveling and have my corgi and just experience life. But I had thought, okay, I should get married, you know, get a college education, which I got, and have all these things that were supposed to be correct in society. But I was really unhappy at that point. And then it was just moving forward with that and having experiences for myself. So there's been a lot of pinnacles and a lot of game changers throughout the journey. But the reason that I now put out the book and all the information is because I thought people knew this, for one. But when people keep on asking, like, how do you do that? How do you do that? It's not a secret. I've been on self-help journeys in my entire life. It started when I was 14 years old. And there's so much knowledge that's out there, but it's overwhelming. And that's what sort of sets this aside, is it's a simple activities to do. And anyone can do it. It's just believing that, yeah, I do deserve this. I want to make a change for myself, and I want something that aligns with the person that I am, because we're all unique individuals. We all have something beautiful to bring to this planet. So it's about reconnecting with ourselves and bringing that forward.

Yeah. You know, I got to get back to this. This wasn't a question, but you brought it up, so I got to ask. Sure. The dog sledding?

Yeah.

Don't think I ever will do that. Now let me ask you, when you dog sledding, is it with them big Great Dane dogs that goes down the sled, or is it any type of particular dogs that you use?

So these were all huskies, and the way the dog sledding came out was absolutely wonderful because I was adamant that winter that I was going dogsledding. Like that was my, by the end of winter, I'm going dogsledding. I told coworkers, I told people in the grocery store, like it was, I was telling everybody 'cause I was just pumped. I want to direct my own sled of dogs and they're Huskies. So they're the fluffy ones and they are so powerful too. And people would say, "Oh, where are you going dogsledding?" I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm going dogsledding before the winter's done. I ended up winning a radio contest called Get the Hell Outta Here with Sonic Radio Station. And the main prize was going to the Sunrise Festival up in Inuvik and go dog sledding. So I had the entire weekend, like the flight up there, the hotel. I was there with a radio host and his wife and we went dog sledding and it was a phenomenal experience. But Just sometimes when you put those goals into action, you're not sure how they're going to come about, but you're like, nope, this is going to get done. I'm going to do it. Sometimes the universe just gives it to you, which is fantastic. You just have to put it into action and really put some energy into it.

More power to you, Monique, because I know—

thank you—

now or in the near future, would your boy CJ be going out doing any type of dog sledding? Brrr, brrr, brrr.

And that's exactly it.

See?

And so many people are like, "Sweet, dog sledding. I wanna do that." Do you want to be out there in -30, -40 with the wind chill? And they give you like big beaver mittens to keep you warm and direct around. See, it was something that I wanted to do for myself, but it might not be everybody's cup of tea, and that's okay.

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Yeah, but I wanted to hear about your experience though, because it's definitely not so common to you. So how did your personal experience, especially van life, shape your mindset and outlook both professionally and personally?

Oh, absolutely. Going across country in the van with Charlie, it was such freedom because I had a couple spots of where I wanted to go. I had a friend's wedding to hit up. I was a virtual assistant, so that was one of my things that while I was going through van life, I wanted to have my own business to support me instead of just going off of savings. So that's something that I set up as well. So I had a TED Talk that one of my clients was talking in, in San Francisco. So I hit up that and then just really met a lot of people along the way, which really grew my perspective of just how people live. You know, I've done a lot of traveling before through Europe, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican, um, cruise lines, stuff like that. And sometimes you don't get to completely immerse yourself into that culture. But going across North America and seeing all the beautiful places and Each region has such a culture and a love to it. And the one thing that everybody that I met did was they were proud of where they live. They were proud of their stories and they're happy to share their stories. So that was such a connection in my personal life, just to really broaden my horizons on how people are living life, what they're looking into, and what really means something to them. Because each and every person that I talked to, they had a strong story and a passion about themselves that they wanted to share. They just didn't know how. So that really swayed my virtual assistance at that point. I got into a lot more philanthropy for businesses and connecting philanthropy and businesses. But yeah, with the van life, it was all about connection, really. Even if I wasn't looking for it, it would always come about. It was taking Charlie to a dog park in Nashville. Took Charlie to a dog park. There's a restaurant attached to it. How brilliant to have a restaurant attached to a dog park. So people go in, grab a drink, and I was drinking at the time, so I grabbed a beer and then went into the dog park and chatted with everyone. And it's such a social event. There I met a woman that works for the Christie Cookie Factory. She said, come by the factory, you know, and then there was all these lovely, like warm, crispy Christie cookies to experience and to share just because you're actually interacting. And that's one of the things that I really feel that is missing nowadays, especially after, you know, the big C of COVID People, we're a little bit awkward again. So it's sort of trying to branch out and rediscover ourselves and connect with ourselves because we've been really lining up of, okay, this is what we have to do next. So it's getting rid of the cookie cutter. It's no, this is what I want to do for myself and branch out to it.

