How She Did It! with Simone Craig

And we are live. Hello, hello. It looks like a whole bunch of people are going live right now. These live streams are popping up on my Facebook page. Oh, all right, let me just do a tech check and make sure we are appearing on my Facebook page, and I don't see us just yet. Check my phone. And while we were checking, I am Jennifer Dent, your health and success coach, and I'm here with Simone Craig. And this is the very first How She Did It series for 2018. Are you excited to be my first guest?

I am. I feel very honored.

You've already done it. Like, we're only, what, 9 days into the new year and Simone has already done it. We have to keep— yeah, I need to have you on the show.

Yay!

Okay, yeah, we are live. All right, and we got some reactions and we're good to go. Okay, so the How She Did It series is basically sharing people's successes, and not just any people. But these are the women who are in the Stop Dieting Forever community, the women who are under my tutelage. Is that the right word to say? I don't know. I don't know why that phrase came into my head, but the women who are in my group specifically now, the women who are in my private membership group, the Luxe Life Member Circle. And I'm just amazed about how the transformations are happening emotionally, physically. And so when I see someone doing really, really well, I like to bring them on and highlight their story because it serves as an inspiration to other women. And so here we have Simone Craig, who has been in the group, in the community. Yeah, for a while. Has it been a year?

It's probably just under a year. Probably just one.

Yeah, so you've migrated from my free Stop Dieting Forever accountability group, um, which I archived at the end of 2017, into the private membership group Luxe Life Member Circle. And if anyone is interested in getting more information about that, you can simply go to jenniferdent.com/member, and I'm gonna Type that on screen real quick.

And if I can say, it is so, so, so worth it. So worth your investment of a dollar, a dollar, and then $9 afterwards. Every— I mean, it's incredible the value you offer in that group. So yeah, highly recommend it.

Good. I want to make sure that good health is affordable to everyone.

Yeah.

And I think, you know, you don't need to make a certain amount of money or, you know, be in a certain position to enjoy and learn how to be healthy and learn how to live a holistically healthy life. So you can join the group, try it out for 30 days for just $1. $1. Um, yes. And then after that, if you decide to stay on— and I know you will because you'll love it— it's It's only $9 a month. You can cancel at any time. It's just like having your Netflix. So it's Netflix and health. Netflix and health.

Yes. Yes.

Um, okay, as you can see, I'm feeling really silly tonight, and I'm glad you're feeling silly with me, Simone.

Yes, I am.

You know, I always tell you, you have like the best laugh. It just cheers up the room. So, okay. You discovered— so let's go back. Let's tell everybody how we met originally. College, college colleagues, right? We went to school together. Yep, at Hampton University way back when. Onyx 3, for those other Hamptonians who may be watching. And we reconnected here in Philly because we have some common people, common friends and family.

Yep.

And we just kind of like kept in touch because you also have your own business as a coach. You want to tell us a little bit about what you do?

Yeah, so I am a money mindset coach for women entrepreneurs. Um, but actually when we first met, um, or reconnected, I had just started my bookkeeping business. So I have a bookkeeping company, um, and then more recently I started my money mindset coaching business. So they keep me very busy. Yeah.

And who do you— tell us, who do you work with, with your money mindset coaching business?

Yes. So I work with women entrepreneurs who are either solopreneurs or, um, they are small business owners where, uh, they have a team of anywhere of 1 to about 5 people. Um, and I, for the most part, work with women of color. Um, but I think Really, people just kind of connect to me. They feel comfortable with me. But I think we also, as women of color, we have our own kind of unique challenges around mindset and success as business owners that I like helping women with.

Is something covering your mic up? Because it was like going in and out a little bit. Is that your hand or something?

Maybe.

That sounds good.

Is that better?

Yeah, because I'm a hands talker, so sometimes, you know, I think my ear is hitting up against— uh, maybe that is it, those cute little hoops you have. So yeah, money mindset coach, awesome money mindset coach. I have been all up in Simone's content and everything that she has, so I highly suggest you all go to simoncraig.com, check out what she has, the goodies that she has, her vlogs. Are great. Uh, get on her email list. And there's a whole mindset behind money. And it's, it's ironic because lots of times Simone and I will talk, and some of the, the struggles that we realize that we have with money, we also have with our health too, and weight. And there are lots of commonalities.

Yes.

So, you know, that's the holistic approach to health and wellness is, uh, getting everything in order.

Yep.

Okay, so how she did it. I was intrigued, um, because you posted in the group, uh, that you successfully made it through the holidays by gaining 0 pounds. Yes, 0 pounds. And I was like, wow, how the heck did she do that? Yeah, so I was like, all right, I need to talk to Simone. I haven't even heard this story yet, so I am Give us a little background about why this is a big deal for you.

