Booster #2: Lori Wilson Bridging the GAP by Trusting the Process

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But what I will say is it was a matter of sitting down every day and just doing it. Not being perfect, just getting it done, putting out there what I had to share with the world. And that's what I hope that your gappers will do too. Just do it. Whether it's starting a podcast, starting a website, starting a business, you're gonna make mistakes and that's okay. But you're gonna be a lot smarter on the other end.

Hello again everybody and welcome to the Gap, the Get Attitud podcast. The Gap Bridging the gap from who you are to who you want to become and from where you are to where you want to go. My name is Glenn Bill, founder of the University of Attitude, keynote speaker and author of the ABCs of Attitude. I've been fortunate enough to help tens of thousands of people get attitude. Attitude, the secret formula to success in your business and your life. And this podcast will help you get yours. So let's get some. I want to welcome everybody, I sure hope you subscribe, that you rate, that you review and most importantly, share this podcast with somebody you know that needs to get attitude. And it's not get attitude in a bad way, it's get attitude in a good way. Maybe it's somebody that's got a great attitude, but maybe they need to get humble. Maybe that's the attitude they need to get. You know, attitude comes in all different forms. I am so thankful to introduce our gappers to Lori Wilson, who is an Emmy award winning news anchor and reporter down in Atlanta, Georgia. She's a dear friend of mine and she is going to talk to us today about having a big goal and what big goals have done for her in her life. So, Laurie, welcome to the Get Attitude podcast.

Thank you so much, Glenn. And can I say this? You are someone who I met you and I said I have got to have whatever he's drinking because your attitude is so positive, it's contagious. And not only that, you draw people in. And I believe I'm someone who believes that you can put out good things and that they come back to you. And I think that's why you're having such success. And so thank you so much for having me here as a part of your podcast. And I'm here to share whatever I can.

Hey, and again, I know the Emmy was a big deal, but certainly being a member on this podcast, probably the biggest highlight in your career.

Yes, both Emmys were fabulous. This is right up there. Like, if I had an award for being on the Get Attitude podcast, it would be right in between my Emmys.

Well, yeah, maybe. Jason, maybe we need to come up with an award for the best guest.

Why not?

Okay, I'll work on that. No problem. Work on that. No problem. So we are here with our wonderful producer Jason Jolliffe at Studio J here in Indianapolis. We're at 8 degrees currently, gray and snowy. Lori used to be an anchor here at Wish TV 8. Tell us, what's the weather like in Atlanta?

Right now it is 44 degrees, last check. And let me tell you, that was rough this morning. I have an almost two year old and getting him outside when it is this cold is a challenge. There's a trick to it.

He does. He didn't. He doesn't like the cold. Does.

No, he does not like the cold. Up, please. That's. He wants to be carried through it. But if you think about it, really looking at him, I've learned so much about my own life and self. I mean, none of us like to be in situations that are uncomfortable, right? No one wants to be in a place where you don't want to be. But I will tell you this. We've got to get through this in order to get to the spring, in order to get to good things in your life, you've got to go through times where things are uncomfortable and awkward, but just know they will change.

I love it. So, Lori, I don't know, Your attitude is pretty fantastic. That's why we got, you know, I just, we were like friends at first sight. It was kind of crazy. Talk to me and tell our listeners, when, when you think of attitude, what does attitude means to you? And maybe who, who were the first people that taught you about attitude or who do you think cultivated your attitude to what it is today?

It was definitely my parents. And that might be the answer that most of your guests give because those are our first teachers, right? We learned so much from them. And one of my earliest memories from childhood is knowing that both of my parents were in graduate school. Right. I spent a lot of time with my older sister because both dad and mom, my parents were separated. But in Their separate households were going to graduate school. So I knew it was important to work hard. I knew it was important to have a positive attitude and to have big dreams despite whatever it was that was going on at the time. That having a goal and a vision for how you wanted things to continue to progress in your life was really, really important. And so for me, attitude has always been defining really definitive of who I am as a person. And attitude is something you can choose. And so when you think about the attitude that you've got, whether you're doing your own sel talk and it could be better, or whether you're talking to other people and you think, gosh, I could have been kinder, nicer, being aware of the kind of attitude that you've got going on is key to success.

And if you had to define attitude, what would you say your definition of attitude is?

Attitude is the way that you see life and the way that you reflect your own values to others around you.

Oh, that's deep. I like it. Very good. And so how do you see your life right now?

