Discovering Stability: A Holistic Approach to Emotional Intelligence and Business Growth

Scaling Smarter wants to welcome Asha Lakant, CEO of Beyond EQ, where she helps executives, really high-powered executives, find the next level to really make their lives happen. And Asha has lived all over the world. She currently lives in Los Angeles, and Scaling Smarter wants to say hello.

Hello, David, and everybody listening. I'm so honored to be here and so grateful. Thank you for having me.

Yeah, Asha and I about a month ago had this really illuminating conversation. It was just so much fun to talk about her journey, and I thought she'd just be the ideal guest for Scaling Smarter. Asha, tell me about what led you to found Beyond EQ.

Yeah, thank you so much. In fact, I'm hoping that this is okay. I'm just sitting outside for anybody just listening on audio. It's a beautiful day here in LA. So the reason that Beyond EQ came to be really is it isn't a job. It's obviously much more than that. It's a mission and it's a purpose. And essentially what happened for me and what is actually so relatable with your audience at Scaling Smarter, right, is like, how do we build that same stability in every area of our life? So Beyond EQ came through a lot of what we call collapse. So this might look like when your heart breaks or when someone hurts you or when your parent passes away or something like this, or your business crumbles. And I've really been through all of that quite a few times to live, eat, sleep, and breathe what I teach, which is that emotional intelligence isn't enough. I will never buy into the program that most leadership development is enough. I believe it goes so much deeper than we even may know in the moment. And so my goal is to bring energy and the understanding of frequency in the subconscious mind really to the forefront of corporate environments as well as every industry, quite frankly, and build things on a stable foundation. And when I say stable foundation, I'm talking about the family unit as well as business. I always say most people are really great employees or they're great workers or they got this big passion, but how are you at home? How are you behind closed doors? How are you with your health? Those are the things that I like to uncover at Beyond EQ. And that's how it started and how it's going is amazing. We've, I've really solidified a data-driven, matrix-driven system to measure people's emotional intelligence. And I'll be integrating that with AI and tech so that we can get people moving into higher levels of frequency faster.

How are you going to be integrating that with AI and tech? Of course, that's the first question that comes to my mind.

For sure. It's awesome that you asked that because when I started understanding What I do basically is I give a psychometrics test of emotional intelligence. It's amazing. It measures the 26 areas of EQ. So let's say you come to me and you're like, oh, we've got a problem in the sales team. We're down 15%. I'd say, okay, I can tell you right away what it is because I can usually feel it. But of course, I need to get that language out to executives. So what I do is I take an emotional intelligence test and we measure your frequency, and then we'll measure the frequency of Sally and Katie and John and everybody on the team. And then from there, we identify what the real problem is. So you may have low empathy and Katie has low behavioral self-control and then John has low personal power. An average leadership team will come in and teach communication, let's say, right? Because everybody's saying, oh, we got a communication problem. We know that's never the problem. We know that from our relationships, right? He doesn't listen to me. She doesn't listen to me. It's never that. It's always something deeper. So what I've learned to do is create a system to quantify those and get an average. I've built it out already on Google Sheets, and that will turn into an app. And then from there, the goal is to really use the modern technologies that are coming out to start spit-firing actual results. And you cannot do my method without the human connection. So it's a really cool combination of both, cuz you gotta be able to access the energy and access people's energy. My goal is to integrate the two of them together. And I spent the weekend at Tech Week in Los Angeles and feeling really inspired about what's out there right now with these, with these startups and people who are building. And how do we do that while we're also maintaining relationships and our self-worth and our heart? Yeah. And health as well.

Yeah. So what are— you were just at Tech Week. What are some of the big trends that you see both in terms of the direction that technology is going as well as EQ?