Well, it's a big deal for me right now because, well, first of all, let me back this up to a few months ago. I, um, I haven't told anybody, um, this yet, um, outside of, you know, my friends and family, but I, I went to the doctor and I had gotten a checkup, you know, normal checkup, and I, you know, my health, overall health was fine. You know, I'm healthy. I didn't get any alarming news, but I was alarmed when I was looking like at the screen, you know, they're taking notes, looking at the screen, and it based off of, you know, my height and my weight, I was labeled as obese. And I was like, oh wow, you know. And so, um, I had kind of been, you know, aware of your group and I had been in your group, but I was kind of like, oh, doing things, you know, when I wanted to. And on the outskirts, yeah, kind of a little bit. I would post sometimes, but a little bit of a lurker. But I would say for me, that was the big wake-up call. Because it was like, wow, you know. So that's when I really was like, okay, I'm going to really start doing something to get healthier, to get healthier, to lose weight and get healthier. And so for me, that's when I started to do your detoxes. And that's really where it started. Um, because before that I really was a dieter, you know. I was like, like most of us. Yeah, you know, what's the latest thing? What's the latest thing? And it just— I got heavier and heavier and heavier, like the, you know, the, um, like I think most people experience.

And so tell us, how many diets have you done? Just, just rattle off some of those diet names.

Gosh, I've had to at least done 10, 15 2015. I mean, I mean, it started in college really, right, with the, um, with the cabbage soup diet. The cabbage soup diet.

Yeah.

And then the, um, what's the one where you just drink lemon juice and cayenne? The lemon—

oh, the Master Cleanse.

The Master Cleanse. That one I did. I've read— I've read all the— I read all of the, you know, Skinny Girl, Bethany Frankel. Oh gosh, I've done Weight Watchers, South Beach, yep, South Beach, Weight Watchers. I mean, I've done a lot of them. I've done a lot of them. And so, and so it just was like, it became more disheartening and more disheartening and more disheartening. So that's why I was really attracted to your group and to your coaching. And really, like I always tell you, I love your mindset because I love mindset around health and weight and food. Um, so, so, so yeah, that's, that's where things started.

Good. And the detoxes that you mentioned are the seasonal detoxes. So I do seasonal 14-day detoxes. It's not a crazy juice diet or anything like that. It is just eating very clean Whole unprocessed foods, good sugar, good foods, right? Delicious foods. It just teaches women how you can have a really, really healthy diet in a very delicious way. Yeah. Um, and as you're reducing the toxic load in your body from, you know, the processed foods and the sugar that we tend to consume as Americans with the standard American diet. So yeah, Simone was doing the detoxes, and I think you did the very first, the first one, the spring one, and you had a really, really great experience.

I did, I did. I lost 5 pounds, um, I think it was in like 14 days, or 5 pounds. And, um, it was the, it was the best and easiest 5 pounds really I, I have lost. And, and not to say that it wasn't challenging, I mean, um, it was a challenge to kind of Of course, change what I ate and, you know, of course I had to sacrifice some things, but overall, I mean, it was so— I wasn't going crazy in the gym, you know, I was doing very light exercise and stretching, and I was eating good foods, foods that I enjoyed. I wasn't hungry. That was one of the things that I remember you saying that I really appreciated was when somebody was giving feedback in the group, I'm talking about how hungry they were, and you were like, "Oh no, you shouldn't be." You better not be hungry. Yeah, yeah, eat. And I was just like, "Oh yeah." So it was really, um, I guess really is just that I never learned, which is why when you said tutelage, that was— that's right, because I never really learned what it is to eat healthily, to have, to have a healthy relationship with food and my body. Um, I had no idea what that was, so I just thought if I wanted to lose weight, I had— I would have to be hungry. I'd have to be starving at some point.

You would have to be miserable, right?

Be miserable. That's right. I have to be eating some wheatgrass or something, you know.

Now, I do like my wheatgrass.

Yeah, nothing wrong with the grass. I had to be going out and eating some, you know, and, and I And I was— I'm pretty knowledgeable about health. Like, I, um, I was vegetarian for a long time. I've been vegan for a long time, so I was aware of all these things. But, um, I think you kind of helped me with like the emotional connection that I needed to make and to really like give myself a break. And that's, um and to enjoy my food. You know, it's like food's not the enemy, which, right? So that's what those detoxes taught me. And also just even the fact that say that I enjoyed a detox, like when I thought of detox, I would just think pain, misery.

Most people do. They're like, well, what? 14 days? Like, no, I'm not doing that.

No, but not Jen's detoxes. Those are heavenly. Heavenly.

It's different. Yeah. It's very much a physical and an emotional detox. Yes, and they always seem to come right on time, right when you need one.

Totally.

So that brings us to the holidays, right? Yes, the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and you pop up in the group like January 1st like, I didn't gain any weight over the holidays.

Yes.

And I was like, okay, so what happened? What changed? What was different?

Yeah, well, I was following your meal plans, really. And because, you know, I like I was telling you before, I just love the food in the plans. And so before, like, I remember an email you sent out, like, you're going to say you're going to gain 7 pounds or something.

It was the average American. This is what they say. The average American gains like an average of 7 pounds between Halloween and New Year's Day.