So that's pretty cool. You know, like you say, just getting out, networking, seeing different things, meeting new people. You never know who you might meet along your journey that could propel you to go to the next level or where you trying to go to. But if we block ourselves from wanting to meet or wanting to introduce ourselves and be friendly, I know it say that in order to gain a friend, first you have to show yourself to be friendly. And it seems like you, Monique, are very friendly because if it was -22 degrees where I was at, I don't think I'll be smiling as much as you are today. Like the cold like that. So unique. Wait, Monique, let me ask you. People fear change. So what advice do you have for those who feel stuck or overwhelmed when faced with the possibility of reinventing their lives?

Really, for one, reconnect with yourself, because once you start putting a plan in motion that's for somebody else, it's going to hit you hard. I've talked with some people and including myself that have physical changes that happen to them. I've completely blacked out when things weren't aligned with me just due to stress and everything else. Other people I've talked to get headaches and numbness and numbness in their hands and their feet. But a lot of it is just the anxiety of dealing with the everyday. And change is scary. Change, it's still scary for me. Every time you jump into something new, it's because it's new, you're— it's unsure, right? But if you have the right support and you're doing it for yourself, you know, and for the right reasons, then it really does help. Now, we all have different lives, right? So sometimes we don't have the support that we need in our lives. One of the ways that you could turn to podcasts just like this to have inspirational stories. I turn to business leaders and podcasts. I don't know them, but they're putting that information out. So if I have something that I want to change or if I have something that I'm sort of looking more into and need more information over, then definitely get into the research and don't take advice from people that, you know, you don't want to live like. You know, there's a lot of people that want to keep us very close. So they might not understand if, you know, when I went across in the van, my dad was completely upset with me. And he was actually really disappointed because he's like, what are you doing? You have an engineering, you know, an engineering job. Why are you going into this virtual system? Why are you going? It's going to be unsafe. There's going to be a murderer finding you. I'm like, Murderers don't go looking in the middle of the woods, you know, looking to kill someone. But it was his concern because he's my dad, right? So if I would have listened to him and been like, oh my gosh, you know what, Dad, you're right, then my life would have been completely different. I wouldn't have had the experiences, met the same people, and really opened up my mind as much as I did and really connected spiritually with myself. Being alone that much and traveling and going through— that's another thing is that you really have to be comfortable with yourself and with your dog. But yeah, but that's the conversation I had with my dad as well. And it was about 3 months into my trip. He called me while I was in Texas and said, I've been telling people what you're doing. And they said, I can't believe she has the balls to do it. Sorry. But it's true. And I said, yeah, Dad. And that's what it meant for me. So that's why I really wanted to keep going even though there was pushback. And it's just because there's fear. A lot of people, they have that when others are making changes and they feel like they're going to get left behind. And it's not about leaving anyone behind. It's about what's doing best for yourself. And they'll still be there for support. So change is scary. But when you feel the pull, not the push, but the pull in your chest to like, I need something different. This isn't working. Now, what am I going to do? That's why I wrote the book, because everyone's been there. Everyone has been in a place of confusion, of trying to find direction of what to do next and really even connecting with themselves. So many people go through breakups and become so aligned with that person and so, like, together with them that you completely lose yourself sometimes because you start, you know, you live together. You work your way through life together. But once that partner is gone, it's who are you left with, right? So it's really important to connect with yourself. That'll bring the right people into your life as well. Because if you don't know yourself and you're not comfortable with yourself, then you're just faking it for everybody else and you wanna be your true self. And we grow. It's not like it's, this is who I am today and that's it for the rest of our life. We are meant to grow. We are meant to experience. And a lot of what's happening right now is people are watching videos on YouTube or TikTok or whatever else, and they're feeling like they've had that experience. But you could watch a video on swimming all you want, but you still might drown.