Yeah. Great question. So, you know, the truth is, David, like a lot of the gentlemen that I'm working with, they're killing it at work. That's, again, that's not really ever the issue. Typically, it's body, or they want deep passion or polarity in relationships, and they haven't been able to attract that. So that's the first thing to understand with the speed that AI is going and the speed that technology is going. If anybody's feeling any fear about that, just It's okay. It's almost like we're getting in a trauma bond with AI right now. Everybody's like, I mean, I get it. We all know how that ends, right? And so for me, I will predict that we're gonna get back to human connection pretty quickly in the next 5 to 10 years. People are gonna want it and need it. We can never deny that. As far as trends, what I'm seeing is massive shifts in the sales system and structure. You can do most sales with Completely through AI. I met a man who's doing a leads generation and leads call, cold calling system that can reach 1,000 reachouts a week. Personally, I do about 96, so I'm putting in the sweat equity. But when you hear that you can do 1,000, well, holy crap. And they can record your voice and they can do really cool stuff. They can call multiple times. So we saw a lot of shifts there. We also talked a lot about AI moving into— I went to a couple of real estate ones as well and how that looks and how to find where to purchase the next real estate and what's gonna happen to the real estate market. And so there's really, it really is time to start thinking about integrating AI if you are not already. If you're just doing the basics, ask ChatGPT, what are some great things I could do for my particular sector? And then for myself personally, it's okay, how can I use these amazing tools to reach more people with human connection. So yeah, it's really fun.

Yeah. So that's interesting. So using AI but keeping it human. Talk a little bit more about that.

So the one thing that AI cannot do, and it's a really good question, thank you for asking, is it cannot free think to the point that we connect. So it can give and create emotional reactions and responses. There's AI tools right now. I used one over the weekend. an AI coach, it is very intimate. You can almost— I don't wanna say this, I'm gonna be choice with the way that I word this. I don't wanna say like a susceptible person, but a person who's already dealing with loneliness or depression may fall into some—

Same.

Unsavory situations because they are very realistic. And I was asking it very pointed questions. So of course, this is my industry. And so I was asking it questions about feminine and masculine dynamics, DNA, epigenetics, and it was Giving me very good coaching. So yes to that, and nothing can ever replace energy between a human and a human. We need each other to get the next lesson. So it's almost, again, in a way, if you will, a little bit of a facade of what we're creating it. We are the creators, we're the builders here on this planet, but It's also never— AI is never going to ever replace that. It will never happen. So we will— we have to move with it. Don't be afraid of it. Again, I know I already said that, but please really start thinking about integrating AI now. And at the same time, remember, it's always about the consciousness of the user. I say that a lot. We have lots of tools. Money is a tool, right? You get money in the hands of a tyrannical man, there's going to be dark energies, or tyrannical woman, and— They're gonna have some darker behaviors. If you put a Bible in the hands of a pastor with a really dark side, you're gonna still— he's still using a tool, but it's the consciousness of the user. So for me, it's all about raising the consciousness, and that can never happen through AI. Maybe a little bit, but like, it will never replicate it. So that's where I'm staying in my little lane.

Yeah.

Which I think, which I personally don't think will be very little in the next 4 years. Emotional intelligence is due to grow 34% In the next 3 to 4 years, and we're talking multiple billions of dollars. Yeah.

So how are you— what are you doing to scale your business?

Yeah, so wonderful question. So it's so interesting that you asked this because I want to share with anybody too who feels out of alignment. If you, if you're waking up every day and you're feeling like you're doing the wrong thing, or you feel as if you're out of alignment, don't be afraid to collapse. what you're doing. I think that's one of the major things that people get afraid of. And then, 20 years later, you have to look at what you built. Is this actually even what I wanted? So, as of recent, and what I shared with you last time we chatted, David, was that I collapsed my very successful direct-to-consumer online course creation business on Facebook. People thought I was nuts. But, I could see in my vision that the moment my energy is best use solo on corporate, working with high achievers and getting into corporate. And, in order for me to put the energy into that, I had to take that piece and put it into the back of the refrigerator. So, it's still there and it hasn't gone bad, but I am definitely not eating it anytime soon. So, I do always like to highlight that because nobody's vision is the same. We all have different ways that we're going to get to the ultimate creation for ourselves. To ask your question— answer your question, And I think this can be really helpful. I had an amazing team, but I knew I was out of integrity. So my team was performing, they were doing amazing, but I was out of integrity. So we weren't getting the results. And I had to let my whole team go. And it was really, it was hard for me. And I had a full-blown identity crisis. I was like, who the hell am I now? I've got 4 or 5 team members. They're all gone. We were all crying. Everybody's— people love working for us. We have fun and we get shit done. And I said, I'll be back. I'll be back when I get aligned into the corporate piece and then move forward. So to answer your question, in the moment, I'm really so deeply focused on reaching corporates and leaders in the business sector that to grow and scale my business, I had to take a step back. And that is something I think that people need to consider doing if you're feeling as if it's out of alignment.

