403: Becoming a champion with Alexa Bliss

Hi, everyone. I'm so happy you've tuned into the show. Whether you have listened before or you're brand new, I'm so grateful for you. You have no idea. And this episode is brought to you by my Become Aligned course. And podcasts are amazing. And I know that you know that because you guys all listen to them, and I do, too. And sometimes they are not necessarily enough because while we're listening, sometimes we're passively listening and we're not actively listening. So the reason that Chris and I. Chris is my husband. The reason we've created this course is because we get asked so many questions outside of the podcast on how we started living the life that we live now. A life of happiness, of abundance, of really understanding that life is always full of problems every single day, but there's always a solution. And how do we shift back into a mindset that's going to keep us happy, keep us together, keep us successful, and keep us in thriving relationships? And that is what our, our Become Aligned course is about. You guys, we cover everything from mindset to the rituals that we do every single day. We talk about different energy sources that's really gonna provide you with lasting energy. We talk about your purpose and what that actually means, what it is and how it's ever changing. We're gonna tap into your beliefs, we're gonna show you how to build a tribe to support where you're going. And we're definitely going to talk about wealth, abundance, money, all of the good things, and how to sustain all of this. Because while, like I said, POD are absolutely awesome, you don't necessarily sit down and actually write out a plan for yourself. Because as much as I can sit here and tell you on the podcast, what we do and how much, how many different people that I can interview, it's important that you actually learn how to apply these things in your own life. So if you've been listening for a while and you are ready to go deeper and you really want to get some direct training and be able to dive into your life and yourself and your mindset, this is the course for you. I don't know about you, but I absolutely have points in my life where I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what I'm doing. Sometimes I hit walls where I don't necessarily feel happy anymore, and I haven't sat with myself long enough. I haven't really let myself think. I haven't written out how I actually feel. And so many people who took this course said that it was completely life changing and they revealed a lot of things about themselves, about them, about their. About their relationships that they weren't really looking at or they were avoiding. And it's about having those tough conversations, not only with other people, but really with yourself and knowing that you have the tools and the access to the tools. And we're going to teach you all of the tools that you need not only to move through things, but to actually thrive on the other side. So, you guys, I would love for you to join the aligned community. It's such a special group of human beings and you get lifetime time access. This is nine different modules where you're going to be working through each area of your life at your own pace. So you might need something on abundance, you might need more on, you know, money, you might need more on your purpose on your tribe. This is where you can really go deep on exactly what you need and make sure that you're not missing any of your blind spots if you are feeling stuck or if you are wondering how everyone is doing it and how they're managing it all. This is a truly honest course about how to have a thriving life and manage and deal with all of the different problems that do come up in your life and understand that not everyone is going to support you and not everyone is for you and you are not for everyone. And that's okay. It's finding your people, it's forgiving yourself. It's creating a life of abundance and choosing your own purpose and your happiness. So, you guys, you can go to becomealigned.com that's becomealigned.com and you guys know that because you're listeners, I'm gonna give you an awesome deal and an awesome discount and I cannot wait to see you in that community. And also let me know if you join because it is such an awesome, awesome community. And also I'm really proud of this course. Chris and I poured our heart and our soul into this. Everything that we've done, everything that we've learned, we've invested so much into ourself that this is everything that we have applied in our lives. And if you want to know how we've done it, we put it all on the table. We've put it all in this course. So if you want to know, go check it out@becealigned.com so let's get into the show.

I wish more people would talk about online bullying, you know, mental illness and all that stuff, especially with women and teenagers and stuff, stuff like that. Because We've all gone through it, but it doesn't have to define you. You can be successful out of it and it can actually be like the thing that makes you successful.

Welcome to the earn your happy podcast. I'm Lori Harder, founder of The Bliss Project, 3 Time Fitness World champion, fitness expert and cover model turned self love junkie, lifestyle entrepreneur and author. Each week I'll bring you a guest or a thought that will help you bust through your fears, connect to your soul and focused and clear so you can elevate your life, business and relationships. We don't wait until we're ready for someone to tell us we're good enough. We take what we want and we anoint ourselves. Get ready to earn, own and unapologetically rock your happiness every single day. Are you with me? Here we go.

Foreign.