Yeah, and I was like, no, I cannot afford to gain 7 pounds. So, um, yeah, I did the meal plans, and I, I think what was different for me is that, um, like when I go into the holidays, well, before I kind of just thought of it as like a throwaway, you know, like, all right, I'm I've done the best I can do up to this point. So, you know, I know I'm gonna go off on Thanksgiving, I know I'm gonna go off on Christmas, so all right diet, I'll see you January 1st, you know. And, um, I said, okay, no, I'm going to— well, first of all, I planned, so I got my meals out, and, um, that was huge. I planned cut up my vegetables. And also, I like, I took pressure off myself because the— also the way I used to think about it, again, about like a diet, is that, okay, you know, in order for me to be successful to the holidays, I can't eat anything, I can't have any cake, I can't, I can't enjoy myself.

And the holidays are about family and friends and connecting and socializing. So to be in a miserable place where you're like please don't bring the cake over here, I can't eat it. That's no fun.

Exactly. And it's not realistic.

I'm not realistic.

No, I'm gonna eat cake, and I'm gonna have a Christmas cookie, and I'm gonna have a candy cane. Yes, I am. So, you know, but, um, I also made sure that, um, I treated— I treated it like a lifestyle, like you said. So Even though I knew the holidays were coming up, I did the meal plans. You know, I don't do them perfectly, but I do. And there are certain things that I picked up, habits that I picked up from the detox that I just— I do every day now that are part of my day.

Like, tell us.

Like, so when I do the, the lemon detox elixir, I love it. And now I have gotten to a point where I don't even have to put um, a sweetener or honey or anything in it. Like, I— yeah, like, I just enjoy chugging it with some lemon and some water. Um, ACV.

Okay, so yeah, the Lemon Elixir, for those who are not familiar, you drink it in the morning. It is basically room temperature water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and a little sweetener. But Simone has foregone the sweetener, and now she's just Which is good.

Yeah. But, and that's a thing for me too, is sugar. I definitely know my koteel is sugar. So anytime I get to a point where I'm not craving the sugar, or it's like, oh, I have to have sugar in this, and I can just enjoy something without it, I consider it a win.

Yes.

Um, so, and that was the other thing too, was like, I would, I would just acknowledge those little wins. Like, oh, I don't have to have honey in my elixir today. That's cool, you know. So like, I would just— I was just kind of kinder to myself through the process.

Oh, I like that.

Yeah, you know, it's like, like, it's okay, Simone, you know.

So, um, takes the pressure off of you.

The pressure off that. I think that was the biggest thing, to just admit like, yeah, I'm gonna have a piece of pie, but it's okay. Like, that doesn't mean Um, it's okay, you know, as long as I'm doing other things, you know, in the lifestyle to allow me to have those, those treats, you know.

And it was a treat, right? So it wasn't like, oh, let me have a piece of pie on Monday, and then let me have another piece of pie on Monday night, and let me have— take some pie home and have it for breakfast on Tuesday. Right?

Nope, no, no, no, it wasn't. But that was also the, the beautiful thing about, um, doing the, the meal plans and getting into that groove is that, um, I think it helped with the detoxes too, is that I'm noticing my body starts to want the healthier foods more. Um, I— and, and if I do have, you know, like the the pumpkin pie or whatever, it's like I eat a certain amount of it and then it's enough, you know. It's like I don't have to eat the whole thing, or if I do eat the whole thing, it's just because I wanted to eat it and then I've had enough, instead of I'm not supposed to be eating this pie and then I end up eating 3 pieces of pie.

Like, put your face in it.

So yeah, I think, I mean, it did, it had a lot to do with the preparation and I'm sure the physical aspect of it as well. For me, like, the big thing was that the pressure was off and that I had a support system in the health plans, which was the majority of my day. And then, you know, so Thanksgiving came, had a great meal, had some dessert, but then the day was over.

Yes.

And I went back to, okay, I'm going to eat, you know, get back to my groove.

So did you take the leftovers home?

I didn't. I took some greens home.

Mm-hmm. Vegetables. Yeah.

Yeah. I took greens and that was really it.

That's when people start to fall into the rabbit hole, right? Or fall down the rabbit hole. Yes. You enjoy the meal, you enjoy the day, you have all your favorite foods on Thanksgiving. But then they're like, oh, let me take like all this food home with me because I want to keep eating Thanksgiving Day, like Friday and Saturday and Sunday. And you're eating your Thanksgiving leftovers and you're eating the same amount of calories continuously. And then it gets harder to stop because all of a sudden it's like, oh man, I really want some cake for breakfast.

I want that macaroni and cheese.

I want that macaroni and cheese there on the refrigerator. So if you just don't take it home. Tell Auntie or your mama and grandmom and say, hey, I'm not taking this home. Yeah, um, you're setting yourself up for success.

Yeah, that's, that's right. Yep, I took some greens home. And then, um, for me, like, the big thing is Christmas time, um, because that's just like there's all this chocolate and everything around. And so I had, you know, I had some chocolate But also what I found myself doing was, okay, well, what's like the healthier choice? So, okay, so yeah, I'm gonna have a piece of chocolate. Am I gonna have this white chocolate or am I gonna have this, you know, dark chocolate? I went for the dark chocolate and some red wine.

You know, that's so good together though.

Oh, okay, good.

Dark chocolate with a good glass of red.