It's so good. It's so for you and Glenn, let me tell you. And things are not the way in every area that I would have them to be, but they're really good. And my mantra in life is that everything is always working out for me. And I remember when I was pregnant, which was not that long ago, so I've got an almost two year old, and I always. I was looking for something that would get me going positively every morning. I would take walks and I do news. And sometimes, you know, if you watch news, it can be bad, it can be negative, it can be troubling, to say the least. There's also good news out there, but sometimes it's a challenge to get through it with a positive attitude. So I said, I've got a reset every single morning. And so that is the mantra that I would say over and over to myself as I was taking my walks in the morning. And it helps. It helps.

Everything is working out for me. Yeah, everything is working out for me.

Always. Everything is always working out for me.

We have people all over the country, all over the world listening to this, who are coming to this podcast saying, what am I going to get today? What? What's the one little attitude boost that I'm going to get today? What is the one lesson? What is the one tool? And you've already given it to us, and we're only like four minutes into this. Everything is working out for me. I need to Say that. And then I'm thinking, the more you say it, then probably the more crap's going on in your life. Right?

Well, I think that I say it all the time. And let me say this. I did not make that up. I listened to a lot of great YouTubers and spiritual teachers. I mean, from whether it's church or Whether it's a YouTube preacher, I listen to these things because I feel like it's important to feed yourself positive things in order to be able to put those out. Right. Because whatever you put in is what comes out. And so I don't know if you've ever been in a traffic jam. I mean, I'll say something as elemental as that, but in Atlanta, it happens all the time. Glenn.

Phil. Sure, sure.

And so I literally can sit in traffic and say, it's okay. Everything is always working out for me. And so instead of having that moment where I wanted to, ah, that driver that cut me off instead of. I just kind of keep going with it, you know, and I move smoothly through my day. And so I hope that does help someone who's listening.

I actually forget who this was from. It was a book. But, you know, people that were late used to drive me crazy. And I got this concept, and somebody said, you know what? When somebody's late, say thank you for being late. Because if you go through the day, isn't that good? Because, like, I'll come home and they'll say, my wife will say, what did you have for lunch? And I'll go, that was like seven appointments ago. I don't even know what I did for lunch. And it's like, we are increasingly, in a time. We were just with a couple that we interviewed before you, that we have 40 to 60,000 thoughts a day, 95% of which are negative. And it's like, man, things move so fast that, you know what, when somebody's late, it's kind of nice. So, I don't know, I just have that moment.

Right. And you can collect yourself, think positive thoughts, or as you often say, give somebody a compliment so you can get your count up. Right.

Exactly right. We want to get. How many compliments have you given today, Lori? You've been listening to Be Nice. I can tell.

I have. And I gave you a few.

Yes, you did. Thank you.

But you're kind of like my only interaction so far today. I took a nap. And anyway, I have a lot to give left.

I want to talk. I want to jump back, you know, the importance of education. Your parents were separated, but they Both were going to graduate school. So talk to me about, boy, that. You don't hear that a lot, right? So, like, did they end up finishing graduate school? What did they end up doing and how. What impact did that have on you?

They did, they did. My mother got her master's degree in social work, and my father got his master's degree in labor and industrial relations. And my father had a very successful career in HR at Cummins Engine Company and then Mays Chemical Company. And my mother worked for Eli Lilly for 30 years. She was an administrator, but she is. When it came to the social work degrees, she is constantly in some sort of program or another helping bring up younger children in the way they should go.

So one thing that I was. Really. One reason I wanted you on is because you're an unbelievable person. But your career, when we talk about attitude and the media and news, you know, it's like, fake news, fake news, fake news, fake news. It's like speakers and keynote speakers are going, don't listen to the news. It's too negative. It's too negative. Which you brought up. Walk me through either your perception or, you know, take the we own a TV station side. What's like, the attitude of the media? I mean, my God, they're just getting crushed right now. And then what's the answer to, you should just turn off and never watch the news? Cause, you know, a lot of people say that. I'm like, well, my God, that's Lori's job. So how are you navigating and working through that? And what do your peers say about all this?

So it's interesting, you know, because really, when the Internet came along. Glad that I'm aging myself here. But everything changed. Everything changed. I think, you know, initially. Do you remember when there were just three television stations?

It would have been 19. Yeah. 97, I think, is when the Internet came. So. Yeah.

And now there's thousands of stations. And so, you know, it's interesting because I look at it not only from a consumer perspective, but also as someone who participates in the gathering and sharing and disseminating of news every day. I feel like we provide an important service. And that is just for people who want to know what's going on in their community. There are some negative things happening. But I look at it like this. It's like us having a conversation at a coffee shop ad name here. Right. I always try to share the news like I would with my best friend. If it's really bad, I'm giving it to you in a way. That helps you get through it. And if it's really good, we can kind of rise there together. So I always look at my job as a conductor to get people through the news. And when it comes to the idea of fake news, Right. I think that you're thinking about the major networks because they all have a bent, right? Whether you're fox, whether you're cnn, whether you're msnbc, they have a bet. So they're going to lean left, right. And so I think that's where we get this idea of fake news at the local level. I just try to make sure that I represent all sides at all times. I was, as a matter of fact, covering President Trump was, along with Vice President Pence, former governor there in Indiana, who I've interviewed many times. But they were in town for a fundraiser last week and. Or I don't know. Yeah, it was several days ago, Thursday, Friday. Anyway, they were in town and my job was to cover the protesters outside.