Yeah. So, yeah, because that's not you in that swimming pool at that moment. And I see, you know, you do have to, you know, assure yourself, you know what I'm saying? Like, I have to be assured myself before I can go help somebody else. I have to be comfortable comfortable in my own skin. And you know, as I'm listening to you about your van life, you know, you say you had a lot of time just to think and to meditate and to, you know what I'm saying, just receive whatever was coming to you, which you may not have had if you had still been where you was at and just moving around doing the same things all the time. There was a point in your life where this is what you needed at that time. May not knew the exact outcome from it, but you explored it, you did it. And, you know, these are the results and the outcome. Sometimes you just got to do it. Sometimes you just got to leave some people behind. I guess that is.

And the right people will find you again.

That's true. That's true. So let me ask you, Monique, you emphasize aligning your authentic self with your business or career. What does that alignment look like in practice and why is it so important?

Oh, it's completely important because you could be striving like myself when I was younger. So the first time that I wrote out my ideal day, it was myself waking up with my husband, going to my engineering job, having our house, because that's what I thought you were supposed to do. I was very young. This was when I was 14, writing out my day for the first time. So I thought, this is what will make me an adult and proper society, right? With that, everything lined up, but I was depressed. Um, that's when I was having physical issues as well because it wasn't a healthy marriage, but it was something that I'm like, nope, I should be doing this and going into and when your career doesn't align with you, it's so much pushback all the time and you are using so much energy to go into a job that you hate, to even pump yourself up so that you could put on a mask, you know, masking, or put on a face, however you like to say, just to get through your day. Your day shouldn't be like that. You should be having enjoyment in your day and wanting to wake up in the morning.. And there's so many different aspects. There's your mental health, there's your physical health, your career, your connection, and oh yeah, see, I always forget one. But it's these top 5 categories that you really have to look into because, you know, for your career, you spend almost 40 hours, if not more, at work. So you want to make sure that it aligns with who you are, because that's what you're spending most of your waking hours doing. So have your energy go to where it's going instead of having to fight it constantly. And the only way to do that is to really connect with yourself and figure out what you really want out of your day. That's one of the main things. It's actually a free chapter for the book. It's available online because so many people have showed up at my house throughout the years in tears. And these are good friends, coworkers, a neighbor that I just met once that knew where I lived and just needed to talk because they were at a loss, you know, and just needed that support. So that's what writing out your ideal day does, is it puts you into the perspective of, okay, this is where I want to go. Now let's make the plan to get there.

So I like that, the roadmap. And as I say roadmap, let me ask you this question.

That's right.

What are some common roadblocks people face when trying to find alignment and purpose in their lives, and how can they overcome them?

The big one is the influence of society. It's huge. A lot of people think that they need to be dressing a certain way. And it's sort of beautiful right now because it's really changing. We've seen the change over the years. It's no longer the '40s, '50s where your house has to be like a museum. It must be spick and span. Like, we are ready to have character and show our character. And the big roadblock is, is the fear of being different. You know, that it We all want to connect. We all want that community. And if we go and let's say, oh, I want to go dog sledding. Oh, people are like, what are you doing? It's so cold out. Oh, why would you want to do that? You could have so much kickback or you could find your right people that are like, yeah. So once you start putting yourself out there and your actual personality out there, you're going to find the people that connect with you. So as much as it's a fear, you're going to, you're going to feel so much better. It's like a weight lifted off your shoulders because you don't have to fake it. You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. Stop struggling to get your job posts seen on other job sites. With Indeed Sponsored Jobs, Your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates, so you can reach the people you want faster. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs. Don't wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com/sponsoredjobs. Arts. Just go to indeed.com/arts right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. Shop the Sherwin-Williams Super Sale and get 40% off paints and stains September 19th through the 24th with prices starting at $29.39. It's the perfect time to transform your space with color, whether you're Looking to revamp your interior or exterior? We have you covered with bold hues, soothing neutrals, and everything in between. Visit your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store or shop the sale online. Delivery available on qualifying orders. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales only. Some exclusions apply. See store for details. Anything anymore. You don't have to fit inside a box anymore. You could live for yourself.

And that's the most important part right there. That says it all. Live for yourself.

You got it.