Oh, it was wonderful. Yeah, yeah. And then I also too, like, I just like am enjoying food more and when I treat myself more. So instead of this thing of like, well, you know, I'm eating this thing I'm not supposed to be eating and I'm feeling bad and then I'm just feeding guilt. It's more just like, okay, you know, I'm eating better, I'm making better choices, so Okay, I'm going to enjoy this. And then there's kind of less— I don't know, it just feels better. It just feels better. And then I've noticed I don't crave, crave as much.

Because you're not putting all that into your body. Hmm. So let me ask you a question. So a lot of people are under emotional stress during the holidays. So yes, it is a fun and festive time, but it can also be very stressful because, you know, there's a lot of stuff to do, right? There's a lot of money that is being spent going out the door, which can be stressful. A lot of places to go and visit and do things. That can be stressful with your time. And then, you know, some people have relatives that they have to spend a day or two with. They're just, you know, can be stressful as well. So did you have any stressful periods during the holidays? And if so, how did you handle that without throwing your face into a pumpkin pie?

Um, I'm pretty lucky in that, um, well, the family that I did spend time with, we really like— we really like each other. We don't—

that's good.

Yeah, there's not anybody like, oh God, I have to talk to him, or, um, some kind of awkward political discussion or anything like that. Like, we— I didn't— I didn't have to deal with anything like that. Um, but I would say like normally for me emotionally Um, it would be around— it was around money, like, okay, you know, oh gosh, all this money that I have to now spend, you know, make sure my daughter has a nice Christmas and putting stuff on credit cards and oh gosh, what am I going to do by the beginning of the year? So yeah, for me it was more like a worry about money. Um, but, but that's been going really well lately too.

So, yeah, because Simone, can I say how much you just made? Of course I can. Sure. Because your business is doing very well. You just pulled in 60 Gs, right? In a couple months at the end of 2017.

Yes.

And 60 Gs, for those of you who don't understand my urban slang, is $60,000 in a couple of months.

Yes. Yeah. So that's been going really great. And I suspect too it has a lot to do with that I've been taking better care of myself and my health.

Yeah.

Um, that I was able to, to kind of call that into my life in the way that I did.

So when you take care of one area in your life, other things start to kind of fall into place.

Yes, indeed. And, um, yeah, just with more ease and less pressure. I guess that's been the theme Because that's kind of how the money came too, is it was all through referrals. That side of my business, I don't really advertise much. I don't advertise my bookkeeping business.

Which is awesome.

Yeah. And money came and working with great people and then having a team also to support me and having that, which I think is a huge metaphor for what has happened with my health.

Yeah, because that's not stressing you out, right? You don't have that added stress of managing a business and everything is going well on that end of the spectrum. Yeah, so which is awesome. Yay! Thank you. For those of you who are listening live, we have a couple people live. If you guys have any questions for me or for Simone, and go ahead and type them in and we will respond to them. So Simone, if, um, someone is listening right now and they're like, her story is great, I want to be like Simone when I grow up, I don't know where to start. What would you tell them? Wow.

Um, I would say, I would say the first thing you want to really get clear on, um, with anything is, is really get clear on what it is that you really want. And it sounds, um, It sounds simple, but it's not necessarily easy, an easy question, um, because for me, um, a lot of, a lot of my life, um, has been kind of externally focused. So it's like, okay, well, um, what will make my parents proud of me, you know? What will, you know, um What will— a lot of times, what will help me to make the most, the best money? And, and money is great, and, and I, I coach women around money, but it's not my first question about what I want, right? Because money ultimately, it's, um, it's not ultimately what we want. It's like, I'm going for an experience, I'm going for growth or expansion in some way, and money is a reflection of that. So for me, it's like, if there's anything that I want to do, first I get really clear about what I want, what Simone really wants, and why I want it. Because if I can be clear about what I want, really clear what Simone wants and why I want it, then everything else that comes after that is, it may be a challenge, but If I can fix myself to that, then it helps it easier. It helps make it easier for me to get through, you know, to the— to make it to the mountaintop, as they say.

It's like a guiding light, right?

Yeah.

Once you get your really clear on your why— and I heard a really, really great, um, activity, uh, a guy, I don't even remember who it was, I was listening to a random podcast and he was talking about how he coaches people of how to get to their why. Because people say, I want to be successful because I want financial freedom, right?

Yeah, right, right.

And then it's like, so why do you want financial freedom? And then they say, because I don't want to work anymore in a 9 to 5.

Yeah.

Okay, so then why don't you want to work a 9 to 5 anymore? And then they sit there and they think, and they're like, oh, because, you know, my dad worked all the time and I never saw him. Okay, so why do you want to not work a 9 to 5 so you don't have to be like your dad? Why is that an issue for you?

Yeah.

Oh, because I felt abandoned. So literally ask yourself that question 7 times.

Yes.

And you just keep asking yourself, why do you want this? Why do you want that? Why do you want that? Why do you want that?

Yes.

And so 7 times, and you really, really get clear on what your why is. Yes, I think that's a great activity for everyone to try when you're, you know, at this point.

Absolutely, got to get clear on that.

