[Liza Joubert] ​​​​​​​You always have a choice - Go play , share your magic out there!

Welcome to Exit the Matrix Stories of Success with your host Jane Slack-Smith, where we celebrate the incredible journeys of individuals who've transcended their limitations and achieved extraordinary success.

Hello, it is Jane Slack-Smith here, the host of Exit the Matrix Stories of Success, and I am so excited to share with you the story of an amazing guest that I have today. And, you know, in these podcasts, really what we're doing is we're, we're talking to people who've had that kind of sliding door moment, a little bit of a different spin on what is conventional, where they kind of thought, you know, this is not for me. And they've taken a step to exit the matrix, maybe outside of societal norms, maybe outside of family norms, maybe outside of their country, and they've created a whole new life. And these stories are to inspire you. Now, today I have Elisa Joubert with me. Now, she She is an adventure-driven coach. She is someone who is brimming with effervescence. I have had such a pleasurable experience in working with her over the last year, and she is really creating the most amazing space and opportunity for particular care for caretakers who, you know, often don't get taken care of themselves. And she has this most beautiful, gentle manner, but also this incredible spark sparkly personality, and I'm just so excited to introduce you to Lisa. Hello, Lisa, and welcome.

Thank you, Jane, for that lovely introduction. I'm super excited to spend some time with you today.

Well, look, you know, I know that what you've been working on with Let's Live From Our Hearts has really, you know, been setting a way for people to see things differently and create the love and the life that they want and, and really have, you know, a really supportive experience themselves. But I want you to go back all the way in the beginning before, you know, you went down this path. And I'd love to just, I guess, hear about life before that kind of decision of yours to go in this path.

Yes, Jane Slack-Smith, take me back to that spot. It was a space of— it looked very successful from the outside, like I was in a family business. We were really dynamic, um, suppliers in water tank and sustainable products, delivers for Southern Hemisphere of Africa. But internally I knew that although I was working with humans, I wasn't bringing my essence and my gifts and my talents to the world in, in its unique way that I would love to. I was also working crazy, crazy hours and under a lot of tension and stress and did not learn the lesson of asking help and allowing love and help and And so my health was suffering. And so I rapidly became quite, quite ill and had injuries. And I wasn't active and exercising. And also my relationships was struggling, both in the family of origin and in business, but also my personal relationships was not ideal. And, and I suppose what was hiding is I wasn't authentic, like the real Lisa, warts and all, brilliant and beautiful. She was hiding a bit.

And I think it's interesting. I mean, you know, you talk about almost being trapped within the family business. There is this expectation for a lot of people to go down the path of family expectations, and it may not necessarily be in the business, but it might be to get the degree or to marry the right person, or, you know, this is the way we do things. So what was the kind of moment, or, you know, you've got this agitation, you know, things aren't quite right, you probably weren't connected to your, you know, true purpose and, and passions and authentic self, you had this little agitation. Was there an event or was it a series of things that kind of put you on the path of, um, this is not enough?

You know, just like intuition never releases the onslaught of, bring your heart to the world, get out of this. And then if you don't listen to that little nudges, eventually it will, okay, you have to listen to me now. And that mine was, I ended up in hospital with a broken vertebra in my back, and I was bedbound for 8 months in recovery. And my then relationship broke up and we moved to Australia. So Everything around safety, security, finances, emotional well-being, mental states, emotional states was a bit messy. And, and I remember I was laying in that hospital bed thinking, Lisa, if you created this kind of chaos, like, can't you imagine what you can create if you work with it functionally, if you get clear with your thinking and, and of course, and your destructive behaviors perhaps, or not standing up for yourself. And I just remember like, yeah, here I am, it's not comfortable, and now I'm taking up my heart and I'm gonna have to change it. And it took a, it took a good decade. I had to slowly get out of the family business. I had to get sustainable, financial, uh, independent from that structure. And I also had to let go of a very dysfunctional and abusive relationship, and I had to create teams around me that support me, get help, and get honest and clear, and also like allow that heart to shine through and give myself permission to live the love that I came to enjoy, independent of what people think, situations, and family thought.