Oh, my God.

Well, so here you have it. I could go there and just cover the protesters or I could tell the entire story of what was happening because they were not only protesters, there were also supporters there. So I say that to say it's important to make sure that you cover the whole story. I think that's all people want. Whether you are a supporter or a protester, what you want is for your voice to be heard. And that's the service I try to provide and make sure that people know, look, hey, anyway, I don't want to go into it too far, but.

No, that's. No, but I mean, it's very good because I think it's something that, you know, look at news is a part of the people's day. I mean, look at. Everybody says they don't watch it, but they do. Yeah. And hopefully. And the local flavor and the national, it's two completely different things. Have you ever been a part of a national media platform or company and worked in it, and is it different?

So when I worked in Philadelphia, I worked for an NBC O and O, which means NBC owned and operated station. And so on the weekends, they would use some of the local talent to come in and do news breaks overnight and early in the morning. So I did that several times. But as far as having a show per se, I have not done that yet. And my goal when I was younger, talking about having a big goal was always to replace Katie Couric on the Today show. Well, that has not happened.

You're so much better than Hoda.

Come on, listen but what I will say is, along the way, and this is for your viewers as well, you have a big goal, but you also have to be prepared for when things change, because, like I said, things are always working out for me. Actually, I worked in Philadelphia with the young lady Chanel, who is now on the Today show.

Oh, you're kidding.

Yeah, we worked at different stations, but I saw her. She had been in the job maybe a year, and I saw her and I had my son with me. And, you know, she's got children as well. And she said, you know, she said, just enjoy the local days because, you know, you get to network and you're doing those early mornings and you miss so much of their growing up.

Sure.

So appreciate it.

Now.

I'm sure she would not change places for the world, and I applaud her success. I'm so happy for her.

But.

But I will say that at this point, I'm really, really happy with what I'm doing where I am now.

You obviously run around people with all kinds of attitudes, with all kinds of different goal levels. I'd love to know, I guess, some of the most noteworthy, famous or powerful people that you've ever been able to, like, interview, and what about their attitudes impacted you or what could help our people who are listening in today. You know, what are the lessons you've learned from some of the best interviews you've ever done?

Oh, gosh, let's see. I've done, you know, I did entertainment for a long time, Glenn. And so because of that, I interviewed a lot of the world's most famous people.

Right.

Whether it was Steve Harvey or Patti LaBelle or Will Smith or Bradley Cooper or. Or Billy Bob Thornton. You know, I interviewed all of those people. Tyler Perry, the list.

That's a hell of a list.

Kevin Hart. And I'll invariably forget them, but there were many things that I learned from them over the years. What I will say just off the top of my mind is Will Smith. I interviewed him a few times and I was doing a show in Philadelphia, so that meant because he's from Philadelphia, when they would fly me out to la, oh, yeah, I would get the opportunity to interview him. I usually got a few extra minutes, but I remember talking to him about just choosing the life path and career that he did. And what he said was, he knows he's not the smartest, he knows he's not the most handsome, he knows he's not the best actor. But he also just approached his career kind of like the way you see the grand Canyon built right. He said that the thing that change the Grand Canyon was just water running over those rocks. And he said it was just slow. He said it was steady. And he. And now you've got the Grand Canyon, like based on just water over rocks. And he said, I went out there and that was my plan to be the biggest movie star in the world. So what does that mean? That means it's got to be an action picture. I did my research because that's what makes the most money out there. Action pictures and release dates also matter. I'm gonna release them around holidays because everybody's going to the movies when that happens. So he was very methodical about his success. And you can look at it and say, oh, he's just a kid from Philly who got a break on a show called the Fresh Prince. And then just things fell into place. No, he did his research, he studied his craft, and he worked and got to be one of the biggest stars in all of Hollywood. He was also running marathons at the time. And I will be running my very first marathon. Hey, good for you. So that's part husband and one sexy vegan. And, you know, our goal to help people eat healthy, live sexy. A lot of that comes together in our training for that, so. And what Will said was, you know, marathons are really where you meet your demons because it's really you racing against you. And I think that that is true no matter what industry you're in. Yeah, I've heard it's all about you being your greatest either champion or foe.