Because a lot of times, as you were saying earlier, you know, you get intertwined and then, you know, uh, you take away from what you're doing and put it into other people's interests. And then now that's no longer there. And so now I'm trying to find myself picking up the pieces again because I lost myself in this relationship. So I, I'm with you, Monique. I'm with you. I'm with you now. Your book is structured around helping readers create their ideal day, which you've been talking about. What are some of the key exercises or strategies from Discover Your 52 that can help our listeners reconnect with themselves and take actionable steps towards their goals?

Well, it's actually perfect that you brought that up, um, especially since we hadn't talked about it before. So my book is being released on February 17th. And with that, uh, with the release, we're gonna do 52 Days to You. So it's going to be a question a day of reflection and, uh, to really connect with yourself through those 52 days. It's going to be all about you really diving into your intuition and rediscovering yourself. That's one way to do it. Um, there are multiple personality questionnaires and, you know, tests to do and everything else. But when you go through and discover yourself first, that's a key point. Um, then you're able to take those points and really develop your ideal day so that it's for you. Another great point to look at What's going on in your life right now? A lot of people think that their ideal day is such a dream. It's such a far-off thing that they can never attain. But when you start connecting where your current day is today to what or where you want to be waking up, even if it's in a different country or wherever, wherever else, you're able to see the connections through that. So yeah, the main connection is going through with yourself, meditation, mind mapping, bullet journals, and then yeah, you could follow on social media after the 17th for 52 Days of You.

Mm. So y'all heard it here. Although this may come out after the 17th, but go grab the book anyway. Discover your 52 and do the 52-day challenge with Monique and her team. So Monique, since we were talking about your thought process, you know, how some people feel that they can't do this or do that, mindset is such a powerful tool for success. How has your mindset evolved throughout your journey and what mindset shift has been most impactful for you?

There's been so many blocks and everybody has them. Like there have been blocks for finances. There's been a block even moving out to this lake house.

I—

that was a huge one for me, but they keep on shattering. So when I went out to see my friend at her spot on the lake, and I was just talking to her and saying, oh, this is beautiful, it's always been my dream, like, oh, if this is just something that I think financially that I wouldn't be able to handle, and then she told me how much her place cost, and it was less than the the duplex that I owned in the city. Now, my block came from living in Ontario and knowing that every house that's on the water is at least $1 million. So my block was I cannot afford a house on the lake. But meanwhile, after talking with her, this is a possibility. And within 2 months I was moving into my house. So, and sometimes it's like a shatter as well. Because you can actually hear the window shattering. And it's like, wait a second, are you serious? This is possible? And I go through blocks all the time. Last night was the last edits for the book. You know, I had the proof, I had all of my sticky notes and everything else, and self-doubt creeped in. So what did I do? I called my best friend. Hey, this is what's going on. It's important to have that support there. Sometimes it takes someone saying, "Why do you think that? Why do you think that?" And just to keep on going through. If you don't have that support because it's 3 in the morning, then start asking yourself, "Is this a fact or is it a belief?" Okay, I am going to get, you know, completely destroyed and probably break my leg tomorrow going snowboarding. No, that's not even something that's happened yet. I haven't even made it to the hill. Why is this even in my head? Let's just go. And have a good time and enjoy it, right? So a lot of that time we could work around it ourselves. If not, reach out to a friend. And that's also why I started the Rise and Thrive community through the Skool platform, just because some of us don't have that support in our daily lives and we need it.

Mm.

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You know what, Monique? I like you, I like your energy, but boy, are we on two different sides of the spectrum. 'Cause one, I'm not doing no dog sledding, and two, not going down no hill on no skis. I'm not feeling it. But what's good for you is good for you, and I wish you much success with your new book that's coming out next week. So let me ask you, Monique, do you have any stories of people from your community since you was talking about the Strive community or readers who have transformed their lives by implementing some of the strategies that you give them.