It's interesting, isn't it? If I take you back to, you know, the weight of the world was so great you broke vertebrae in your back. And it's interesting, every now and then I talk to people and they talk about, you know, life was weighing me down and I got a sore neck or I got a sore back. I'm like, oh, it's interesting. So sometimes these things turn up physically. And that had a huge kind of change. Like, you leave the safety, security, the friends, the finances, everything from South Africa, and you come and really you have a chance to start again. And You know, that, that journey in itself, I mean, you talk about it being 10 years, those kind of nudges that you get that are like, this is not quite right. There's an opportunity, there's a decision to be made, there's an action to take. A lot of people, you know, may not be aware of those nudges or they may not recognize them when they come. Have you, you know, since you've really, you know, taken on, I guess, you know, being aware of the, the messages you get, your intuition, and all the, the good things that are, that are supporting you. Have, have you got a way that you actually go, oh, actually I should be paying attention to this?

And in the beginning, like, it's soft and gentle. Like, I, I used to use a lot of masculine do-do, go-go, and, and I, I like These practices most people use, I suppose, meditation, being in the present, physical exercise, breathing, good nourishment, support, counseling. There's myriad ways, but what I've learned is that the whisper of my heart is gentle and it's relentlessly, this is your truth, Lisa, you have to bring it forward. And so I've cultivated in the practices of meditation and working around trauma and childhood development and 12-step recovery work around codependency, I really got real with my stuff, what's not my stuff, but the whisper of that intuition that will say, hey, say yes to this, or nay, nah, step away from the fire. And I honour this now because I've not listened to that burn my fingers. And if I listen to that freaking miracle appears. So to me, it's now a non-negotiable, that little whisper. And I can determine, is it like chatter or is it truth?

Yeah, it, it sits right when it's true, right? Just sits right. Now, a quick word from our sponsor, Your Success Club. Your Success Club is a group of vibrant abundance seekers. If you subscribe to exitthematrix.io, we are going to drop you into the club clubroom, which has lots of goodies, resources, and a free gift just for subscribing. Now back to the podcast. So, you know, you, you've been on this incredible journey. You now support others, you know, codependency, those who, who have addiction, you know, 12-step, childhood trauma, etc. You know, how, how has life changed from you being in the family business and finding your way in a new world? You know, what are you doing now? And, and, you know, how does— how are you living your true purpose in nature?

I think, Jane, you will understand that the joy it brings you when you fist pump, when that person, that other human, like, my heart matters, I'm just gonna bring it unapologetically. That's such a yummy feeling. And so having done a lot of work on myself, on my knees crying, doing what I needed to do, like, now I can hold space with compassion for, for the person stuck in a place where they, they're living in a dynamic where perhaps their friend or their partner is stuck in either an addiction or a mental health journey, or even in having a disability. And then living a life not saving and enabling and disempowering, but then living a life caring but also moving forward, bringing their unique unique brilliance to the world. And it's a fine line because some people think that caring and caring for is love, but it can edge to disempowering and it just ends in resentment. It will just end in a crash. So I have beautiful support groups and I go into public and volunteer and do work around women stuck in dysfunctional relationships, issues around personal relationship, but also business, and also in a bigger way, just like that tricky dynamics of that codependence, caring for and caring for self. And so, so I feel honored that, that I can have this space to be of service.

You know, it's amazing if you go back now to life how it was and then that choice to, you know, I've got, I guess, a genius and a magic that I can share with the world. You know, what would you have said to Lisa back then? Would you try to speed her up on her journey?

I suppose I would have just told her, man, just go on with the farm. But it's like I was so highly strung and I would just that That essence I so effortlessly hide and wanted to show something different to other people and deny that. The denial was intense around my behaviour, but also the dysfunction in many ways around me. And so just to— it takes time to sit in honesty because when we're really truthful what's going down, but it's done in a loving manner. This wisdom just comes forward, and with that you can take steps forward. So what I would say to her is, man, you're freaking gorgeous, go out and play, go out and play and explore. Like, I remember, Jane Slack-Smith, the story comes to mind is like, man, I'm a bit rounder than the average Joe on the street, and I I never trained lots, and I, I just signed up for a beginner course in triathlon. I couldn't swim. I, I'm not really a big good runner, and I'm a bit chubby, but I just said yes. And I, I learned to swim, and I, I got a secondhand bike, and someone dragged me to run with them eventually. And, and I'm doing my second Ironman race next week, and it's like a man If that, that woman that sacrificed herself can do Ironman, but what else can other people and myself do moving forward?