I've heard the saying, jog a mile your day, run a marathon, change your life. Have you heard that one before?

I have heard that, and let me tell you, I'm looking forward to it because for me, it's terrified execution. What'd you say?

Terrified. You look terrified when you mention it.

Well, I'm afraid, but in the best way. And I think that that is really. That's been a lot of my life I've been afraid, but in the best way. I mean, imagine, you know, I stand in front of thousands of people to emcee events, or, you know, I interview people who are either world famous or infamous. And, you know, I'll go to the hurricane when it's coming or to the scene of the homicide. And so those are just things that I've done and I do with reckless abandon because that's part of my job. But I think it's really helped. And I think that a lot of people who may be listening are thinking Gosh, I've always wanted to do this, but I'm afraid Nike said it best. Just do it. And they are not a sponsor or underwriter here. Maybe they will be after this. But that is the truth. You just. You do it. You don't expect anything to be perfect in life, Glenn, because nothing ever is. And if you're waiting for it to be, you're never gonna get there.

True.

It's the same way when I wrote my book that I finished yet. We're not gonna talk about it. Cause I don't have it up on Amazon yet is it's finished because I'm still working with contract stuff. But what I will say is it was a matter of sitting down every day and just doing it. Not being perfect, just getting it done. Putting out there what I had to share with the world. And that's what I hope that your gappers will do to just do it. Whether it's starting a podcast, starting a website, starting a business. You're going to make mistakes and that's okay. But you're going to be a lot smarter on the other end.

Let's talk about maybe just on a personal level, right? Because, you know, overcoming fear is a big deal and overcoming fear is a big goal. And I know you've broken through barriers, you've broken through walls. You just do it. It's in your DNA, right? It's like, it's who you are. You are a hard charger. Can. Can you share with us maybe one of the times in your life that you said, man, I am afraid of what's getting ready to happen. Where you felt that fear, where you felt that self doubt, like when did that manifest itself? And you know, a lot of times that that happens when you're a kid, you know, so I'd love to hear just a story of when you were most fearful in your life and what that was all about. And I know you're a fearless person, so.

No, you know what? And I appreciate you saying that, but I'm really just. I really just do it. Afraid. I don't let fear set stop me. Do you know? So, I mean, I remember my first celebrity interview, which is a guy you probably heard of, Les Brown.

Oh, yeah, my man.

I was so. I mean, I was terrified because that was my very first celebrity interview. And I. I mean, Hamanahamana, I was just. I'm nervous. I hope there's not a tape out there anywhere. But I did it because I had to do. He was on our noon show in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was going to be doing a keynote later that evening and this had to be back in the late 90s.

I'll say that that's something, but it.

Was just I remember the fear because you remember feelings as opposed to exactly what was said.

Sure.

But I also remember how great I felt afterwards. And I think that for anyone who is afraid, you think about, okay, what's it gonna be like if I do it? What's it gonna be like if I don't do it right? You know, just fumble your way through.

And I think what the lesson there is, what is it going to feel like when I'm done? How good is it going to feel when I crush the great Les Brown? So he was back in the late 90s. He was doing you got to be hungry I'm pretty sure was his deal. So Les is a friend. I'll mention that to Les, but I'm sure he's been interviewed by tens of thousands. He may or may not remember you.

He will not remember. I mean I was, you know, in my 20s and like wide eyed and bushy tailed and interviewing the great Les Brown.

I'm going to find that tape and put it in over post. So don't you worry about that. I'm going to find that. I'm going to dig it up.

I'm going to dig up the dirt.

How big was your hair back then, Lori?

Oh God, it was so big. My hair has been a little bit of everything. It was probably similar though. There's like a news hair. Do you know there's like a new kind of like quaffed. So it's been maybe it was a little shorter.

I want to talk about, and I don't think this is the name of your book, but I know we've talked about one of your goals is this thing called Lose youe Big Butt Without Diet or exercise, right?

Yeah, lose your big butt. No diet or exercise required.

Oh, that's it. That's it. Yes. Talk to me a little bit about that concept and that mantra, if you will, and what that means to you and what you've been doing with it for women outside of just you.

Yeah, I think that again for me that goes back to this idea of being fearless. It has always been about looking at the excuses, really taking inventory of why I haven't done something and then just checking them off like these are not real. A lot of times those things that we're afraid of, not real. And you can list every single excuse and there will always be more. When it comes to standing in between you and your goals. But lose your big but was when I was in Indianapolis and that came to me, the concept of figuring out how to just motivate people to move forward. And it's the idea of how do you eat an elephant? It's just one bite at a time. Right. And I think that that's, that's how I try to encourage people, is just to take a baby step. It's like when I started training for this marathon, I started by literally walking for 20 minutes. I was like, I'm just gonna walk 20 minutes today. The last run that we did, which is still not the 26th, but we did 18 miles.