Yeah, absolutely. There is a woman in British Columbia, an ex-teacher, that after COVID, she was very upset with how the teaching has changed. She didn't feel as connected with students after going on Zoom and everything else. So with that, she decided that she wanted to experience van life, but in her own way and with her daughter and her daughter and her— she homeschooled her daughter. They went across North America, went down into the States and then up through Canada. And it was a learning journey for them. So, and it was something that really brought travel back and really brought a connection for her and her daughter. And that's what they did for the entire year until she started looking at, okay, this has been great for connection and everything else, but I need to do something for both my daughter and I that's a bit more secure and, you know, a foundation for her growing up. She was 8 years old at the time, so it's a big development time. But she also had a chance to meet children from all over. She still talks with them as well. So it was such a bonding journey and such a great time with her. There is another member in the community that was working as an accountant, and then she started getting headaches and really trying to navigate to see what she should be doing because she went to school for 4 years. She had dedicated this time and she just She didn't know, know what to do. Right now she is actually, she took a big jump. She's in Belize and she has started an online community of her own and she's helping people just navigate out of the specific financial world and into something for themselves too. So it's just, it's been a really supportive journey. With connecting with everybody. I had a friend that she put on, and this is before the book. This is when, you know, I'm just having conversations with coworkers and saying, oh yeah, well, what do you want to get done for the summer? And sort of propping them up and getting them excited for doing something, you know, anything by the end of the season. And she said that she wanted to meet Vance Joy. Well, it turns out we did. And yet, yet another radio contest, which is really funny. But she was so in tears and everything else. And I was so happy to see, you know, actually meet this person that she loves the music and she knows the background and everything else. And this is like her amazing day. And to watch that happen and she held it together too. He came in that tent. And we all took pictures and everything else. As soon as he left, she was on the ground in tears of joy. Like, he was so nice. I can't believe— and he is, he's such a nice man, very smart as well. And it just, it's nice to have that interaction and to see that happen because the joy in it, that's what I want for people. That's what I want for people with the book is to feel that joy of like, I can't believe this is surreal. This is an amazing life, and I just want more from it. So yeah, yeah, I get it.

I was just talking to a guy, Brandon, right before I came on with you. You know, he was talking about something. Oh, he said he made some goals. He made goals for himself, and, um, one goal was to meet Bon Jovi, I believe he said. And he said he met him like 6 months later. And I say, man, you know, one of my biggest goals, if I can meet— like you just said about your friend that just out after Magic Johnson. That's my ultimate goal. If I could meet Magic Johnson, I'd probably be just like your friend. I'd just fall out on the floor, you know what I'm saying? Whatever. I actually want to get him on my podcast, so he told me to put that as one of my goals. Yeah, Magic Johnson, I want you on the show. I shout him out every time because that's why I started liking the Lakers back in 1980, was because of him. And that would just be such an amazing feeling and something for my life. As you said about your friend and the things that you look forward to and the people that you mentor.

Honestly, CJ, write it out. Put pen to paper, write it out. Magic Johnson on my show, July 2025, and then reach out. What's he going to say? No? Okay, then he says no. But at least you put it out there. Hey, hey, Mr. Johnson, just want to let you know, I shout you out every podcast. Totally love what you've done for me. You've inspired me along the way. Come on out. Hey, stranger things have happened, CJ.

I got my— I've been having my pitch letter in my phone for how long I've been doing this podcast, a year and a half now. For about a year and a half now, that's been one of my focus. You know how it is, like how you said with your father. When you went into the story with your father and you said, you know what, uh, Dad, this is just something that I have to do on my own. It was just the right timing for you. And you know, sometimes you feel like when it's the right time for you to do something. And so like I said, I've been having that in my phone for about a year and a half. I just feel like when it's the right time, you know, then it'll come about. So I ain't pressing it. Plus I want to, you know how we in the podcast and you want to get your your reps up. You want to get, you know, saying your technique fully down and things of that nature. Because I ain't gonna sit here and tell you no lie, Monique. If I was to sit here and have Magic Johnson sitting across from me as you are right now, I probably would be on here like, you know, I'm not a starstruck person, but come on now, you know, that's Magic Johnson, you know, like for real. This could change my life having Magic Johnson on my podcast show. So, you know, absolutely.

I was going to get more into podcasting and just the amazing platform that we have nowadays, because that's the great thing too. You have the ability to have Magic Johnson on your show. Theo Von had Donald Trump on his show. You know, there are big names now that are no longer big in Hollywood. Because everyone would rather talk with real people. That's what Morning Sunshine's about. It's about having real conversations, just like you and I are doing, about life and living it. You want to have Magic Johnson? You're going to have him. I guarantee it. You will have him. I have no doubt because you're working towards it.