So we do have a question here from Danielle. Uh, she says, I'm so new to this. Well, we're happy you're here, Danielle. Yes, this is my second attempt and I'm determined to be successful. How do you manage when— how do you manage when so many other stressors are in the way? That's a really, really great question. So Simone, you want to talk about— you talked a little bit about balance and, you know, getting balance in other areas of your life. Um, I think, Danielle, I think you should definitely figure out what is your why. Why do you want to do this, right? And what are you trying to do?

Yep.

So Danielle and I have talked she's in the group. Um, why do you want to do this? What does this mean to you? And go down 7 levels and get really, really clear on your why. And I think that will be your determining factor, um, and help guide the way and help really, really boost your motivation and get beyond those other stressors. So, you know, and there are also practical things you can do with the other stressors. And depending on what they are. I don't know if you feel like sharing what those other stressors are, um, but it takes— from my perspective and the Stop Dieting Forever methodology, if you will, um, time management is a big key. Oh yeah, time management is a big key. And when our schedules are out of control, we have too much on our plate, we are stressed out. Like, that's just the end-all be-all. So the first thing that you can do. It's also— it's kind of like budgeting your time is like budgeting your money. If anyone's ever like going through the process of like getting out of debt and, you know, figuring out where your money is going, what's the first thing they tell you to do? Take all your debts, write them down, figure out how much you owe. Well, it's the same thing with your time, right? So you start tracking your time, um, and figure out where are you spending your time. With your money, where are you spending your money? If you find at the end of week of tracking your expenses and you're spending, you know, $40 in Starbucks, well, that's probably $40 you could put somewhere else. Same thing with your, with your time. If you're tracking your time for a week, and this is what I actually tell my clients to do who work with me specifically with the Scheduling Success coaching program, track your time for 7 days, a full 5-day week, work week, and the weekend. And if you find that you're spending, I don't know, 4 hours a week on social media, well, guess what? We gotta make some changes, right?

Yep.

Just like if you're spending $40 at Starbucks, you can buy Starbucks coffee beans and make Starbucks coffee at home and save yourself $38. Yep. Right, Money Coach?

Absolutely.

So it's the same thing with your time. And then once you can identify your time sucks that's what I call them, the areas where you are spending a lot of time wasting it doing something that is not uplifting you or not pushing you towards your goal. Then you can either eradicate that task or whatever you're doing, whatever activity you're spending your time in, you can delegate it or you can just get rid of it. Or I guess that is eradicate it. So eradicate it or delegate it.

Delegate it. Yep.

Um, or figure out how to do it a lot quicker.

Absolutely.

So she says good advice. Awesome, that's good.

Yeah, and get clear on— I would say another thing is to really get clear on how you want to feel. That's my— was my guiding thing too with the weight.

Yeah.

Um, during the holidays was, how's eating this gonna make me feel?

Oh, that's so good, Simone. Did you ask yourself that every time you ate?

Not every time, but almost, but especially with dessert, you know, like, you know, anything that was like sugar or whatever that I knew wasn't just naturally good for my body. Like, I didn't ask myself with a vegetable, but dessert, I was like, okay, how is this going to make you feel like? And again, it's like money. It's like, Okay, yeah, I can spend my money on, or these calories on this hit of this apple pie. That's gonna taste real good right now, but an hour from now, how am I going to be feeling? And that was a big help.

An hour or a day, right? Or a day. Absolutely. Yeah, I remember just lamenting back when I— before I discovered holistic health and living a healthier lifestyle, lamenting in the morning, ooh, yeah, day after, like laying in bed just reviewing all of the food that I had eaten before, like, I can't believe I did that, right?

Yep.

And that feeling kind of sucks. Yes, it does. So what are your health goals for 2018? You got through the holidays without gaining any weight, and now we're here, it's January 9th, Yes.

So my goal is I want to lose—

well, in this first 6 months, I want to release, say release 45 pounds, because they say when you lose it, it's gonna find its way back to you, right?

So we're gonna release it. Um, I want to release 45 pounds. Um, And also I want to start running. So I'm not quite ready running yet, but, um, I need to get more active. But I want to start— I want to be a runner. I've always had this— I've always wanted to be a runner. I've never really— one.

Yeah.

And then, um, like sometimes I would have like visions of myself like with a, you know, looking very healthy and slender and running, you know, in my town. And I'm like, what is that? Who is that? It's like my—

I like it.

Yeah. So, um, I'd like to, to release 45 pounds by June, and then by the end of 2018, I'm, I'm running.

I love that. So, you know, we have a seasoned runner in the group who's Jodi, right? Yes, Jodi. Yeah. So maybe there's an accountability partnership.

Okay.

All right, that sounds good. That's one of the things that we promote in the Luxe Life Member Circle is finding an accountability partner. And I'm so excited to see you all kind of hooking up together, um, and really keeping and talking like offline and sharing your goals and keeping one another accountable. So it's a wonderful thing. Wonderful thing. Okay, so I'm gonna put that plug in. I see, I see Simone running by the end of 2018.

Yeah, yes, yeah, yeah.

That's awesome. That also goes back to the ex— like, what do you want to experience, right? When you said that it's not just about like the number, but how do you want to feel?

Yes.

