845 Lindsey Stirling on Facing Loss, Dreaming Big, and Becoming a Superstar

This is episode number 845 with Lindsey Sterling. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Harriet Tubman said, every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars, to change the world. I am super excited about this interview. I've got my good friend Lindsey Sterling in the house. Every time I see this woman, I'm inspired. She lifts me up. She's so genuine, real, authentic, and just so gosh darn talented. I mean, when I see her perform on stage, I just can't help but smile and want to dance because she is an incredible talent in what she does. And if you don't know who Lindsay is, she's a violinist, singer, songwriter, and YouTube sensation. Her music video Crystallize finished as the 8th most watched video of 2012 on YouTube. And her cover version of Radioactive with Pentatonix won the response of the year award in the first ever YouTube Music Awards. Her debut album was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for top dance electronic albums. And her second album, Shatter Me, won at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. Yes, she's that good. She has also been named in Forbes magazine 30 under 30 in music, and her YouTube channel has over 11 million subscribers and over 2 billion views. Lindsay is launching her world tour this spring and her new album Artemis is available for pre order right now. I'm telling you guys, this girl is a machine and has an incredible heart. You're going to love this because in this interview we talk about how to push through failure and continue creating despite adversity. How do we become creative in spite of our adversity? The importance of always dreaming and not putting the limits of reality on your dreams. I think too many people constantly say, well, this isn't reality for me. This isn't available for me. Let's be realistic here. And that is going to shatter your dreams when you come from that place. Lindsay talks about that. How to reframe your dreams once you've reached your goals. You know, over my life, I've achieved so many of my dreams and sometimes we could get stuck afterwards. So how do we reframe them? Finding joy in darkness and being intentional with your actions to get through hard times. The power of positive affirmations and how it must be practiced daily to truly achieve self love. Lindsay talks about her struggles with anorexia, with other challenges and insecurities with loss. She dives in deep and opens up in an emotional way. So if you enjoyed this interview, please send her some love. Send this over on your Instagram story tag Lindsey Stirling. Tag myself. Let me know you're listening to this. You're watching this on YouTube or Apple podcasts or Spotify and send the link to one friend. Text a friend today who could be inspired by this interview as well. Super excited about that. Let me know what you think. The Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid has a bold design, a spacious interior with 232 horsepower and a 12.3-inch panoramic display to keep the adventure going and fit with the way you live. And with SiriusXM, every drive comes alive, bringing you closer to the music, the sports talk and podcast that you love right in your vehicle or on the SiriusXM app. Every SiriusXM equipped Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid includes a three month trial, so the experience begins the moment you drive. Learn more@kia.com Sportage Hybrid Kia Movement that inspires this message is brought to you by Apple Card Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more@applecard.com the School of Greatness is sponsored by Capital One. Nowadays, most people subscribe to everything music, tv, even dog food. And it rocks. Until you have to manage it all, which is where Capital One comes in. Capital One credit card holder can easily track, block or cancel reoccurring charges right from the Capital One mobile app at no additional cost. With one sign in, you can manage all your subscriptions all in one place. Learn more at Capital1.comsubscriptions Terms and Conditions apply. All right guys, let's dive into this episode with the one and only Lindsey Stirling.

What is it that you're most excited about right now?

I'm so excited to start a new chapter. Like I think sometimes as artists or like as influencers, whatever you want to call ourselves. Like you get in this rut where you sometimes feel like you're in a hamster wheel a little bit and it's so exciting to feel like you're starting a new chapter and so I've been working all year on a new album, and I wanted this chapter to feel different. And so I decided to tell a story. It's a very high concept album. It's all based around a comic book that I wrote simultaneously to the album. And so that's why the album artwork is all manga, anime style, like 90s anime. I just think that's such a cool art form. I've always loved it. And then the comic book as well, that I've been working on spent tons of time on the story and these characters. And that's why the album's called Artemis. It's about kind of the story of the goddess of the moon.

Okay.

So anyways, I'm excited to go on tour. The tour is very concept driven. The album's concept driven. And all the music videos, like, tell the story. And so it's really fun to have such cohesive work. And now I get to finally, after all the work of putting it together, I get to go share it.

How long did it take to do it all?

It came really fast. Like, I started in January. It's the fastest I've ever written an album.

Wow.

And.

Yeah.

Six months, seven months.

Yeah. Cause, I mean, it's done. It's been done for months in order to get everything, you know, the artwork done. And I've just worked extremely hard. But at the same time, sometimes you just feel inspired.

Yeah.

And once I got my rhythm in it, like, at first, I always write a lot of terrible music until I find my rhythm. And once I found my rhythm, it just. It just came and it felt so right. And it felt like I was being very inspired. Yeah. So it was kind of nice to write from a place this time of joy, which I don't think I've ever written an album from a place of joy.

What's it all been written by?

I mean, my first album was a place of just, like, discovery of, like, what is this? I don't know. Like, that was a very different kind of excitement. My second album was all drawing from my recovery from anorexia. It was writing about, like. Like all of that, like, lots of dark emotion of, you know, but still hopeful. And then my third album was writing all about loss. My best friend and my keyboard player, who I toured with for years, he passed away suddenly. And then my dad was also going through cancer, and he passed away right as I was finishing the album.

Oh, my God.

So the album was bookended by the most extreme depression and sorrow that I had ever felt and loss. And, like, I Just didn't know you could feel that. And so that album was heavily charged with a lot of hard things. And one thing that was so exciting about this album was, like, I don't know, loss. I feel like it changes you. And I had come to accept that, like, this was a new version of myself and that kind of the rose tinted glasses Lindsay had left and died with them. And I was like, I just don't think I'll ever be the same again. Because it had been years. You know, I'd been like, it's now been three years since all of that happened, and. And it took about two years to come fully out of that depression. And I realized it was right about the same time, a few months before I started this album, that I was, like. I started to feel myself again. And I was like, oh, my gosh. It's not that I was gone. It's not that I disappeared or I died with them. Like, a part of me. It's. No, I was just. I was just covered up for a while. And that's why I decided to call this album Artemis. Because the moon is such cool. Like, it has such a cool symbolism of hope. And the fact that, you know, you look at the moon, sometimes it's big and bright and it glows, and it can light up the night. And other times you'd look up and you can't even find it, and it looks like it might not even be there anymore. And that was like, me. I was like, oh, my gosh, I wasn't gone. I was just covered in shadow. And I think that through our lives, like, whether it's a hard relationship or a depression or loss or grief, whatever, we sometimes metaphorically get covered by those things. And you might think that you're not there anymore, but it doesn't mean that you're not still powerful and full of light and love and that you won't come back to full light. And so I wrote this album from a place of, like, oh, my gosh, I'm still full of light. And that's what the album's about. That's what the story's about.

Yeah.

I like it.

Thank you. I'm so excited to share that message, you know, that we are all so powerful. Don't ever forget it.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I remember we had, what, lunch, I think, at Sweetgreen last year?

Around.

I think it was around January, February last year.

Yeah.

Year and a half ago. And I remember you being in a very. In that shadow.

Yeah.

Of wondering, like, what should I be doing? With my career, my life. I think you went through a breakup maybe recently, too, or something happened with relationships.

Yeah.

And I remember you feeling lost.

Yeah, I did.

Because you were like, well, I've achieved a lot of my dreams, but now what am I doing Right. And now it seems like you're reinventing yourself.

Mm.