Wow, good for you.

Last week. And again, I could have never conceived of it because I'm not a runner. That's not what I do. It's just something that I have chosen to do. It's a goal and one step at a time. And that's how I try to encourage anybody.

And you're not, it's not that you got. You're not six one. So you actually have to do more steps than most people.

Yeah. My husband is 6 3, so he's gliding along. I'm 5 foot 1. Thank you for bringing that up.

Do you have to keep up with him when you run with him or.

I gotta keep up with him.

Are you gonna.

But luckily he does. He does my pace.

That's cool. So one thing that's really cool is that you guys do stuff together. And I know that you have this Facebook page called 1 Sexy Vegan and he does. Is it a Monday call in show?

So what he does, they're two separate things. He does a Wednesday interactive. He's a therapist as well as we have our company, One Sexy Vegan. So on Wednesday, Wednesday nights, and we're not in season right now, we're off production. He does a Sex, Love and the misunderstanding Facebook show. But One Sexy Vegan is our company and it was created to help people kind of demystify what it is to be a vegan. A lot of people say, oh, it's a great idea. I tried it once, but I didn't last. And so we consult people if they are interested. We sell clothing, cookies, and change is what we say. Because really my lifestyle has changed. My husband is 50 years old, looks amazing, and it's just been based on what he puts into his body. Right. If we put in good fuel, not only that your relationships are better, I mean, your health is better. Everything improves when you're putting the right thing into your body.

Yeah. So that's attitude booster number nine. Eat right and exercise. So I probably should have had you on attitude booster number nine. Maybe we'll come back and have you again for that. Tell me this, what is your big goal at this point? Obviously, running a marathon is one big goal. And I'm sure raising your kid is a huge goal. Do you have a goal that you really don't like sharing, but you're going to share it here? Because people that are listening need to understand a ridiculous goal needs to be shared. It needs to be thought about, and there's no reason to be embarrassed by it. Part of it, having a big goal, which we talked about in our opener introduction, is to dream. You know, it's our dreams that drive us. It's our dreams that influence us. And without dreams, you know, who are you? When you look at fulfillment, you can't be fulfilled unless you have the dream first. So what do you dream about?

It's so true. It's so true. I have been really blessed, Glenville, to have a lengthy career in television news. I'm going on 22 years. Wow. In TV. And my big goal is to be an entrepreneur that helps to employ others and just contribute to the economy in that way and shows women ways that you can feed your family and have a lot of fun doing it.

Let me ask you this. When it comes to. And we have a lot of women listeners, when it comes to disempowering beliefs that you see through your 21 years, and I know you talk to a lot of young girls about the lose your big butt without diet and exercise. Talk to us a little bit about the misconceptions, the bad beliefs that you see. And then what are the steps to correcting that?

Yeah. For a lot of young women in particular, it's that I'm not good enough.

Right.

That maybe they don't understand their worth. They don't understand that if they can dream it, they can do it. Because I believe God doesn't give you any dream without giving you the ability to fulfill it. But a lot of it is just low self esteem. And that's because a lot of times we look to our girlfriends or we look to a guy to make us feel good about who we are. In many families, the idea of educating our young people and developing their character to know who they are and whose they are and just how fabulous we are no matter what we do, aside from a sport, aside from anything, how great we are until we spend more time kind of putting that into their little brains. It's going to be a problem. So a lot of times when I do speak to young girls, I just want to give them the courage, like, if I can do it, you can definitely do it. Let me tell you, because I came from a small town, Columbus, Indiana, and a lot of people thought, oh, that's sweet. Her dream of being on tv. That's cute. That's cute, Laurie. But maybe you should study law or medicine or something a little more practical. But I just always believed it was a knowing within myself and a desire to not so much prove things to other people, not to prove them wrong, but to prove to myself that this is what I was put here on this planet to do. And we all have that internal guidance. And if you listen to it, it'll tell you.

So you believe you were going to be on TV from the time you were young. That was your big goal when you were young.

Awesome. And again, when I was a kid, I started doing TV commercials. That's what I started doing. So when I'm in third grade and I do a TV commercial, I learned, wow, I can have fun and make money.

What was your first commercial?

My first commercial was for Indiana Bell. I'm not even. I mean, that is how old I am.

Jason, let's find that, please.

Listen, if you can. I would love to see it. I'd love to be able to show my kid. But it was an Indiana Bell commercial. I tell young people now, you know, there was something called call waiting. Their eyes glazed over. They have no idea what that means. But it was a brand new technology at the time, time. And I just, I had fun. I had fun doing it. It was good.