You know, when I talk about visualizing where you want to be, like, how does that feel? What are you wearing?

Yeah.

You know, how do you feel when you're walking into a restaurant, um, and you know you got your cute little size 6 dress on, or whatever number makes you happy, um, how does it make you feel? And people are like, oh, look at her, you know.

Yes. Yeah. And I, I totally— I can, I can see it. I can see her. I see her running. She has her little half, you know, with those runners where the little half shirt with the little Yes, she has a sports bra on. Yeah, and it's like, oh yeah, with your cute running gear on. Yes, no running, like I enjoy it. Okay, I see it. Yeah, like I, I see her, so we just got to line up with her.

So I'm listening to, um, uh, the book by Darren Hardy. Compound Effect. And oh yeah, I'm talking about in the Master Your Morning Calls.

Okay.

Yeah, Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. And today I was listening, he gave an example of, uh, one of his clients wanted to start running and she had never run before. She realized she was like walking up to fly the steps and she was really winded, and she was like, this has got to change. But she's never been a runner before, so what he told her was like go out every day and you just run as much as you can and then walk. And then when you get your breath back, you run some more and then walk. Um, and so it took her 3 weeks of doing that, he said. I forgot how many tries. 3 weeks of doing just like that run and walk, run and walk thing before she could actually run a full mile. So when she actually was able to run the mile, um, then she picked up momentum. So the whole premise of, uh, the compound effect is that you start with something really, really small, but you keep doing it consistently. And then as you keep doing it consistently, you pick up the momentum, and then all of a sudden you're making a much bigger impact. Wow. So eventually this woman began to run marathons, like half marathons, because that's what she wanted to do initially. But she went from a point of barely being able to walk up the steps to being able to run a half marathon. And then when that— not only was she able to run a half marathon, the momentum picked up. So she started listening to more inspirational and educational content. She left her job, started her own business, and like she made— at the end of 2 years, she said he ran into her in the airport and she had made like $250,000 from her own business just because She went out and decided, I'm going to run a little bit and keep doing it consistently. Wow, amazing story. It's the snowball effect.

Yes, that's a sign. Thank you for sharing that with me.

Yeah, Simone. So I want you to go outside tomorrow.

You're like, okay, so get up and run.

Run a little bit, run a little bit, walk a little bit, run a little bit, walk a little bit. But it was the consistency that was the key. Consistency. So your goals for 2018 are 45 pounds releasing and then discovering that you are— discovering the runner inside of you.

Yes.

Yeah, totally. Yeah. Okay. So then this time next year is going to be how she did it. Okay. Simone is coming back and we're going to talk about how Simone became a competitive runner. In a year. Yeah, claiming it. Claiming it. Okay, so you're in the group as well, in the Lux Life Master— Master Lux Life Members Circle.

Yeah.

Do you want to just share a little bit about your experience within that group?

Yeah, it— I mean, it's amazing. Um, Well, just, okay, so first of all, you get like literally the way that I did not gain weight during the holidays was from those meal plans that you share every month in that group.

So as a member of the Luxe Life Member Circle, I send out monthly, every month I send out 4 weeks of meal plans. So you have 4 weekly meal plans with shopping list recipes detailed in your inbox.

Yeah. I mean, and I mean, that is so valuable. You know, it's like, first of all, um, I mean, most of the time you would have to hire a health coach and pay them a good amount of money to get what you are sharing in that group for $1 and then $9 every month. Just that alone. And you offer so much more. Um, because I find that, you know, for me, that the key to being successful, a lot of it is just preparation, like setting your mind, like, okay, this is what I'm going to do. And then once you prepare, like having that support, so you have the meal, you have all the recipes, you even have a shopping list of everything that you need to get. So, I mean, so just that alone is huge and keeps you on track. The other thing that's really great about the group is just the people in the group. Yeah, such good, you know, they're like the best ladies in the group.

I just want to hug everybody.

They're like so kind, they're so genuine, and everyone genuinely is like cheering each other on. And, and that's really, like, you attract really good people in your circle because that's what was so powerful about the detox that we all did together is seeing everybody's wins and, you know, like you were saying, Jodi and the running and people talking about their challenges. And so the support that's there and the quality of women that are there, you know?

Yeah. Awesome women. My Luxe Ladies, that's what I call you all.

Yeah, so, so, so huge. And then, um, you know, and then you're, you know, your expertise, and you're really in the group, and you respond to everybody's comments. Like, you know, it's not just this group you popped up and you're barely in there. Like, you really take care of us. Mm-hmm.

I love you guys. I want to see you successful. Yeah, yeah, I want to see everyone successful.

And then there's the money morning, the motivation calls that you do, and you're there every day faithfully, 6 o'clock, you value so people can get their mind right for the day. So, um, it's absolutely incredible and it's absolutely life-changing. And I'm not saying that to be cliché or just to throw a word out there, and you know, you are my friend, so it's totally life-changing, life-saving, okay, health-wise information that you're sharing with people. And that's, that's incredible. It's amazing. So there should be 1,000 people in there.