And kind of going to a new level. Is that right?

Absolutely. And I think. Yeah, I think I did definitely feel lost. And it's funny. It's like I felt like, oh, I have to reinvent myself in a big way. But it's like, no, I just had to get back on the bicycle and keep pedaling and realize that doing exactly what I love and, like, just broadening it, like, it's. I think sometimes in life, we feel like we have to make these huge, massive changes. Like, I feel a little bit lost. I need to go way over there, because this isn't right. But I was like, no. I literally had to just, like, pivot a little bit, and then it felt so right again. It's just kind of trying different angles and different tiny tweaks in our life. Whether it's, like, adding little bits, like, try meditating, try exercising in order to really improve your life or find yourself. I think that we don't have to completely reinvent the wheel sometimes, but sometimes I think you're just, like, a tiny degree off. You know, it's like if you look at a train track, and when there's, like, a tiny change in the tracks when they switch them, it's like an inch move that eventually will get that train to, like, a completely different state.

That's true.

Versus, you know, like, thinking. I don't know. I think that we get discouraged too often because we expect ourselves to make these huge changes when all you need is tiny little adjustments.

Adjustments, yeah. You're one of my favorite people. And I don't say I lie because. Oh, I'm not lying. I say this because, you know, we've probably only hung out, I don't know, like, half a dozen times, maybe. Maybe a few times more. You've been out here a couple times, you came to Summit. We've hung out for lunch two, three, four times. Maybe we've been at events. Maybe a couple times we've been on the phone, you know, different things like that. But I feel like I've watched your journey for years, and I love the fact that you were essentially. I mean, it's so hard to do what you've done as a violinist. It's really challenging. I know. Cause My older brother's a violinist.

Right. An amazing violinist.

He's an amazing jazz violinist. But it's hard to make a living as a violinist.

Right.

And it's hard for people to want to care about you as a violinist. Yeah, you're usually just like, kind of on stage, like, accompanying something, but you're not front and center. And you went from America's Got Talent. Right, America's Got Talent. To not even. To getting booed off stage, literally, and coming back and essentially saying, I'm not gonna let this define me.

Yeah.

But I'm gonna continue to do this because I love it and I enjoy it, and you wanted to explore it. I think that's really cool. So you overcame this kind of public failure, let's call it.

Even though it wasn't that bad, it was bad for you.

It was humiliating.

The most humiliating, devastating moment of my life.

Like, he was like, stop playing the violin. Essentially, like, don't do this.

I mean, he told me I was so bad. I mean, they all said you were pretty bad. But, you know, one judge in particular was like, you sounded like rats being strangled. Like, you were so bad. I mean, in front of 11 million people. They told me right before I walked on stage, like, good luck. There's 11 million people.

Oh, my gosh. No way.

I mean. And I performed only in front of, like, 500 people. Tops. Like, tops. Maybe like a few hundred.

I was like a school talent show or something.

Literally, like an open mic night in front of 100 people. I mean, I was terrified, but yet I was also so excited. I knew this moment was going to make me. And then I walk out on that stage, perform, get X'd in the middle of my performance. So embarrassing already. Then I get torn apart by the judges, literally. Tears are happening behind my eyeballs. Like, I'm, like, trying not to sob on stage. And, you know, the thing is, though, when I ran off that stage, first of all, I sobbed in the bathroom for hours until they told me I had to leave. Like, literally, the cleaning staff came in and they were like, oh, we thought everyone was gone. Oh, no. Like, we're closed up for that. Like, you gotta go. You know, this girl crying on the bathroom floor. Ew. First of all, it's public bathroom. But the thing is, it took me a while to, like, get back on my feet and, like, have the courage to step on a stage again. Have the courage to tell myself that, like, no, you are good enough. Like, even though the world just told you otherwise, you are good enough. And I Think there's this inner gut that, like, will guide you. Because sometimes it is time to turn around and say, like, you know, maybe this isn't the best path for me. Sometimes, though, you have to listen to that gut that tells you, no, maybe you're not good enough, but you're not good enough yet. And that's the thing. A lot of times people joke with me. They're like, they sure got it wrong on America's Got Talent.

They were actually right.

They were actually right.

The timing, the moment.

I wasn't good enough. Like, you watch that video. I was terrible. Like, I wasn't good. But, like, that's the thing, is we all are on different phases of our lives and our trajectories. And dancing and playing the violin is very, very difficult.

So hard.

And I was new in that craft. I just invented the idea. And so it wasn't that I wasn't good enough or didn't have the potential. I just wasn't there. I wasn't good enough yet. And so I worked my tail off. And you said, it's really interesting, my path and where I've ended up. Like, I can't believe that, like, I get to tour and that I get to tour the world and people show up. It blows my mind sometimes when I look out at these audiences and I think all these, like, thousands of people bought a ticket here in Germany to see my show. Like, it blows my mind. And I just get filled with so much gratitude in these very, like, they don't happen all the time. It's very specific moments where I'm, like, overcome with the reality of the situation of, like, oh, my gosh, they're here for me.

This is my life.

They came for me. But the thing is, I didn't realize when I started out that what I had set out to do was impossible. Being a dancing violinist that plays electronic music. At the time, I had no money to make a career happen. It was impossible. But because I didn't understand that and because I believed so strongly in what I was outside to do, it happened because I saw it. I visualized it. I prayed for it. It felt right. And I think that when we don't put the limits of reality around ourselves, like, there's so much that we can accomplish that we box ourselves in sometimes with doubt, with fear, with, like, what other people tell you. We build these limits around ourselves. And I see that more in myself now than then.

You have more limits now.

I work really hard to not have them because I've learned so much I've accepted experience so much more of like the successes and the failures and I've just gotten reality checks of like, oh, I understand this industry. When I started, I did not understand the industry at all.

That's probably why you're successful.

That's why I was successful.

I'm so why are you reality checking yourself now?

Well, now I tried reverse. I tried to like unreality check myself and be like, I literally. When I started writing this album, I thought to myself, I need to learn to dream again.

God, it's so true.

I've forgotten how to dream and to make wishes and send them into the universe. I used to like literally do that all the time. I would be like, my dreams, they can come true. And I'd see them and I'd feel them and they. I've been amazed at how many of them have come to fruition because I believed they would happen. Where now I have to like, consciously make the decision, like, we're gonna dream, we're gonna think big again. Because the more you learn in life, the more you start to limit yourself the same way a child has dreams. We need to dream like children. And I would say one of the. That I saw one of my dreams, like, I've seen it in so many ways that my dreams from the past when I was the strongest dreamer, have come to fruition. And one of those was. You were there. We toured with Evanescence, like a co headline tour.

Oh, that was amazing.

This summer to co headline with one of my idols.

And you had videos that you played on stage from like when you were 16.

Yeah.

Singing Evanescence.

Right, right. Like when I would say to people like, oh, I was a huge Evanescence fan. You know, I am a huge Evanescence fan and I have been my whole life. They'd be like, oh, that's cute. But then I on stage would show a music video I made in high school with my best friends of me, like rocking out and singing Bring Me to Life by Evanescence. And the audience would laugh and it was like this very funny moment in the show. But then I'd be like, okay, that was funny. Maybe a little embarrassing, but like, let's all pause for a second. I just shared the stage with my idol, Amy Lee. That girl up there, she never, like, first of all, no one would have ever watched that music video and thought to themselves, wow, one day that girl's going places. Like, no, I looked like such a dork. But the thing is, is that girl didn't think she looked like a dork. That girl had big plans, big dreams. I worked my tail off to get there. And because I, like put it into the universe, not only now have I was on Amy Lee's album, I've performed with her, I've toured with her, co headlined and she's now on my album.