Well, I can tell you this, Lori, you are super fun. You have brightened our day. Your energy has brightened our podcast. Your thoughts about big goals, your thoughts about believing in yourself, your thoughts about forcing your way through doing it. Your thoughts about fear and just going through fear. Right there's, you know what? I don't know. Is there a plan to overcome fear? Yeah, you can get hypnotized, whatever, but like you said, just do it. Not to steal. That won't violate a copyright, right, Jason? I hope not.

We'll see.

But boy, you're doing so many cool things. A new mom, 20 years in the business, one sexy vegan. You're running a marathon. This is a person that. Guys and gals who are listening to this podcast, you need to share this because Lori, as we're going to learn, became a mother late in life. I mean, that's a big, big I don't know if that's a goal or not. My guess is it probably was. You always wanted to be a mom, but, boy, you're really, really doing it. And so what we're going to do is we're going to take a quick commercial break. We're going to come back with this thing called Knowledge through the Decades where we're going to ask Gloria to tell us her best attitude lessons as she has progressed through life. And, Lori, you've knocked it out of the park. We're getting ready to close it up. So thank you so much for being here. And we'll be right back.

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Foreign. And welcome back to the Gap. We are here with Emmy award winner Lori Wilson, TV news anchor and reporter. We're talking about having a big goal and we're talking about a lot of other great stuff, too. So, Lori, welcome back. And we are going to do this thing called Knowledge through the Decades where I'm going to put you on the spot.

Okay, I'm ready.

Knowledge through the Decades is a segment that we do on every single podcast where we ask somebody to walk back through their life and tell us about the attitude lessons that they learned. And what we find is so many people really, really align and they really can look back in their own life and say, yes, you know, have I learned lessons? We know attitude is really about awareness and becoming aware about who you are, where you came from, why you are the way you are, why you think the way you think. So what we always like to do is start from birth. Now, you were born in Columbus, Indiana, right?

I was. Bartholomew County Hospital.

Bartholomew County Hospital. God love him. And so what I want to know, and we could even. You just gave birth. You know, what I really want to know is what is the attitude lesson of birth, of starting life? What is the attitude lesson that you feel or when you gave life? You know, only half of us are able to really give the life. So what is that attitude lesson for you?

I think about the birth of my son. And I think of going to classes and getting a whole bunch of information and reading as much as I could. Yet when it was time to give birth, I had no control over anything. I mean, I had none. No control over anything.

That baby's coming. Yeah.

There's some things you cannot prepare for. Like, it's our responsibility in life to get as prepared as humanly possible. But then there are moments and experiences that are just gonna knock your socks off and just accept it. It's part of life.

Yeah. I mean, it's giving labor, right? It is. How do you just think about it? You know, the whole visual of it going, oh, my God, you know, and you talk to young kids about it, and it's crazy. And you just did it. It just. Like your fear thing you did earlier, right?

You just. You just do it with me. I did it with a lot of drugs, the help of a lot of drugs. A lot of great doctors.

You had good doctors, huh?

I had a great one, but that's it. There are some things you just. You prepare, but when it comes, you just. Just hold onto your seat.

All right? No. So I think that's a great lesson that we need to understand, is that, you know what life throws you. Things that. Hey, you know what? They're coming. They're gonna happen, and you're gonna have to. You're gonna have. You're gonna have to push. When it's all said and done, literally push through it. Now, let's talk about when you were 10 years old, sweet little Lori. Where were you, and what was your attitude back then?

I was a student at Greenbrier Elementary School, and really, I don't. What I will say is that is when I kind of learned that you can make money and have fun, because that's when I started doing commercials.

Wow.

You know, I had a great. I'm trying to think. I had a great best friend. I played soccer. You know, life was good. And my favorite teacher of all times, Mrs. Robbins, I got her for both the second and the third grade. And then I did this commercial thing and was making money that I could actually use, and I had fun doing it. So I think it's a time when a lot of people explore their passions. And if you're sitting there thinking, I don't have any passions, I don't know what I want to do, think back to what you were doing when you were, like, 10 and you loved it, and there was no other reason other than you just loved it and did it. And that's What I would say, that's great advice.

Now, I want to know practically, because I've always wanted to be in tv, how do you. How do you go about getting in it? What's the quickest way to get into a commercial? What do you do? Call an agent? I mean, what's the process?

Yeah. So you have an agent. You.

What do you do? Google them. Like, how do you find an agent to be.