That is my goal. That is my goal. So if you're watching this and you're interested to hear what we're talking about, to experience what we're talking about, you can go to jenniferdent.com/member. Um, again, and you can try it, try us out for $1 for 30 days. For $1, people say, why the heck are you charging $1 for 30 days? Like, $1 for like 3 days, I get it, but $1 for 30 days? Because one, I want you to experience all of the meal plans and experience the love and the support in the group. So you can't make a change in 3 days, um, and it takes more than just a couple of days, 72 hours to really, really make a shift in your mindset when it comes to your health. And like, Simone has been a part of the community for months, since almost a year, almost a year. And so it's like a consistent, um, injection of what I'm offering and the support of the group, that is really, really key. And this is why I decided to create a membership group, because you can stay a member for as long as you want, and month to month to month you're getting different types of support, you're getting access to different types of experts. So like this month we have someone, an expert coming in, Jamila Payne, who has her own company, and she's going to teach us how to create a 90-day wellness Goal and a Plan, um, using her planner that she sells in places like West Elm. And she goes into corporations and teaches huge teams how to create and manage your projects and break them down into smaller chunks. But she's coming into our group, right, to teach us how to take our big wellness goals. So Simone, your goal of becoming a runner, she will say, okay, she's going to teach you how you can take that big goal and break it down into a 90-day chunk. That's all. Yeah, she's doing a master class next week, so members get access to her for a discounted price. Uh, next month is a money month. We have someone coming in who's going to teach us a little bit about finance— not a little bit, but teaches about finances and really how a holistic way of looking at money. Um, we have someone coming in to talk about career. Um, if you are unhappy in your career, maybe, you know, you don't want to be an entrepreneur like Simone and I, but maybe you're just like, I need to be making more money in my career, is there something that I'm not doing? We have a career expert coming in to help us from a holistic perspective, right? So everybody that I'm bringing in understands a holistic aspect of, of taking care of ourselves. Um, speaking of, we have somebody to come and talk about self-care. So I am like bringing in— I say I'm bringing in the big guns, um, to really, really help the women who are members of this group, um, just really succeed in all areas. Because just like we've talked about, when you are, you know, out of balance in one area, you're usually out of balance in lots of other areas. And it shows up in your health. So I want to make sure that you're getting what you need and you're getting clear on what you need and the guidance that you need from my peoples, my experts, people that I know, people that I have worked with. And, you know, you're getting that additional help in those different areas, and we bring it all together. Yeah, bring it all together. All right, I don't see— oh wait, here's another question. From Danielle. Her phone is freezing. Oh no. So here we go. Naysha is her accountability partner and she is texting. She is relaying Danielle's question to us. Now how is that for an accountability partner? I love it. You guys are awesome. Okay, another question. She says, I have many things weighing on me. Total transparency: debt, clutter, job, single mom, not really weighing on me, it's a blessing, but one that I am managing on my own, work-life balance, etc. Weight, onset of diabetes, parents' and sister's health declining. Where do I start? How do I manage? I'm last on the list but the only one that can support my immediate family. What do I tackle first? I want to tackle everything at the same time, but realistically I can't. Wow, thank you, thank you, thank you, Danielle, for being so transparent and so honest and putting that out there, because you are not the only one in that situation. So just know that you are not alone, and I am very appreciative that you and Aisha wanted to make sure we got that question out. Um, so a couple of things. Simone, I know you can talk to the mom issue, right? Not issue, but the mom thing, single mom thing. Yeah, um, how to handle that. So where do you tackle first? So this goes back to your why, and I understand you have all of these things that you want to handle, um, but you need to understand and really get clear on why do you want to handle all of these things. Um, and I think that will be your guiding force, your guiding direction of what to tackle first, but you need to take care of yourself first, right? So before you, you know, dive in and start managing like your parents and your sister's health and all that stuff, you got to take care of Danielle first. So you are in the right place. You're a member of the Luxe Life Member Circle. You have a fabulous accountability partner, and I'm so glad that you guys hooked up. Both of you are in Atlanta, and Naisha is a rock star. Um, but get to your why. So we talked about the 7, 7 questions: why, why, why, why, why. Understand what your why is, and I think that will be kind of your guiding direction. But you need to definitely focus on yourself first. Simone, is there anything you want to weigh in there with her?

Um, I would say the big thing, the quickest thing you can do that will help you most immediately— and, um, so I can— I don't— I can't say I understand everything you're going through, but definitely being in debt, finances are tough, and on top of that you're a single mom. You know, that's, that's a lot. And a lot of times with that, this was my experience, not sure if it's yours, but then you're also managing the relationship or non-relationship that you have with your child's father. So that can add to it. And when I was in a really dark, low place in my life, the way I started to see myself out of that was just I had to forgive myself. So forgiveness is huge way to begin to relieve the burdens and, um, and, and things that are weighing on you right now in every area of your life. So you start to forgive yourself, that will help to free up your finances, health will improve your relationships with people will improve because you are improving your relationship with yourself because you're forgiving yourself. I don't even have to know specifically what you need to forgive yourself for. Nobody does, you know. And maybe you don't even know what you have to forgive yourself for, because when I started out forgiving, it was just like, I don't even know what I'm forgiving myself for. We all got something myself, you know.