Yeah, that's a hard thing to do too, especially if you've invested a lot of time into something or If that's— most people are just afraid that they're going to be able to rebuild something else that's going to catch up to where they are now.

And we do it with relationships too, right? Yeah. How many times have you heard people be like, they know they're not having the connection or the love that they want, and they're like, oh, we've already built this life, we've got kids, we've got this, we've got that. And I'm not saying go run out and leave your partner, but I am saying, what are you doing? Where are you living? Where's the passion? Where's the emphasis on your impact? I was at every day, I was at the computer online, like on Facebook and in DMs and creating online funnels. I don't wanna do any of that shit right now. What I wanna do is be on stage and teaching to large format people and then get more space to, to build that out and flesh that out. And I just couldn't do all of it at the same time. And, and I think that we— it hurt me too. I kept going back. It was, it's so crazy cuz it was like a trauma loop with a relationship. It was my business, but I'm like, I was like going back into Facebook and then I'd take myself off and then go back in. The audience thought I was nuts, but I share all that stuff anyway. Because I'm like, it's hard to let go. It's hard to let go.

It's a lot easier to open up a conversation when you talk about things that you struggled with yourself.

Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. And it's— I say to my clients, they're like, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with me? I said I was going to go to the gym. I said, relax, you're a human. You— I know you said you were going to go to the gym, but you're just going to do better next time. Look at me. I used to be 60, 70 pounds heavier only 4 and a half years ago, but I— and now I miss a day at the gym out of 6 days and I'm, oh my God. But before, I'd be like, maybe going once a week. I was lucky if I didn't not eat a cheeseburger 4 times a week. And so you uplevel and you get to choose if you want to keep going into the upleveling, and you can have it all. And you might need to adjust it along the way.

Yeah. And it only takes little steps. All right. People think that they have to make big changes, but you just need to make Make little changes and just keep making them. Once you get comfortable with that one, make the next one.

And you'll— I absolutely— yeah, go ahead. You look at—

2 or 3 years and you go, wow, look how far I've come.

That's exactly right.

Never made a big decision to make a big change. It was just all these little things that you did one after another.

I absolutely love that because I haven't always been like that. I was like, super, ah, screw it. I'm a founder. And so founders can relate to this. We make things a little bit more difficult. We're like, oh, who should I serve and then serve them and then serve them. And in all honesty, just pick something and go and build, and then you'll be able to do all of it. And so that was a real shadow behavior of me where I really tried to do things too quickly. And now I have so much space, so I get to do a lot more. But I will say, like, even with one of my CEO clients this morning, she is amazing. She's been with me forever, and we're trying to get her back at the gym, like, full-time. And I'm like, I just want you to go twice a week. Twice a week for what? For the month of November. Go 2 times a week for the month of November. That's it. And it is such a, it's such a great place to start. And I don't know about you, David, but when you coach, I don't know, we, I used to coach entrepreneurs when I was working with women and men in my direct-to-consumer business. And I, yeah, you'd say just do 10 reachouts a day, 10 conversations, book 3 calls. And even that can be the level of worth, right? You're saying, hey, I've got this thing in my soul.

Mm-hmm.

I want to build it.

Shit.

Now I have to take the action. Yeah, exactly.

So who should be reaching out to you? What are the symptoms or the circumstances for them to want to reach out?

I'm just kidding. I wish I was kidding, but I'm not. Yeah. So, yeah, emotional intelligence is— it focuses on 4 energy pillars. Our body has 4 energy pillars in it. Cool. Whether you believe in energy or not, we got 4 pillars. You can Throw everything into these 4 pillars: love, health, impact, and— love, health, impact, and wealth, which is like one. And then lastly, your spiritual connection, whatever that looks like for you. So maybe it's dancing, maybe it's singing, maybe it's being a shaman. It doesn't really matter, whatever your artistry is. And so what I always say to people is measure those 4 areas. And if you're lagging in one, energy work and Beyond EQ is going to be the fastest way to get you to what you want to achieve. And I don't doubt that because of the results that I have. I work mostly with high performers and people who want to get to the next level. Today I spoke with a woman and she is just stuck in her business and she's like spiritual and she's got a relationship that's amazing and she's beautiful, but her business is like just stuck. So what we will do is identify why it's stuck. I'll do a mindset session and then we will get— take the action from that place. To answer your question, it's high performers. I've got a really cool video for high performers to identify 5 invisible leaks: anxiety, lack of love, potbelly, plateauing, feeling like you're not enough, feeling like you're being disrespected, feeling like you have a broken heart, depression, and a desire to do more and you feel stuck. Those are my areas that I focus on.