Wow.

And like, and also it's funny, the song that she sang on stage with me every night was my song Shatter Me. I wrote that for her years ago. And you know, she was on maternity leave, she wasn't able to sing it. You know, we got Lizzie Hale, who is amazing and I'm like a huge Lizzie fan now. But it's just so interesting, like putting things into the universe. Amy sung that with me every night on stage and I'm like, I would have died to have her sing that years ago when I wrote that song for her. Like, what you put out into the universe, what you wish, what you dream for is powerful and it will come back to you in one shape or another. So I consciously make the effort to dream.

Why do we lose the ability to dream?

I think it's because we learn and we put these, like I said, these limits around ourselves, which are there's like practicality and people oftentimes are afraid to like, be uber optimistic because it's like, oh, and I'll get my hopes up and my hopes will be dashed.

But like, who cares?

Who cares? Who cares if we do anything? Like hope in the moment and excitement right now, you live way more in the moment than you experience, like the future. Some of us get way caught up in the future, which isn't even happening. Like, if you can live in the moment and find excitement in the present and like, yeah, get excited, feel that energy. And if it doesn't work out, you'll have a moment of disappointment, but then feel excitement for something else. Like live in those moments of dreaming and wishing. Because I think there's such a powerful energy and whether you see it as God or like the universe or whatever, there's a bigger plan for you than what like practicality can make.

Well, no one gets excited about someone who's practical. They get excited about people who have that magnetic energy, that dreamers energy that's sparking the eye. We're not like, okay, let's give everything to the person who has a rational mind. We're like, no, we want to give the things to people that go for it.

Yeah. And a rational mind is great because you see what's practical stuff. But my life and my trajectory, I remind myself, has not Been practical. No, it doesn't make sense.

Nothing you've done.

I'm here today speaking to you, having the kind of life I have, it was not practical. And I believe in miracles. And I 100% think that, like, angels have guided my footsteps, that God has really guided me because I've asked and I've told him I had big dreams. And I think sometimes if you just merely like, what's the harm in asking for big things?

So true.

Why not ask. Why not ask the universe for what you actually want? You know, And I love what Jim Carrey said. He said, I'd rather take a risk and go for the things I actually want in life. Because you can fail at anything.

Exactly.

You can fail at your safe bet or you can fail going for something that you really, really want.

So true.

Like, life has no guarantees.

Zero.

Go for what you want.

We gone tomorrow.

Exactly.

Oh, I love this. So another thing that I love about you is that you failed publicly and you came back and you said, screw it. This is a good lesson. I'm not ready. I don't have the skills yet. But maybe I'm close. Let me work on it more. And then you blew up. You invented your own way of kind of marketing with YouTube and social media originally, which kind of allowed you to reach the masses and then be able to get these bigger opportunities and go on tours and stuff like that. And you keep doing it right, you keep doing it over and over again. But I remember a year and a half ago, we talked about this a little bit, that you kind of felt like your father passing with one of your best friends passing. And you kind of achieved a lot by then too. Yeah, you kind of reached a lot of these dreams that you had. So how do we discover how to re. Dream when things are really good? Because I feel like I'm a little bit. I can understand because sometimes, like, man, everything's growing, everything's going really well for me. But how do I.

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And take it to another level and retream y for something even greater.

I've found for myself there's a fine line between reaching for greater and then realizing why I love where I'm at and thinking about what's more important right now. Is it most important for me to keep growing and getting greater and greater, or is it more important to relish in what I love about what I do? And that's for everybody to decide for themselves. And there have been times I'm like, no, it's time right now to reach for greater. Like, I have big dreams still. I have big things. And then there's other times where I'm like, no, right now I need to focus on what I love about what I do. And there was a time when I started to delegate. Well, I've always had a hard time delegating certain things. And I've realized that, yes, I could probably maximize my time and reach out and do other bigger, greater things if I delegated more of my stuff. But then I was like, but that is what I love about what I do. You know, I love creative directing all my shows. I'm like, way too involved.

That's what makes them magical.

But that's what. And also I love that. That's part of, like, for me, the writing, the music is something only I can do. I have to write my own music because I don't know anyone else that writes like I do. And I. I don't know, it wouldn't be the same. So even though that's the hardest part for me, like, emotionally and, like, it's the most work for me. It's the writing. It's something only I can do. However, I could have someone creative direct my tours. There's so many talented people out there. But that's the part I love. I love bringing the show to life. It takes months editing my own music videos. I still edit all of them.

You edit them yourself?

I edit all of them myself. But I'm a real. I think one of my best talents is storytelling. And I'm a great editor. And even though I could find and hire a great editor, I love editing my music video. It's like the candy after the meal. I, like, sit there for hours. I was literally on a plane the other day. I had Luna on my lap. I'm like, way back in 29C and I'm like, editing with my dog. And someone around me was like, are you Lindsey Starling and are you editing your music video back here in Ecuador?

That's cool.

I was like, yes, I am.

That's amazing, you know?

Cause, yeah, it's like I could probably maximize my time better, but for me, I had to evaluate what makes me the happiest these parts of my art. And so because of that, I don't think I'll ever give them away. And so it's like always evaluating those things. And then I think the third thing is also just finding new challenges. Like I said, tiny tweaks. For me, it was really fun to write a comic book with this album. Something I've never done before. I'm good at short term storytelling, but it made me realize long storytelling form. Storytelling was a new art that I'd never invested in, never put creativity into. A lot of energy, A lot of energy, a lot of time. I spent hours a day with my writer working on this comic book. And it was a new challenge, you know, and it wasn't that I like, suddenly went into acting, you know, I didn't, like, pave it that far. It was just like, okay, what new dimension can I add to my craft to make it feel fresh for me? And it made this album so exciting with these characters and the story, made my creative direction of the tour completely in trying to encapture these characters in the show, you know. So I think for me, it's just little challenges, like being like, we're gonna push the envelope a little bit on this side while we still stay on the foundation of what I know when.

Someone is going through some type of depression or darkness, or a shadow of being hidden by the light. What would you recommend for them if it's been a month, six months, years, that they've been feeling some type of darkness, how to get out of it to find their light, their inner light again?

Yeah. One thing I love about the symbolism of the moon as well is not only the cycles it goes through, but, like the goddess Artemis, like, how brave she must be because she brings light to darkness. It's really easy to shine and be bright when the sun is out, feel full of light, and you feel the vitamin D coming into you, and it's really easy to feel that. But at night, the moon shines even in darkness. And I think that even through times of hardship and trial, I found moments of joy, you know, even though I felt like I was covered in shadow. And I think it's possible to experience joy amongst trials, amongst darkness. The same way the moon shines in the dark. And I really feel like there are practices you can go through where you practice being intentional. I mean, sometimes literally it was waking up in the morning and being like, I'm gonna make it through this day.

Yeah.

And, you know, and that's the best I could do. And I'm gonna, you know, or I have that meeting today that I really want to be a positive experience, or this meet and greet that I've got to go to. I want it to be a positive experience. So I'm going to like, meditate before I go. And it took a little more energy to be intentional, but, like, setting myself up before I got into situations so that when I arrived, I knew how I wanted to feel at least, you know, and I would sometimes meditate for those things or visualize myself walking in confidently and, you know, and when I first was realizing I had anorexia years.