Say, yeah, you can Google them. And you send them whether they, you know, they accept submissions all the time. Whether it's. They'll ask you to upload a photograph or a video, and then they tell you, yeah, we can use you, or, no, we can't. But I will say this. There's this stereotype that in order to have an agent, you've got to look like Kim Kardashian. You don't. They're looking for. I mean, do you remember the where's the Beef lady? Like, she made oodles and oodles of money.

Yes.

They're always looking for different caricatures as well.

So if you wanted to be in commercials, what would you Google?

Commercial agents. And then I would look at their reviews.

Right, Commercial agents. Then look at their reviews. Interesting. Well, look, it. Doesn't everybody want to be in commercials?

I mean, I still kind of do.

I still kind of do.

I have friends that do them, and I think they're amazing.

Jason, do you want to be in commercials or no? I'd rather make commercials than be in them. Okay, I get that. Okay.

Do you hear that voice, though? That Jason?

I know.

He is doing voiceover work.

I don't know what you mean. Give her the Gap, have a big, juicy burger. Oh, the Gap.

Okay, hold on.

Here we go. Watch this. Here we go.

You caught me eating a candy bar, by the way.

I got chipmunk cheeks. Welcome to the Gap, right? Yeah. She didn't seem too impressed. She's good.

A natural.

All right, so Greenbrier High School, you're doing commercials, and now little Lori becomes a little lady at 20 years old. What college did you go to and what were you doing at 20? And what was the attitude lesson there?

Indiana University in Bloomington.

Gosh. Oh, you're an IU grad. How about that?

Yes, yes. My attitude then was, my mom used to say, you don't want to be a common girl. Don't go out to all the parties, Laurie. So I kind of have this. I would choose, like, one party or two a semester and go out. I don't know. I had this. It Was like this mystique that I wanted to have. You know, I don't know. It meant nothing. But I was 20. I also learned when I was 20. Again, this is a personal lesson that love does not have to hurt. That was a big one.

Awesome.

Another lesson was that as I was studying, it was really important to have other experiences, so I looked for internships. I also traveled abroad and did some other good things to make sure that I had a worldview, because that's when you're kind of setting your worldview.

Awesome.

You know, now you can just click on the Internet. You can be in Rome.

Right. Wherever.

Australia tomorrow, but. Or right now. But then I traveled because it was important to do that, and that helped kind of create the person that I am and how I look at people, no matter where they are, whether it's age wise, socioeconomic wise, career wise. You know, we're all the same. Same trying to get to the same place with the same needs. Yeah.

What. What was the attitude lesson you learned overseas? How is their attitude different? Or what did you admire about their attitude?

So I did some traveling when I was in college. I went to East Africa, West Africa, in Senegal, and I was a part of a group that went to the African. African American Business Summit that they have, where African leaders meet with African American leaders and tried to work together collaboratively. But I was at the University of Senegal, and there was two computers. And so what I learned then was just how ridiculously blessed and fortunate we are in the United States, really. Because to have two computers at an entire university, their newspaper. Whereas at IU, we had 20 of them just in the newsroom then. And most of us had our own personal computers. So then it was really about understanding how fortunate we are, because I think a lot of times we take things for granted, like clean water and a coat when it's cold. And not everybody has that. So it's important to have that respect. I also did some traveling in Europe, and that was just ridiculous as well, because they know how to vacation and see at. And live life at a different pace. And they're all very happy and successful and just really appreciating family and friends and taking more time to do that. We don't do that as well in the United States.

Yeah, I think we push. We push, we grind. We listen to the gaps. We could do more. And maybe, you know, maybe the lesson is for our overachievers and our personal development Nazis that are on that, listen to this, because this is what they do. You know, it's bridging the gap from, you know, being that super achiever to maybe becoming a little more normal and maybe becoming a little more loving and a little more present, which is giving back. Yeah. Or giving back with all the things you have. So now you've graduated from IU and you're 30. I'd love to know, where were you doing news at 30? You were probably feeling like, I'm hitting my stride. I'm actually doing this thing called TV news. What was your attitude lesson at 30? What did you learn?

Oh, gosh, 30 was good. I was actually here in Atlanta the first time I was here in Atlanta, so you couldn't tell me anything. I was young. I was here. I was anchoring a morning show. And I think that, for me was really the first time that I felt like I had a friendship with a boss.

Oh, cool.

And that was important in helping me. I also negotiated my first. My own contract.

Wow.

And so that lesson was all about knowing my worth and value.

Cool.

I had. Without going into the specific details, but I had left a job where I had asked for a $4,000 raise, and my GM would only give me a $2,000 raise. And we're not talking. I mean, so we're talking about a $2,000 difference.

Right.

I ended up. And I said, no, I want $4,000. I wasn't asking for a lot at the time because I had been in the market for four years, so people knew you. It's something called market equity in television. So he wouldn't give it to me, but I ended up leaving there.