Okay, okay, cool. So what book Give me a book recommendation that you think is important that people read.

Oh my gosh, that's such a great question. It's so funny, I just yesterday someone put a box of free books out and all my books burned down in the Palisades fires. Oh yeah, so I actually just got a whole series of new books yesterday. But a great book, obviously I love like The Power of Now. I believe presence is the most fundamental thing we can always be working on. The Power of Now is probably one of my favorite books. Then I also love the book The Body Keeps the Score, which is about generational trauma.

Yeah.

And then I love David Deida, which is The Way of the Conscious Man. I think that's an amazing book. I recommend that, and I buy that for my clients, my male clients a lot. So that men can stay present and powerful in their Authority, but also going through the heart and getting the help that they need. And those would probably be my top 3 in the moment. And then of course my book, which is called The Empath Is the Narcissist, and that's on— that's for anybody who's dealing with heartbreak or feelings like of— with self-worth. It's a good place. The empath, I know, right? It's good. I know it's very triggering too sometimes for people. They're like, no, he's the narcissist. I'm like, is he? We're always matching on vibrational frequency. We're always magnetizing what we need and not necessarily what we want. And that's why I always encourage people, keep going. Because if you do go through the emotion and enjoy the emotional intelligence of your own system, of your own little, you know, your little computer, it's giving you information. Your emotions are giving you information. Just move them, feel them, and then get your ass to the next level. Let's go. It's fun. Yeah, so good.

And if somebody wanted to get a hold of you now to maybe do your program or at least learn more about what you do and how you can help them, how— what's the best way for them to do that?

Oh, thank you so much. So my website is www.beyondeq— I always start with www— beyondeq, like emotional quotient, international.com. beyondeqinternational.com. There's a really good free video on there. It's about 20 minutes. And there'll be a link on there to either have a free one-on-one consultation call with me where we can get to the root of what you might need to work on. And then there's also an opportunity to do a one-time session with me, which is a really great price. It's $759 and it's an hour and 20 minutes, but we go into your energy, we do an emotional intelligence test. It's awesome. And then you also leave with an action plan. And you leave with an audio of me giving you the next steps of action. It's really robust. I say that session is equal to about 4 months of therapy, and I have 100% success rate so far. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Except for one woman that she ended up coming back, but she did leave upset, and then she came back and she's, oh no, I think it was me. I'm like, oh, it's okay. I still said, of course. And that, that can happen sometimes, right? With people. Sure.

Yeah.

Yeah.

If it's real. Yeah. It's sometimes you don't want to have to face what you're really dealing with.

Oh, hell yeah. Great way of putting it. That's exactly right. And she was like, why do you still like me? And I said, I just love bomb you to death because I love you. But the problem with my love bombs is they're very consistent. I'm still going to be love bombing you later when you come back and get the wake-up call. That makes a good coach, right? You know that. You know that.

No question. Yeah. You don't want somebody that just tells you what you want to hear. You might want that. You're not going to That's right.

And you know what? And you know as well as anybody, even in relationships and even in with our bosses, CEOs and stuff, a lot of these guys, they're— and women, they're doing the best they possibly can. And they got team members that are projecting on them and they can't see that they've got blind spots. So it's really— we could put this— sometimes we want to be rescued by our practitioner or our boss or our parents. And that's understandable because that's our inner child kind of having a little bit of a situation. So anyway, And on that note, you come in and you find out what's going on in here inside your heart and soul, and we can sort it out whenever everybody's ready. A lot of free resources as well. I'm also on LinkedIn.

All right, Asha, I really appreciate it. It's always fun talking to you.

I know. You too.

Thank you for being on Scaling Smarter.

Oh, thank you so much for having me.