I got Magic on my show. And you know, I was talking to somebody not too long ago on the podcast thing what you saying, it's such a greater avenue now because now people are getting their information out like you doing right now, promoting your book, promoting the podcast. 'Cause I've been going on more podcast shows this year myself. And so it's a great way because now you don't have to go nowhere. You're doing it from the confines of your home. I'm in the confines of my home. People be in the office, you know, I've had some people be in the car, you know, whatever. So, you know, it, it's just so convenient right now, you know, whatnot. And it's a good way to get your message out and get your story out. And so like you, like me, I love to hear the stories behind success. People may see Monique with the Discover Your 52 book coming out and say, oh, she's doing great and she's dog sledding and she's going ski trips and this, that, she rode around the country. But they don't know all the things that Monique had to go through to get to that point, all the trials and the tribulation, the tears. I heard you say something earlier about, you said your father said, "Well, you got an engineering degree." To walk away from doing engineering work, travel the country, that had to be a big step and something that had to be done. I don't know much about engineering, but when I hear engineering, I hear money. So good, man.

Yeah, and that's exactly it, right? It's like, what are you doing? It's like, what are you doing throwing away pension? What are you doing throwing away a good job? It's not throwing it away because I'm not able to live. That's not me living. That's me being a zombie and like, okay, I'll fit in, I'll do this. But yeah, I would much rather live for myself, and then the finances come as it go, like even fuller because it's aligned with who I am, right?

So, been without before. So, so Monique, I really enjoy y'all. I got a couple more questions for you. I, I have to ask you this one because, uh, this has been a big topic, especially I'm pretty sure you've been, you doing podcast, you probably ran across a lot of people too in this atmosphere. We've seen AI reshape industries over the past few years. What are your thoughts on how AI is altering the business world, especially for entrepreneurs and creatives like ourselves?

It's a fabulous tool, and I emphasize tool because some people are jumping in with AI and being like, oh yeah, I'm going to create this. But it's really not their idea. They're asking, let's say, ChatGPT for 20 topics, then picking one of those topics. Like, okay, you are creating something, but it's really generated through AI. For business, you're able to go on to ChatGPT, which I definitely use. It is a tool that I now use every day, especially in the past, like, 2-3 months for Okay, act as my CFO and these are the options that I'm having. You're able to have all of this knowledge to actually shape your business. There are certain things like the 52 to You. That was me just like going through the book and then I was sitting in the back looking at the lake and I had, oh, well, this is an idea. Now, I am self-diagnosed ADHD, neurodivergent. I feel that it's a full scale and everyone's on the spectrum somewhere for all of those things. But I binge. I binge Netflix, I binge cook, and then I prepare it all. And that is something that AI has really helped me with, is having all of these ideas and being able to organize them and structure them out. So it's like, oh, you know, I have 50 questions in the book for What Makes You, You, which is all about identifying with yourself and reconnecting with yourself. So this is my idea with that. And then it's just brainstorming. So it is a tool. It is a great tool to use. And sometimes it doesn't work out, like for the COVID of my book. I gave it a bunch of prompts and tried to work around it because I am not that artistic, right? But going into it and seeing everything that it came up with, I hated everything. So then you just move on from it and say, okay, so this isn't going to help me this time. And when I did do it, it's great. Sure, this is all across the front because it's a proof, but it's what represents me. So that's one of the things that I really focus on for actually Morning Sunshine is featuring a new artist. This one is from @catcrit off of Instagram and people that are creating and actually doing something with their thoughts and their own imagination and their own vision for what they want to see happening. Now, does that mean that digital shouldn't be a thing? No, because it's a way of creating as well. Just as long as we're not saying, oh, go do this for us. Like, we're the creators. AI is just the tool.

Yeah, you got to put your thought process in there, like you say, with the prompts, you know, your ideas or whatever, because it is a great tool, like you say, for organizing. And I agree with you too. As I was telling Brandon, we was just talking, I was telling him, I say that darn AI can frustrate you too, because like you say, with your book cover, you had put in there Exactly what you wanted. And AI would just do whatever, you know what I'm saying? Be like, look, I didn't ask for this. Like, you act like you talking to a human being. I did not ask for this. I'm getting sick of this AI. This should not be this difficult to change a misspelled word, you know, 'cause they spell the words wrong. And then you put it in. So I know, but I love this tool though. It has helped me a lot along the way. I met a guy, interviewed a guy last week. He's doing a program and he's testing it out, and he gave me a chart with different props for different things. Oh, I love it.