I, I can understand someone signing up to a, you know, beginner's triathlon, but not someone who has— doesn't know how to swim. Like, you'd think that I would go, ah, you probably need to swim. So kudos to you, not, not just doing that, but now, you know, going into God, an Ironman competition, that is just extraordinary. It must have felt amazing when you finished your first one.

It was a fist bump, and I'm still amazed. Like, I do a training day, it's like, what the hell, Lisa, you did that? It's like, I keep on realizing we are powerful beings, and to me, I'm seeing it both in the mental and emotional and spiritual, but I'm now just playing with the physical as well, and Like, I'm also the coordinator of the beginner course in my local club, and this morning I got a text from a member saying, I did my first ocean swim. I'm like fist bumping with her, like, you go, girl! Like, yeah, breaking those barriers and playing with your— with all of your heart, unapologetically. That, that really excites my soul.

Yeah. What I love about you, Lisa, is this, this amazing effervescence, and people are hearing this, you know, come through. You just have the yummiest words. And, uh, and for someone who's, you know, had some conditions and some barriers and then kind of just went, well, you know, why not do a triathlon even if I can't swim? And, you know, inspiring others with what you do, just extraordinary. And before we wrap up, and I want to tell people what you do and how they can contact you, tell me something as a bit of fun. What's something that people may not know about you? Something a little bit different and unusual?

I can't dance and I don't like dancing. To show up at Ironman with that very skinny Lycra suit is very daunting. I was a navigator in my, in my 20s, a motor racing navigator, and the only time we ever crashed is when connection was broken and clear communication went. And so that's why the communication with the heart's important, the communication with the intuition is important, communication with setting up boundaries, loving others but no, no more bullshit, that being truthful to yourself. I suppose that excites me and I love learning about myself and making mistakes and fumbling my way through it and standing up and shaking myself off. I was like, oh, that was a bit tough. Okay, what's next?

It's so delicious listening to how, how you take on life. Now, for people who would like to reach out and find out a bit more about you, your programs, your Wednesday Wisdom videos, which I love, tell us more about how they can contact you.

Yeah, especially through, uh, like, difficult times around like family events. And I have a Wednesday group where we just talk. And if you're a caretaker and you're caring for someone deeply, and it's tricky because they are impacting your life and you want to either save them, help them, control them, come to the Wednesday meetings because we just discuss topics like guilt and shame. We talk about feeling vulnerable. We talk about how can I love myself independent of life around myself. And I also help people to get clarity sessions, and I've got a beautiful workshop around connecting to that uniqueness of yourself. Bring it out, play, and honor that essence. It's not going to leave you. The intuition will want your heart to shine. And so I do one-on-one coaching So it's just a very supportive and nurturing journey, and, uh, and it's one of safety, because it's only when we feel safe that we can— okay, let's get real with what's happening.

So if people go to Let's Live From Our Hearts, the Facebook page, they can contact you. We're going to drop some links below as well. But in particular, I think the, the work and the joy and the permission for for people who not just are going through a difficult time with maybe being a carer of someone who's in need, but caring for yourself as well. I think it's just amazing the joy that you bring. So thank you so very much, Lisa. It's an absolute pleasure speaking to you.

Keep your sound, Jennifer.

And everyone, look, another amazing guest on Exit the Matrix. And these stories of success are here to inspire you. And I hope you're inspired. There's going to be many more to come. Please head over to exitthematrix.io, subscribe for a very special gift, and also, and make sure that you actually register so that we can actually send you information about when the next speaker is going to be sharing their delightful journey through exiting the matrix. All the best, and thank you.

Bye-bye, Finland!

Thank you for listening to Exit the Matrix Stories of Success. Make sure you subscribe to future episodes at www.exitthematrix.io. Until next time, here's to your success!