Ago, how old were you then?

I was like 21 when I. Or 22 when I realized I had anorexia.

How long do you think you had it for before you actually realized it?

I think it had. Honestly, I sensed, like, looking back, signs of it from the time I was.

A child, like 6, 7.

I had memories from 8 years old, feeling fat, you know, where I remember putting on a snowsuit, going to the snow, like a big puffy snowsuit. And I remember looking in the mirror and feeling so fat as an 8 year old and taking a belt and like tightening around my waist in this snowsuit, trying to give myself a form, like, you know, and so I have memories like that it hadn't overcome me. It was just these very early signs that like, uh, oh, something's a little off in the way I'm thinking. And it really took me over when I went to college. I think that's when it got out of control because suddenly I was on my own and I wasn't. No one was watching what I did. And so I think I. Before I realized I had it, I think I was like category, you know, categorized or diagnosably anorexic for like, probably two, three years. But I think the first steps that were the most helpful, aside from like accepting it, going to therapy, starting the process. But for me it was being intentional about listening to the way I thought about myself because I was extremely depressed at this point at 22, 22, you know, because one anorexia, you don't have the chemicals to create the right endorphins in your body anymore. So depression had like, consumed My life more so than ever before or since. And it was listening to that inner dialogue and realizing, oh, my gosh, automatic thoughts are so powerful and training my mind. And to this day, I mean, I started about two years ago writing in a gratitude journal because at that time when I was overcoming anorexia, I started to just take time every day to look myself in the eye in the mirror and tell myself the thoughts I wanted to believe.

Even if you didn't believe them?

I did not believe them. But your mind categorizes things in your mind as lies or truth. And so at first, when I would say these things, they would automatically go into the bucket of lies and be like, you're beautiful, you're smart, you are strong. I love my body. I am grateful for my health and my body, you know, and say these things and I would, like, cry as I said them. Like, it was such a lie. But eventually, after telling yourself enough, your brain will start to then put it into the truth category. If you've said it enough and it starts to accept, like, well, maybe this is true. Same with, like, self love and self acceptance. Like, if you've been hating yourself for years, saying I love you is going to be a lie, because it is a lie.

It is.

And eventually it will become a truth. And so it was a very, like, physical and intentional practice. Now it's a much more casual practice. But, like, I write in a gratitude journal every night, and I just say three things at the end of the day that I'm grateful for about my life and about my success. And if anyone is still listening, this is one thing that I speak strongly encourage you to do in your life. A simple gratitude journal. It takes like two minutes at the end of the day. And I have noticed a significant change in my happiness because I think we all have a default setting where if you're not extremely excited and happy and if you're not, like, devastatingly sad and crying, there's like a default that you just kind of like, coast through life at, and that's your setting. And my default setting has shifted one through doing these practices when I was, like, super sick in the mind, and it's, like, moved me up. But even now that I'm like a healthy person, I've seen the gratitude journal take me to a higher plane where more likely in random situations, I see the positive in it. Like, I'm stuck in traffic and I'm like, well, at least I live in this beautiful city in LA where people want to be. And I'm like, What the heck has happened to me? And it's not all the time, but. But it's like automatic responses happen because of patterns that you've created. And if you've had years and years of being pessimistic by like simply writing in a gratitude journal every night, you're training your mind to make positive patterns. And so more on your default setting, you're gonna be a happier, more positive, more grateful person. And it has been one of the simplest things that has the biggest impact I feel like on my just average happiness. So I strongly encourage everyone to do a gratitude journal because it makes you intentional and, and saying, this is the kind of person I want to be. These are the kind of thoughts I want to think. And whether you're at the stage where you need to literally look yourself in the mirror and be like, stop beating yourself up. Be kind, like, be kind to yourself. And when you do that with yourself, it makes you the kind of person that can do that for other people.

That's true.

You cannot be that loving and that kind if you are horrible to yourself.

That's true.

Like, no matter. I don't care how you know how loving and kind of a person you are in the exterior, it's. It can't be as authentic if you hate yourself.

That's true. So when someone is facing with a level of self doubt that seems like they're at a level 0 or 1 of confidence out of 10.

Yeah.

They doubt themselves. How do they build it up to a 8, 9 or 10 over time?

Yes.

Maybe they have a skill set that is talent. They have a lot of talent. Like you had a lot of talent, but maybe you didn't believe in it for a while.

Right?

For a while, yeah.

So how does someone increase their level or decrease their level of self doubt and become more confident?

Well, first of all, I think that you have to realize there's hope. When I first realized I was anorexic, at first I was so hopeless and I was devastated because I read that anorexia is incurable. And I was like, oh my gosh, like I'm going to hate myself forever. Like, this is incurable. I now understand what they mean when they say it's incurable. But I live a very healthy life. I just have to manage this like, part of my brain that sometimes tries to come forward. Same with like depression, anxiety. They're a part of you now and you can overcome them. You can manage them so that you just have to be aware when they try to sneak back in because it does it tries to sneak back in when I'm stressed or depressed or up. Like, I'm like, ooh, there you are. You're trying to come back. But I'm not gonna let you ever take over my life again. And I won't. But I think, first of all, it's giving people hope and realizing that just because you're here today and your reality in this is so strong and just because it's real to you, because depression and anorexia and anxiety, those are real things, they're real for you, but it doesn't mean they're true. Like, self hate is real. Doesn't mean it's true. So I think having hope that just because you're there today doesn't mean that you can't overcome this, because you will if you work at it. I mean, 100%. If I can go from literally hating myself and having no confidence to being able to, like, play in front of. We played in front of 17,000 people two nights ago and had an amazing show. And I was able to share, like, messages and music and art and like, I don't. That is not wasted on me. I am so grateful for it, for these experiences that I have because I came from a place of such darkness. And if I can get there, like, what's to say? Anyone can't. So first of all. But secondly, baby steps starting today, starting with the realization that I can make it through today and I can make it through today. And at the end of the day, I'm gonna write my gratitude journal and I'm gonna find three positive things that happened today. And then, like, taking these steps, okay, to, you know, and making them very practical, tangible steps. Like, don't try to be like, I'm gonna be confident and love myself 100% today. That's exhausting. You can't just go from depression to like full on love in one day. One day. And I used to hate it when I listened to people talk like that. They would be like, just be confident. Just own yourself. That's impossible when you're in the midst of darkness and depression. I hate going back to the symbolism of the moon over and over again, but it doesn't go from darkness to full light in one day. It takes like a freaking month to reach its full moon status. And so start with the practical things, whether it's, go to therapy, get help, talk to someone, look yourself in the eye every day, say, I love you, talk to a friend. You know, just find the steps that work for you. Now I have this Amazing tool belt around me that whenever. And I have, like, relationships and friends that I can turn to these tools that I've built up through the years. And so now I have the ability, if I am. Am feeling dark in a day, to, like, pull myself out of it, sometimes within an hour, sometimes it takes a week if it's a really hard thing. In the case of loss and death, it took year and a half, but didn't mean that in given days, I couldn't pull myself out and be like, I'm gonna be positive today. Like, I've got this amazing arsenal of tools now that have helped me find happiness and light, even amongst some extreme trials. Just baby steps. Take yourself where you're at and realize that there is hope to get to where you want to be. You will far surpass what you thought you could do.