Welcome back to the show and I have a super awesome experience to share with you guys and it is definitely the part of this podcast that is so exciting. I don't often get to go and travel on the road and do this podcast, but I got to go down to the Staples center in downtown Los Angeles during Monday Night Raw and have this interview at wwe. So this is a bit outside of the norm for this podcast. I have interviewed former WWE divas and have freaking loved it. And this was no different. I had the most fun time interviewing all of the women on this day and this woman in particular is such a light. She's so brilliant. She is such a firecracker and I love hearing that the basic mindset and principles are the same exact across the board no matter what your dream is. I don't care if you want to start a business. I don't care if you want to be an entrepreneur. I don't care if you want to be a WWE Superstar. It is all the same mindset and belief in yourself and connection to other people and celebration of each other. So today my interview is with Alexa Bliss. Don't you just love that last? Are you kidding me? Alexa Bliss. I was like, how aligned is this? She is a driven competitor. She has been her entire life, participating in softball, track, kickboxing since her youth, excelling especially in gymnastics and eventually becoming a Division 1 cheerleader. She even entered the world of competitive bodybuilding, where she became one of the youngest competitors to receive her IFBB professional status, which her and I had so much in common with talking about this. So it was a lot of fun to hear about that journey as well. She has such an incredible athletic background that it's no won that she Quickly became one of next most dangerous superstars. Although she never captured the women's title, she was a constant threat, pushing the likes of many of the women in there. You guys, this woman is such a powerhouse and just the sweetest heart. Like, when I got to sit with her, she was just humble. She was excited to do the interview, and I also knew she was back to back to back to back that day, but she was so present with me. And I also know that that's a huge reason that she's so successful, is she is just in the moment, even though I'm sure her life and mind is spinning sometimes. And you'll hear that a lot with this interview is so much of their life is on the road. And how do you manage all that? So I can't wait for this to get started, because I just think the wisdom within this can be applied to all of our lives.

So here we go. Lexi, I'm so excited to be sitting down, chatting with you.

How are you?

I'm fantastic. How are you? Good.

I'm so excited to be here. It was so much fun. I was telling Natalia because when I was pulling in, people thought I was, like, a wrestler. So they were yelling.

Oh, yeah.

I was like, this is so.

You're good shape. You're blonde, of course.

So, yeah, I'm really, really excited to be here. But I would love to know what in your life got you to this moment. Like, what was it really? There's probably many transformational moments or, like, things that you can go back to, but is there one thing that either planted the seed of this dream? Like, was it something that you saw on tv? Was it someone you talked to? Or were there a few things that.

You know, I'd watched WWE growing up, and so I was a fan. You know, growing up, my family would get together every Monday night. We'd order pizza. We'd watch Raw. It was just the thing that we did. And you grew up watching this? Yes.

Okay. Did you have brothers or anything?

No, I had cousins.

Okay.

They would always pretend to be the Hardy Boys, and we had, like, a little inflatable pool that had no water in it, and they used it as, like, their ring. And I was always the one that was like, no, don't hit me. And then I was the one that became a wrestler. No. So my cousins and my family all watched it. And then after college, I competed in bodybuilding. Well, I did bikini division. I competed because I was trying to find a healthy way of getting over my eating disorders. So that's kind of how I got into fitness. And my trainer at the time, his name's Mike Davies, he told me, hey, WWE is having a tryout. I heard, and he knew I was a fan, so he was like, hey, I don't know if this is like in your realm, if it's something you want to try, but I heard they're having a trial. And he just mentioned it in passing and I was like, oh. So I went on later that day, it was after a boot camp, I went to WWE.com and there was a link and it said, do you want to be a WWE Superstar? And I said, yes, I do. So I clicked on it, made a video. It's this God awful video of me in my posing suit, in my clear heels being like, this is why I should be a WWE Superstar. And I recently saw that video. It's just, it's tragic. And I sent it in, didn't think anything would come of it. I got a casting call after that I was flown to LA for a day, was given an interview, and after that I was signed. And they were like, let's just hope you're as athletic as you look. And so it was a very lucky situation because I know a lot of people have, you know, indie background in wrestling and have had multiple trials, like 4, 5, 6, 7 trials before they make it. And I just kind of fell into it, luckily, but it was something that I pursued to fall into, if that makes sense.

Yeah, totally. And I think the whole part about it was easy, probably because your fitness journey was probably somewhat challenging as well.