Ah, frustration.

No, I love it. I mean, it's just—

nothing. You love it? Oh, good, good.

I love it. It's called Smarty Pants. Just, yeah, throw it out there to you. Oh man, it breaks down everything that you're trying to do and 'Cause you know, like with ChatGPT, he said if you got the paid version, you can make your own chats, you know what I'm saying, with these prompts or whatever, and it'll just focus on that area and that area alone. Oh man, it has been— 'cause I'm working on a project myself and it has worked wonders. So I will shout out that to everybody that likes chat. It's called SmartyPants by Eric. I can't remember Eric's last name right now, but his name is Eric. SmartyPants, keep that on your mind. So Monique, just got one more question for you. For our listeners who are at the beginning of their transformation journey, what's one piece of advice you would give to help them take that first step?

Write out your ideal day, what your ideal day is. It's not a day that you won the lottery, so make sure to put how you contribute to society as well in whatever way. If you don't know what that looks like, then write out what sort of work schedule works throughout your day or when you'd want to work, but completely put yourself into your ideal day of whatever that means. Start writing it out as if you open up your eyes and start writing what you see, start writing what you smell. Put yourself into that position. If you're waking up alone, if someone's next to you, what you hear, are you in a city, ocean? Whichever. Are you in a different country than you are right now? But completely write it out, because if you are in a spot of misdirection or you're trying to figure out your next steps in life, this will at least give you a destination to start working towards. Your ideal day changes as much as you grow, because you're gonna hit it and then all of a sudden be like Okay, but now I want this as well, or I would like this in my life, or because I've learned this, I actually would like to alter it this way. And it's your life, you get to do whatever you want with it. But at least writing out your ideal day, pen to paper, from start to finish, to your eyes opening, to them closing. Everyone's day is different, and when you have that, then you could start making your path to it. And I've seen people even just start to talk about what they see their ideal day looking like. And you can see their emotions change. You could see their energy start to become more positive in their outlook. So definitely write it out and go back to it. After that, it's finding the pathway there and seeing the differences between your current day and your ideal day, so then you can start putting a path forward and know that you deserve this. We do not come into this life on Earth to watch TV or to sit, or— we are here to learn and we're here to experience. So it's time to start doing that and doing the experience that matters to us, not what we're being told.

So I like I like that a lot. To us, not what's being told. Finally, Monique, where can people connect with you, learn more about Discover Your 52, and become part of the Rise and Thrive community?

Yeah, so with the Rise and Thrive community, it's on Skool, but everything's in the Linktree. So if my Discover Your 52 sounds like your thing, then you could get a free chapter explaining the ideal life. It's in the Linktree. If you are an artist that would like to have your art featured, I'm looking— oh well, I'm accepting 8x10 actual art. The address is there to send it to. The music of— or musician features, that'll be coming up. I'm just putting together the Google Form for it, but that'll be coming up within the next week. But it's really, um, YouTube Morning Sunshine. It's under Rise and Thrive, but Everyone needs a little sunshine in their day for motivation. So it's real conversations with real people. The Rise and Thrive Community, that's for support. We do weekly win sessions where we talk about, you know, what our wins were for the week. We do shattering calls where if you have a block and you feel it and you need to talk it through, all right, let's talk it through and come on. The Rise and Thrive Community, it's in its starting stages right now because everything's coming together and the founding members that are in there, they're just full of positivity and they're rays of sunshine themselves. So it's really strong. So I look forward to seeing what people just experience after this and it's really exciting to see that. So yeah, looking forward to it.

Oh, that's all good. Rise and shine, everybody. Hey, get on up, see, send her some paintings and the things she asked for. Join the community and grab her book, Whatever You Hear, this podcast. So Monique, I thank you so much for sharing your story and insights today. It's been truly inspiring to hear about your journey and the ways you're empowering others to strive. To our listeners, if today's episode resonated with you, check out Discover Your 52 and the Rise and Strive community. It's never too late to take that first step towards your ideal life. If you enjoyed today's conversation, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs a little motivation to embrace change and grow. Until next time, stay bold, stay inspired, and keep striving. This is your boy CJ Moneyway Johnson. With my girl Monique signing off. We outta here. Peace.

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