So true. So true. One day at a time. You mentioned loss again. Part of my. I feel like I'm a pretty balanced human being where I take on all my fears every year. I write a list of my fears, and then I try to overcome them.

I love that.

From whether it be public speaking to salsa dancing to singing in public to all these different things. I'm like, okay, what is emotional fear for me?

Right.

Inner fear. Not like spiders or snakes, but, like, what's a thing that I would be embarrassed by or afraid or feel insecure about? And then I try to conquer those every year. I've never lost someone close to me, except for grandparents who were, you know, it was their time.

Right.

I've never had a sudden loss. And it's a fear of mine.

Yeah.

Because I have a lot of great relationships and I know a lot of people, and I know it's just a matter of time where someone that I.

Know, that's part of life.

It's part of life.

Yeah.

And I don't know if it's gonna be, you know, in a few years or 10 years, but it's gonna happen eventually.

Yeah.

Someone is gonna die.

Yeah.

And it scares me.

So.

And I'm not saying, like, I want this to happen now because I don't want to.

Of course not. No.

But how do you.

How did you handle it when you had two very close relationships in the same, you know, very close period of time pass away? How would you. How did you handle it, and how are you going to handle it in the future when someone close to you passes?

I don't think it gets easier. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I lost my best friend, then I lost my dad. And it's not like, well, I've been through this once before.

I got this.

Yeah. No, I think loss will always be extremely hard. But I learned that the heart is so, so resilient. I said, when I lost my best friend, it was the first time I'd ever felt that kind of pain. And I just thought to myself, I will never be whole again.

Wow.

And then my dad died, and I was like, I will never recover from this. Like, they were the two most important, most prevalent men in my life.

Wow.

And so, you know. But the heart heals. And the most amazing thing about it, for me, I think, is my. I'm so grateful that I'm a very, like, spiritual and a very religious person, because I've always believed in angels. And I think my belief in angels has, like, given me so much grace through this, because as hard as it is, it's amazing that, like, that. That pain just gets, like, farther away. I've always missed them, but it taught me to live in the moment with people, because that's the thing you regret more than anything. Like, it's just wishing that you could, like, relive some of those moments and, like, realize how special they were and, like, tell people how special they were. With my best friend, he passed away suddenly, and I was like, oh, my gosh. I never had a chance to say even goodbye. I never had a chance to, like, really tell him what he meant to me. And that was, like, devastating. But I believe in angels. And since then, I feel like I have had some of the most beautiful experiences where I know they were close to me and I know they were guiding my steps. And it's like, I don't think they're far. I think that sometimes, in a way that they're able to be with me more than they ever could have before. And they're a part of my adventures still. And I believe I'll see them again, like, 100%. And it just makes you remember how finite this life is if you have a belief in an afterlife. Like, this life is just like, a glimpse of. You know, it's a moment. And we'll be with our loved ones again. And I'm gonna share a story. I think I shared this at the summit of greatness when I was on Dancing with the Stars. I realized about halfway through the season, like, I almost had. I kind of had a mini panic attack or anxiety attack, because I just realized again, what I had set out to do was impossible because I was going back and forth between ballroom rehearsals with Mark Ballas and then I would, you know, we'd rehearse like six hours. Then I'd go to my tour rehearsals.

Crazy.

And we would rehearse a brand new show for Christmas for hours. And I was mentally, physically, emotionally, in every way. I was so drained. And then we left on tour. And now I'm doing shows and meet and greets every day, practicing with my partner every day and flying back and forth from the east coast to the west coast to compete. And I was beyond tired. Then I busted a rib. Oh, it didn't break. It just like it just got dislocated or something. Yeah, it got dislocated.

Worst pain when you break a rib or do anything with your ribs.

Can't breathe.

Breathing hurts.

You can't breathe, you can't sneeze.

Heaven forbid you sneeze.

It's the worst.

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And so now I'm physically broken. And I went to the only place where I thought I could go, and I prayed, and I got a blessing. That's something that we do in my faith, is you can get a blessing of comfort and healing. And it's basically where, like, someone, you know with the priesthood puts their hands on your head, and it's kind of like a prayer from God to you. And I was promised the angels were with me, guiding my footsteps. And more specifically, I was promised that my dad had been with me and would be with me for every step of this journey, and he wasn't gonna leave my side. And I relied on that promise with everything inside of me, because in the context of reality and, like, a reality check, I was doomed. I did not have enough hours to sleep. I did not have enough hours to practice. There just were not enough hours in the day to do what I needed to do. And so every night when I would go to sleep, I would pray, and I'd be like, I have four hours to sleep right now, and I'm exhausted. I'd be like, I need it to count as 10. And then I would go to sleep, and I'd wake up the next morning, I'd go to rehearsals, and I'd be like, I have three hours to practice right now. I needed to count as 10. Like, I need this to be maximized. And I prayed for miracles. And I tell you, when I stepped on that dance floor at Dancing with the Stars, every time, I danced better than I possibly had the strength to dance.

Wow.

And more specifically, I'm sorry, this is such a long story.

I like it.

But when we were at the finale, we made it all the way to the end.

All three, right?

Yeah. Final three. And Mark and I were rehearsing backstage. We're running through our routine. Like, at this point, we hadn't slept literally, in, like, 24 hours. We'd been on a red eye to get there. We're so tired, like, bloodshot eyes, literally just trying to make it through our last routine. And I went blank. You know how sometimes you just blank.

Just forgot.

You just freeze. I mean, I was so drained. And we're back there rehearsing, and suddenly I just start missing every step. And Mark's freaking out. He's like, are you okay? Like, Shakespeare's like, lindsay, we're about to go out there and dance in front of millions of people. And I'm just like, I got this. I got this. And then they call our names to go out and perform. And so I step onto the dance floor and we get hit by the spotlight. And I'm like, panicking. And I look up into that spotlight and all I had time to say was, like, a two word prayer. And I prayed a ton by this point, but I just looked up and I said, dad, dad, help. And then the music started. And it was almost like a dream. Like, you ever have those experiences where you're almost like, watching your life happen? You're watching a moment, and it was like I floated through the routine and it happened so effortlessly, and I felt so powerful in that moment. And I did the routine perfectly.

Wow.

And when it ended, like, I ended up getting second place on Dancing with the Stars. But in that moment, when it ended, I won. I don't care what anyone else says, like, and my partner, too. For a moment, for a whole night. I won Dancing with the Stars because I did the best I could have done and I conquered what I set out to do. And no one can take that win away from me. Like, no mirrorball trophy, no anything. It just was such an experience of, yeah, people can tell you what you physically and emotionally and so can do and can't do, but miracles are real and angels are with you. I honestly imagine us walking through life with these, like, big angels around us all the time. And to this day, I pray for my angels. I pray specifically, asking for my dad to help me with things. I pray for Gavi, my best friend, to help me. Like, if I'm nervous for a specific show, I'm like, hey, be on stage with me. I prayed for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to, like, help me through dance rehearsals. Like, I pray for angels all the time. And I honestly believe that that's how miracles happen in our life. Because there's the finite of what you can and can't do, and then there's the unexplainable. That's true And Dancing with the Stars is one of the. Funny enough, one of the most spiritual moments of my life was on that stage because I did something that physically I can't do.

Wow.