And good for you, by the way. That's something.

Wow. I did it. And I tripled my salary. So I'll say that. Wow. Just to say you should take a bet on yourself, and when you know what your value is, you're much more likely to do that. But that's what the 30s were about. Understanding my value.

Possibly the most powerful thing you've said today. You know, I sit and I think about the people whose lives we change with this podcast. And I sit and I think about that person that's sitting there not happy with their job, knowing that there's more, knowing that they're worth more, but sitting there doubting because of the certainty, you know, that everybody looks for. And the bottom line is, you know, there. There could be a better day for you. And to bet on yourself is the best bet you can make.

Make.

Now, we do want to encourage our listeners not to blame Lori. If you walk into your boss, don't get the job and end up unemployed. I just listened to this podcast. Lori Wilson got me fired. Actually email us or hit her husband's Wednesday show and you can tell them about it, but it's going to work out for you because I don't know, there's probably nothing worse than working for somebody who doesn't know what you're worth, you know, I mean, when it's all said and done. So that is powerful. Excellent job. So we're going to finish it up now with my lady who turned 40. You are 40. You're not 50. So this will be your last question. Tell me about. Do you remember your 40th birthday? Where were you? Listen, and what did you learn? What did you learn at 40?

Listen, let me tell you, 40 was so interesting. I for the first time made a move that was best for my family as opposed to me personally by coming back to Indianapolis. I was working in Philadelphia and I left that job and moved back to Indianapolis to be near my parents. And that was the best move I've ever made.

Well, you met me when you were 40. There you go.

There's that, duh. But I did that. And I remember my 40 birthday. I took myself to the mountains on a yoga retreat vacation.

Wow.

I came back from my birthday yoga retreat vacation and the next morning was supposed to get back to work and learned that my station had lost its affiliation. So my station, that had been CBS for years had lost its affiliation. Now I had just spent days meditating and omming and doing all these restful massages, eating vegan food. And I get home to that. And I just, I had to laugh because I felt like the universe knows exactly what you need and it will give it to you.

Yes.

When you need it. So it was good, it was good. But what I learned too is again, it was another one of those lessons like you don't know what's going to happen, you don't know what's going to happen, but it's all going to work out for your good.

That's right.

You do know that.

And so the big goal, right, like how did you say, I'm going to invest in myself and go on a four day yoga retreat? How did you talk yourself into that?

Well, because I was 40, I was single at the time and I had a great salary and I always, whenever I would yoga, would go to this ashram in the Bahamas and I thought, no, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to take myself to the mountains. I'd heard so much about this place. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just invested in me because I think that when you have an opportunity to get quiet, you can create. The reason why some people stay in the jobs that they're in all the time is because all they're doing is getting up, going to work, coming home, dealing with the kids, going to sleep, waking up. They don't have time to create a greater vision for their lives or even space to think about what they'd rather be doing. So whenever I get the opportunity, I try to get quiet and listen to that internal voice that never steers you wrong.

That is so cool. And so getting quiet and going on yoga retreats. Good for your attitude.

Yes, I thought so.

I love it. I think so. For everybody. Laurie, I just want to thank you so much for your time today. I want to thank you for giving us the mantra, everything is going to work out for me. Everything is going to work out or no, is that what it is? Everything is all. What is it?

Everything is always working out for me.

Everything is always working out for me. Just an incredible mantra, an incredible story. We loved hearing about how you started, how your parents shaped your attitude. We loved hearing about one sexy vegan. I hope everybody follows it. I think there's some attitude boosts there. Is that correct?

Absolutely.

Right?

Absolutely.

And then that. What's that one? What's he do? That sounds great. It's very intriguing. What's the show that he does?

Oh, my husband has the show called Slam on Wednesday nights. Sex, Love and the Misunderstanding. We are off season right now, but if you head to the Slam Facebook page or even my husband's Facebook page, Dr. Tyee Mohammed. He's got old shows there and they're a hoot. They're a lot of fun.

That's good. I think that sounds fun. I think those would be an attitude booster too. A big goal for me was to get you on the show. A bigger goal for me is to stay your friend and to keep on helping you promote what you do. Because I believe in you and I think you have greatness within you. And I don't think you've reached near where you're going just yet.

I haven't yet. But check and check to those two things. Thank you so much, Glenn Bill, for letting me be here.

All right, well, this is Glenn Bill with the Get Attitude podcast thanking the great Lori Wilson, Emmy award winning news anchor and reporter. Lori, the best to you. Namaste. We'll see you.

Namaste.

Thank you. This podcast is a part of the C Suite Radio Network. For more top business podcasts, visit c suiteradio.com.