We all got something.

Yeah, it will begin to re— you know take the heavy burden off of you so you can begin to just start to see clearly and begin to start to clean up, um, the different areas of your life. So, um, you know, you have a lot of support. It's awesome that you're in this group. Lean on the people in the group. It's a safe space. And, um, forgiveness is huge.

Stay connected to the group. Um, and that is really, really good, good advice. With forgiving yourself, because yes, that is a very key component. And I went through that exercise myself as well.

Yeah.

But Danielle, there's a lot that you want to handle and you want to tackle. And I remember for myself at one point, there are a lot of things that I was very unhappy with in my life, and I made a decision to work on one thing at a time. And for me, the first thing that I worked on was my money. Was my finances. Um, and then once I got my finances, because that was like paramount at that time, uh, once I got my finances— and you guys know my story, I was like $136,000 in debt, and I was very, very focused on getting out of that debt once I forgave myself, right, for getting into the debt, and once I came up with a very, very clear plan on what I was going to do. Um, then all of a sudden the door started to open, the money started just coming in, coming in, and I was able to pay off all of that money, all of that debt, um, in a little less than 2 years, which, you know, people are like, how did you do that? Oh my God, oh my God. Um, but I was hyper-focused on that one thing at that time, and then I was like, okay, next thing I want to handle is my health. And no, no, I'm sorry, it was relationship first. I was like, I need to find me a man. So then I focused on, um, trying to— not trying, but I focused on finding the right guy for me. And for me, at that point in time, I realized I was very, very— I was attracting a lot of, um, men who are married, men who were like— I found out later were in relationships and just like, you know, I was like, why are all these, you know, crazy men out here coming to me like that? And I was very, very angry. But then I realized, like, I started keeping a list of like what I wanted in a mate, what kind of characteristics I wanted in that person. And then I realized that I also needed to be that person as well. So I started working on myself, and then, you know, the love gates opened. And I met my now husband. And then the health thing— in the, in the midst of our courtship, the health thing, um, came up, and I ended up going to, uh, school, to the school of Integrative Nutrition, Institute of Integrative Nutrition, to become a holistic health coach. And so here we are now, years later. But I was focused on kind of one thing at a time, um, just because you can create more of a— I guess you can put all of your energy into one thing. And that's my story. Yes, Danielle, 2 years. Oh, she said we brought her to tears. You're welcome, you're welcome. I'm so glad. I feel like it's just the 3 of us sitting here. Yeah, but yeah, like, so this is what I'm telling you, like, you are not alone. Like, we have all— we all have our stuff, we have all been through stuff. And this is why, I mean, you know, Simone and I both, we've had conversations, we've both done a lot of personal development work, um, and so we like to— and that's why we're coaches, right? Because we want to share what we have healed in ourselves and we want to share what we have learned with other women. So she says she's going to focus on her health first. It will clear her mind and her stress.

Yeah.

Yep, I agree. And you have all the setup to do this. Like, you have the perfect setup for this, Danielle. You have an accountability partner now. You're a member of the group. You're doing the group detox, the winter detox. Um, you are dialing into the calls in the morning, the Master Your Morning calls at 6 AM. So you are on your way, my dear. You are on your way. But just, you know, stay connected. And when you get to that point where you're like, oh my God, I'm, you know, freaking out, I'm stressing out, you know, pick up the phone, type in into the group, because somebody's always on Facebook, whether it's me or someone else in the group. Someone else will answer you, which is a great thing about the ladies in the group. Very, very supportive. Stay connected. Um, so Simone, any final words? Oh, let me tell people how they can find you.

Oh, okay.

SimoneCraig.com.

Yes, you can find me at SimoneCraig.com. You can get your mind right and your coin up.

I love that term, get your coin up. Yes, I work with Simone and I have definitely gotten my coin up. Yes, 2017. So just like, you know, Simone has a success story for me, I have a success story for her as well.

Yeah, your success story, you have to say it is awesome.

It was, uh, quite an experience last year. Yes, I need to be on your podcast.

I get one, you'll be the first guest.

Yeah, Simone is awesome. She's awesome. Holistic health, ladies. Holistic health. It's all about finding balance.

Yeah.

All right, so this is amazing. Thank you, ladies. Awesome. Great call. Thank you, Naisha. Thank you guys for joining and participating with us. If you're watching the replay, feel free to still type in your, in your questions because we still get them and I can answer them. I can tag Simone if it's a question for her. Um, but you can always find both of us in the Luxe Life Member Circle. You become a member for $1.

Yes, $1.

Health is available for everyone.

Yes.

All right, and with that, I'm gonna say peace. I gotta get up early tomorrow and do the call. Thank you so much, Simone. You were a joy to talk with tonight on a Tuesday.

Having me. Thank you, and thank you for the work you do in the world.

Oh, you're welcome. And maybe we should book a call for next— this time next year. Okay, how she did it, part 2 with Simone Craig, and you're going to tell us how you became a runner and how you released the weight and where you are now. Wouldn't that be fun?

Yes, I like it. Let's do it.

Okay, awesome. All right guys, talk to you later. Have a good evening.

Bye.