And, yeah. Believe in miracles, believe in angels. And I think that is a long way of saying loss is a finite thing in this life. However, you know, we miss them, but I think they're always with us.

Gosh. Great storyteller.

Thank you.

Love it. I love it, Lindsey.

I love a good story. My dad was a great storyteller. I actually prayed for him today. My dad was such a good speaker, and he was a great storyteller. And so as I was coming in today, I was like, help me to, like, just be able to speak clearly. And I was like. And like, please help. My dad will be here with me today to help me share, like, the way he would share. You know, I literally play for angels all the time.

That's powerful. It's powerful.

Yeah.

There's something in the sports, when I reflect and just kind of observe the world, there's two different types of winners who are really successful in sports, and they both have a lot of confidence. Here's the difference between the two. One winner at the end of a game, when someone says, or a match or a fight, when someone says, like, you just won. How did you do it? And they say, I am the greatest. This is like the Muhammad Ali, Conor McGregor, Mayweather approach to response. Like, tell me how you did it. Well, I'm the greatest. I worked so hard. I've got the talents. I'm the best in the world. I knew I would win type of mentality. And that works for some.

Yeah.

And then there's the other who says, well, God's the greatest.

Yeah.

And all my talents come from God or from the, you know, my source or the spirit of the universe.

Yeah.

And they put the hope and the pressure on something else as opposed to, like, I'm the best. And I knew I would be able to do this. I knew I'd be able to give my best because of something else, something greater. And you do that really well. You call on the angels and God and everything else, and you do that really well to give you the strength as opposed to, I have all the strength and the power. So I think that's really cool.

Well, thank you.

That you do that.

I think it's exhausting. It's a lot of pressure to be like, I'm the greatest. Everything's on me. There's a lot to be said about the amount of calmness when you can hand it over to the universe or to hand it over to God and say, like, you know what? I really believe a lot, and it's meant to be or it's not meant to be. And, like, there's a bigger picture, and there's so much pressure that gets taken off your shoulders. If you realize that I'm doing the best I can. I did my part. I worked my tail off. I was faithful, I prayed, I was kind. Like, all those things. Like, I did my best to be the best I could show up with everything I've got in the. I'm the greatest form. But, like, because you got to believe that you are good at what you do and that you are confident, you are great. So it's like, you show up with that, but if you also couple it with the. Well, but, I mean, I'm not the greatest. Like, I have this amazing team of support around me, of angels and God. Like, I think that just adds an extra element of, like, power to you.

It's unlimited power.

Unlimited. And then it's not about me. It's like, I showed up the best I could be, but at the end of the day, like, God's gonna direct me and take me where I need to be. And there's a lot of comfort that comes from that. Like, I think it takes a lot of the bitterness out of life, of the losses, like, not winning Dancing with the Stars when I killed it.

Yeah, you dominated.

I dominated this show.

Who actually won that?

Jordan Fisher won. Amazing. He's amazing. Like, incredible. I still think I just as much deserve to win, but it takes the bitterness out of it or the, ugh, the anger of, like. Or, like, not winning America's Got Talent at the time. Like, heck, I'm so glad I didn't win that show because God had a different, much bigger plan for me than. You know, if I'd won that show, I would be in a very different place than I am now, you know, and sometimes things are just not meant to be.

It's not meant to be.

Yeah.

What's missing in your life right now?

I mean, gosh, I think I've always wanted a family. Like, someday, I think.

How old are you now?

I'm 32. All right. It's a good age to me.

It's a good age to me.

But, yeah, I think for me, like, I want to have a life partner to go through life with, you know, And I want to have. I want to have kids. I want to have that experience, and, like, a lot of My friends are in that phase. Like, my sisters are all in that phase of having, like, multiple children and raising them. And that's a chapter of my life that I think I want to have, and I know I will have someday when the timing is right. And there have been times when I've been disappointed that I'm not there yet.

Really?

You know? Yeah. Honestly, I grew up thinking I'd be married at, like, 20. I just always thought I'd get married super young. And then once I got to 20, I was like, no, I've got things to do. But, yeah, I think that there have been times when I've just craved having a life partner, because I think when you're, like, an artist, sometimes the artist route can be a little bit lonely. Even though I tour with tons of people, when I'm on the road with all these people surrounding me, but still, there's a little bit of.

You going to sleep alone with your dog.

Yeah. Cuddle up with my chihuahua, which is great. I love you, Luna. But, yeah, I think that it's important to just, again, hand that over and be like, I truly believe that that will happen for me when the timing is right. Even though sometimes I. I want it now. And I do get discouraged, and I have cried about it. Like, I'm not to say that I'm always just, like, it's fine. Just because I get that perspective at times when I'm clear doesn't mean that I don't have moments in all of these things. Whether it's success or being disappointed that something didn't do well or, like, relationships. Like, doesn't mean I haven't, in the moment, been devastated by things. I just then go and remind myself that, like, it's gonna be okay.

Yeah. What would be the. The perfect partner for you? What would that person have emotionally, spiritually?

Yeah.

The perfect guy. All right, take notes, fellows out there.

Or just what's something you're looking for? What will be your match?

Well, I think spirituality is a big thing to me. Obviously. I want someone that can have a belief in something greater than themselves and have faith and hope. I think also someone with a sense of humor. Life's too short. You got to learn to laugh through life. And I think everybody has their own type of humor. You just have to find someone that. Your same odd sense. Because we all have these odd senses of humor. We're all quirky, and it's finding someone that gets your quirkiness. And I think also we all have to, in a way. I think when you fall in love with someone, you're also falling in love with the version of yourself that they bring out of you. I mean, I think that 100%. Like, everybody brings out, whether it's a friendship or a working relationship or like a partner, they bring out a different part of you. And you want someone that brings. Brings a part of you out that you love to be. And so I think that's a huge part of it.

What part of you would you love to be more of that they would bring out of you?

Ooh. Sometimes I get super hyper focused. I have this, like. I think it's really. People are so fascinating. We all have different sides of our personality. You have, like, your core side, and then you've got your secondary personality. And sometimes my secondary personality becomes dominant because it's the red side of me that's like the task oriented, work hard. A, B, C equals D. Like, I have that side of myself, but that's my secondary side. My first side is playful, fun, loving. Like, you know, I'm a yellow. I'm a performer, I'm a creative. But when I let my red take over the yellow, I'm unbalanced. And so I think someone who brings out that playful side of me and keeps that, like, childlike person alone live, I think that's. I think that's the side that I need in a partner to bring out. Because sometimes my red, it's good at being strong on its own. I don't need someone that brings that out of me. I can do that on my own.

Okay. Bring out the playful side.

Yeah. You know, I want to play through life. I want to, like, have a. I want to have that in my family. I want to have a family that, like, not only knows how to. Kids that know how to work hard and understand the value of a dollar, like, the way I was raised. But also, like, my home also had a lot of love and play in it, and I think that's why I got to where I'm at. Like, we were allowed to play and play big.

That's great. Yeah. Who taught you to play big?

Both my mom and my dad. Like, my dad was a writer, and he very playful, and he was a great storyteller. And as hard as he worked, he always made time for his kids. And, like, I didn't. I remember at his funeral. I think funerals are some of the most inspiring things I've ever been to both my dad and my best friend's funerals. I left being like, I want to be a better person.

Wow.

The spirit was just so strong there. But I remember at my dad's funeral, like, person after person after person got up and told these stories about how he made time for them and how he made them feel seen in ways that was just like. I was like, where did this man find time to do this? I knew he did that for me. I didn't know he did that for the neighbor down the street. I just.

I didn't know.

Yeah. Like, people at our church, his students told stories about how he made. I was just like, somehow he found all the time in the world to make people feel seen while he was still a super hard working. And that's the part of me I want to make sure doesn't get hidden. Is that the time that you make time to not only play, but you see people and you make people feel seen? Because at the end of the day, if you just work, work, work, work, work, and don't let people know that you see them. Whether it's like, you know, my dancers on tour or like, it's. Or my fans making sure that they feel that I see you at the end of the day. We all crave just being seen and understood. And that's one of the things, more than anything, I think I learned my dad raising us, made us all feel so seen and understood.

That's powerful.

Yeah. I want to do that for people. And if I let my red personality take over, I miss that completely.

Yeah. What do you think your dad would be most proud of you today?

Oh, my dad was so proud of me. I'm gonna cry. He was so proud of me back when no one knew who I was.

Yeah.

You know, he was my biggest fan. But, like, the thing is, not only me, like my sisters, he was all of our biggest fans. And I think that's one of the things that's so powerful. He didn't care about, like, the fact that I had, like millions of followers or something like, each one of us. I remember a story when, like, I was a teenager and I had to run late at night. I was on the cross country team and I would run through the summers to stay in shape, but Arizona's so hot in the summer, miserable. So he would drive in his car behind me while I ran at night so that one I'd be safe and I wouldn't be alone. And so he didn't have to run with me. Like, he would stay in his, like, Buick Skylark and drive. Actually, that car didn't have ac, so he's out there in the heat Too. What a way to show your daughter that you're her biggest fan, you know, like, yeah, I'll drive in the car with you at, like, 10 o' clock at night so you can go running. And I know that my dad would be the most proud of me. Not for the music, not for the fame, but for the fact that I've done my best to stay true to myself and, you know, stay true to my faith. And, you know, I'm not perfect in it, for sure, but it's something important to me that I made a commitment. When I first saw that I was being successful, I was like, I don't want that to change in my life. And as much as, like, the industry and the world has, like, tugged and pulled at me, that's my core. It's one of my core things. And I think my dad would be really proud to see that. I haven't let go of something that's been actually hard to maintain, but that's a piece of me.

Yeah, that's powerful. I know he'd be inspired, for sure.

Love you, Dad. I know he's here.

Yes. You're going on tour right now?

Yeah, about to leave.

You got the new album, you're going on tour. Where can people watch you live?

Oh, man, people can watch live.

I mean, you're going all over the country.

All over the world. We'll be in Europe this fall. We're doing a Christmas tour in the States in the winter.

I want to go to the Christmas one.

Oh, my gosh.

I think it'd be so inspiring.

Yes. I'll send you the date when we're close to la. I know we're like an hour outside of la, but, yeah, if I'm here, I'll come. Come to the Christmas tour that's gonna be across the States and then we're gonna do the new album Artemis tour in the spring in the States. So it'll be hitting South America as well in the early part of the year. So we'll be everywhere. I mean, literally, I'm gonna tour the world in the next six months.

You're a machine.

I'm a machine.

You're a machine.

Keep going.

So the album's already out.

Some of the singles are out. The album is Spotify. Yeah. So you can catch it on Spotify. The album drops September 6th. The comic book will drop shortly thereafter. We're hoping by, you know, beginning of September.

But, yeah, it's amazing.

I'm excited.

So we can.

We can find it all.

Where.

Where's the best Place to find a tour. The comic tour dates.

I mean, Lindseasterling.com, you'll see my tour dates. You'll see, like, links to the album. You can also, of course, find me on Spotify. Come visit my YouTube channel. That's where I feel like I like. If you want to get a taste of what my art is. My little music videos. Amazing are my babies.

Some of them have, like. What's some of the biggest views? Like, tens of millions, right?

Oh, Louis.

Some of the videos have tens of millions of views, right?

I've got a couple, like a Single video.

Over 100 million.

I've got a couple over 200 million.

200 million.

I've got a couple that are that big. Yeah.

It's amazing.

Thank you. And then, yeah, there's some in, like, anywhere from, like, 10 million to, like, up to 200.

200 million, 50 million.

So. I'm so blessed, so grateful. It's amazing. I still. Sometimes I'm like, I play the violin and dance around how much?

Like a fairy.

Like a little woodland fairy. How the heck do I have these kind of numbers? And, you know, how come people show up to my shows? But I'm really excited for this tour. We literally just finished, like, prepping it. Rehearsals, costumes. It's going to be so much fun. It's a story. So I hope people come and check out this. You know, the new themes, the new music. Yeah.

You're one of the most inspiring performers on stage I've seen.

Really?

When I watched you at the. Was it the Greek Theater?

The Greek. Yeah.

Greek Theater.

You were amazing. And then when I watched you at my event, Summoner of greatness. I was, like, in tears, I swear to you. Cause it was like I was watching from the side and I could see you. It was like these lights were just glistening off your body and these shadows were, like, dancing around with you and. And it was just this beautiful setting to see people just, like, in awe of you. I was like, I know her. That's my friend. I was like, she's amazing.

Oh, my gosh.

It's so cool. I don't know how you do it. You dance with so much grace.

Thank you.

And love. And it's like you don't miss anything.

When you're playing, too.

I don't know how you don't miss the notes.

Well, that's definitely.

Or maybe you trick us, but it seems like you're not missing anything. It sounds so good.

It's.

And you just dance with so much passion and Energy that it's awe inspiring for people.

Well, I truly love performing.

You're amazing at it.

I love entertaining. That's why I write the music. That's why I like work so hard. That is all for that moment to entertain. Since the time I was a child, I've just craved to see people smile through sharing. And there's nothing like that is when I'm out on the stage and I'm reminded that these people actually I remember at the show at the Greek, usually I can only see the front like two rows and everything else is glazed. And I usually try to kind of glaze everything over because I'm focused. But like occasionally you'll catch these like smiles and you'll catch these like, or tears from people. And it was funny for some reason. The audience at the Greek was very lit. It was very strange. But I remember getting super nervous and being like almost thrown off because I'm like, oh, there's Lewis House. Oh there's Lilly Singh. There's Derek House. Like weird people. Not only can I see like so many faces, but I see people. I know it was very strange. But no, I love performing. Yeah. For anyone who hasn't come to a show, they're very theatrical.

It's amazing.

Lots of costumes, lots of dancing, lots of storytelling.

It's worth it then.

I hope you guys come out to the show. But yeah, I'll get you out to the Christmas show.

I would love to. Yeah, it's worth it. Make sure you guys go to the show. Go to Lindsey sterling.com. follow you on YouTube, Instagram. You're on Instagram a lot?

I'm on the Gram. Yeah. Come follow me on the Gram.

I'm trying out TikTok, so maybe you'll get on TikTok.

Check it out.

So anywhere you're on Twitter, everything like that. I think I asked you this question last time. This is called the Three Truths.

Oh, I saw. I thought about this because I knew you would ask me.

Okay, okay, okay. So imagine it's your last day, many years from now on this earth, right? And you've achieved every big dream you want. You've manifested it. You've got the partner, the family, you've got the albums, magazines, whatever you want to create, you've done it. But for whatever reason, you got to take it all with you to wherever you go next. So no one has access to any of your content anymore. Your videos with trillions of views now, they don't have them anymore. They're not available for us. But you get to leave behind three things you know to be true. Three lessons that you would leave behind to this earth from your experiences of your life. That would be the lessons that you would pass on to someone else. What would be those three things? Three truths.

Okay, so I thought about this, okay, I was caught off guard last time. I was like, oh, no. 3 for sure. My first one would be, there is something so much bigger than you, and I've talked about that many times in this podcast. But just like when you limit yourself to the finite and what you see in front of you, you limit yourself so much. But believe that there is, like, whether it's God or whether it's the universe, reach out to it and wish and believe that there is something there for you to be helped by. Because when you do that, it's amazing what you can accomplish. It goes beyond your physical abilities and your own mind and your own strength. Because there is something definitely out there that will lift you when you feel like you have no strength. So believe in something greater than yourself. Dang it. Secondly, the holidays are back at Starbucks. So share the season with a peppermint mocha, Starbucks signature espresso, velvety mocha and cool peppermint notes topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls together is the best place to be at Starbucks.

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Don't just limit yourself to the reactions that come to you naturally, because sometimes those come from places where that life has taken you and you're letting life be the guide and situations be the guide. Be intentional. Decide that you want to be grateful. But I think practicing being intentional, whether it's writing in a gratitude journal every night, deciding how you want to show up to something, or listening to the voice in your head and saying, no, I don't want to believe that. Be intentional with your thoughts and how you feel about yourself. And own that. Write your own. That's the only way you actually write your own story. And third, I would say see people as people. I think a lot of times we just are so stuck in, like, the only person we truly understand these deep emotions from is ourself. And if you're like, every once in a while I'll be in a crowd of people and I'll look around and I'LL suddenly get, like, actually overwhelmed. Because I realize every single person, like these thousands of people all walking through the streets right now, all have so much on their heart. They have dreams, they have pain. This person just wants to be a dancer. And they're struggling so hard to try to be that this person can't pay their bills. But they also are so excited about this because they just had a baby. And, like, everybody has so much on their heart. And once you see people as, like, people, love takes over and kindness takes over, and you, you are a different person to other people. When we just see people, for me, it's that we're all children of God. We're all equal. And suddenly prejudice is gone, all status is gone. We're all human, and we're all filled with so much hope and fear and love and everything. And you realize we're all the same. And I think seeing humanity is a really powerful reality check sometimes. Okay, that was really long. But those are my three truths.

I love those.

I love them. When you're going to somewhere like Mexico or another country, do you have a translator speak on stage? Because I wish people could hear your messages when you do get on stage.

That's always one thing I've thought about doing, actually, when we go to Europe, I'm having some dialogues and monologues translated, and they're gonna be on, like, a voiceover.

That's cool.

Because I was always like, yeah, I love to share messages from the stage. I always hope that people will come. I want them to be entertained at the show, thoroughly entertained, but I also want them to leave uplifted. And. Yeah, when there's a language barrier, that's a little bit difficult to do through words. But I will say, at my meet and greets, I always have, like, these, like, chats with my fans, and I actually started crying. I think it was in Monterey when my fans, they were so sweet and they were so loving, and I just was, like, so grateful. This connection moment, like, here I'm in Mexico, we barely could communicate, and yet they shared so much love with me that it was like, yeah, humanity. Like, these are all people who are expressing to me through, like, broken English. And I'm trying to understand through my, like, tiny bit of Spanish. Like, they're just expressing me that, like, what you've done has made a difference to me. And I was like, wow, what you're saying in this moment is making a difference to me. And that's humanity at its basic powerful. You know, we're all the same. We're just trying to make through life and trying to, like, love each other and uplift and make it through.

Yeah. Well, Lindsay, you're one of my favorite people.

Oh, thank you. I love coming here.

I love connecting with you, even though we don't have that much time together throughout the year. But I really want to acknowledge you because you bring so much joy and light to the world.

Aw.

Thank you.

Through all the challenges you've been through, you continue to rise above them and be an inspiration to so many people. And again, I just. When I see you on stage two times, I was just like, it moved me so emotionally, and I love that you show up with that light and that love. You help heal so many people. So I'm very grateful for you. I acknowledge you for just being an incredible human being and for having such high values and standards in life, and I think you're a great example and model for what a human being should be. So I'm very grateful for you.

Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you.

Of course.

Thank you so much.

That was so nice.

And I just want to acknowledge you. Do you ever get acknowledged once in a while?

Do you ever get acknowledged Sometimes.

Okay, well, I want to acknowledge you for the amount of good and positivity and, like, information. Just, like, practical. Like, it's one thing to stand up there and say, like, love yourself. Be good. You help people find very practical ways to have self love. You're a voice for power. You're a voice for people to find their best inner self, and you share that with the world in such practical, tangible ways. And I. And now you're doing it through live events. Like, I think that the amount of love that you give to the world is incredible. And it's so apparent whenever I'm around you, I feel my power, like, literally. And I think that's an amazing gift that you have to make when you're around people. They are aware of their own gifts. So I just want to say I want to acknowledge you as well for the power you share.

I appreciate it, Lindsay.

Thank you.

Okay, final question. What's your definition of greatness?

Oh, I wasn't prepared for that one. I forgot about that one. My definition of greatness. I think my definition of greatness is doing everything you can to show up at your best state. Whether that's hustling harder, working harder, whatever it is, showing up the best you can, but then accepting the results and, like, still loving yourself in spite or, you know, not because of the results, but in spite of the results. Whether it's the results you want or whether it's the results that you didn't want. Because we all show up and sometimes we get, sometimes we don't. So showing up with everything you've got in your power, then accepting that's it, that you're still great regardless, you're the best.

Lindsay, appreciate you. Thank you very much.

That was so fun.

Appreciate it.

My friends, I hope you enjoyed this interview with the incredibly inspiring Lindsey Sterling, one of my favorite people to watch, perform and be around. I don't spend enough time with her because she's traveling the world on tour, performing in front of 10, 20,000 people a night, screaming fans everywhere and inspiring people with her dreams. But every time I'm around her, it's always a positive experience. If you enjoyed this, share this link with one friend Just shoot them a text, put it in a WhatsApp group message, put it in Slack, put it on your Instagram stories and tag me Lewis Howes and at Lindsey Sterling because I'm sure she would love to hear how you thought about this episode and leave me a review over on Apple Podcast. I don't care if you leave a one star or five star like most people do. I want to see your reviews and your comments. How can we improve? How can we make this better for you? What are the other types of content you're looking for? Let me know by leaving review over on Apple Podcast right now. You are a special human being. You are here for a reason. Because you want to learn. You want to grow, you want to improve your life. And that is special. Not many people in the world are constantly seeking the wisdom and the mind food to feed their souls, to grow and improve their joy, their happiness, their fulfillment and really make their dreams come true. And as Harriet Tubman said, every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars, to change the world. You are a dreamer, my friend. But you've got to be willing to have the patience, the passion and the strength to continue through all the adversity that is going to come your way. Because you will fail and you will fail hard on your face. You will break bones. You will. It'll be ugly. It's not going to be fun. You're going to embarrass yourself. Lindsay talked about how she embarrassed herself in front of millions of people on tv, and that was a great lesson to help her get better and learn and improve. So whatever it is you're going through, just know it's part of the process to achieving your dreams. I love you so very much. You know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great. Foreign.

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