Getting back very challenging.

There's so much that people could look at and say, oh, that happened right away. Except you were prepping.

Yes.

Basically for this, through fitness for a long time. So what was that fitness journey like? Why did you. I know you said that you got into it because you were getting over an eating disorder, but what did that even look like? When did you.

So when I. So I'd grown up my whole life as a gymnast in All Star cheerleader.

Okay, and where are you from again?

Ohio. Oh, awesome. Okay.

Yeah, I lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, upper Michigan.

Okay, very cool. Yeah. So you know the whole middle Midwest. Yes. So I competed my whole life. You know, I competed in the Arnold since I was five.

Yes.

Because I did gymnastics at the Arnold, cheerleading at the Arnold, and then transitioned into bodybuilding. And so, you know, working out has always been a thing in my life. But then when I was in high school, I got very, very sick and I developed an eating disorder and I Lost a whole bunch of weight. Lost like 30 pounds in like five weeks, hospitalized. So then I started. When I got out of the hospital, I started training with my trainer, Natalie, and I'd been training with her since I was very, very young, since I was 14, because my parents, friends were bodybuilders and we used to go to bodybuilding shows. And I remember thinking, I want to do that because I watched the fitness division O or they tumble and the whole deal, the routine, because I was like, oh, my God, I want to do that. And I was a gymnast. Yes. So I was like, this is what I want to do. And so after I trained with Natalie for a few years, I went to college. When I went to college, I did college cheer. When I did college cheer, they had us doing bod pods. And I know coming from the bodybuilding world, you know what a bod pod, like sitting, it measures your body fat percentage and they would like, post them. And I remember specifically having a conversation with my coach saying, hey, I just gotten over anorexia. I don't feel comfortable doing it.

Yeah, I don't want to look at numbers.

Yes. And so, but she had also, I feel like, had a knee disorder at the time, because she had told me that she had one in the past. So she kind of understood. But then it was also like, hey, everyone needs to sign in to do cardio three days a week or three times a day. Everyone needs to do this. Everyone needs to sign in for this. And you had to sign in when you're at the gym. You had to go to the gym, you had to go to practice. It was a thing. So I remember going back to Ohio or Columbus. I was at a football game, I was in my uniform, I lost a whole bunch of weight again. And I told everyone, I was like, hey, this has been fun, but I need to go home. Packed up as much as I could in my car, drove home to Columbus, admitted myself the next day, and went through the whole process again of the hospitalizations, the therapy and everything like that. And as soon as I came out of the hospital, my trainer, Natalie and Mike, I had one lifting session with them. And they know I'm competitive. So they were like.

2026 is the year that you launch your business. It's the year that you've become the boss, you become the leader. That idea that you have that has been eating at you for a forever, that just will not leave you alone is going to come to life. Maybe it's something that someone tells you you should always sell or A store you've already designed in your head. And with Shopify, 2026 is when you finally make it happen. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap from household name to first time business owners. Just getting started you guys. I use Shopify for glossy and I remember when they sent me my little shopping bag celebrating my 10,000 dol in sales and I literally cried because I was so scared to take the leap. And I'm so glad that I did and that I use Shopify. It gives you all the tools to easily build your dream store. You can choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match your brand setup is fast with Shopify's built in AI tools that write product descriptions and headlines and help you edit photos. So marketing is built in too. You can create email and social campaigns that reach customers wherever they scroll. So as you grow, Shopify grows with you. You can handle more orders, expand to new markets and do it all from the Same dashboard in 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com happy go to shopify.com happy that shopify.com happy hear your first cha ching this new year with Shopify by your side. There are so many challenges to business that I don't want starting to be one of them for you.

And when you want more.

When you're starting a business, you need Northwest Registered Agent because you get access to thousands of free guides, tools and legal forms to help you launch and protect your business. And it's all in one place. You can build your complete business identity with Northwest today. Northwest Registered Agent has been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow business for nearly 30 years. They're the largest registered agent and LLC service in the US with over 1500 corporate guides. Real people who know your local laws and can help you and your business every step of the way. You can sign up for free account to begin managing your business hub with lawyer, drafted operating agreements, bylaws, resolutions, membership certificates, bills of sale and more at no cost. Northwest makes life easy for business owners. They don't just help you. You form your business, they give you the free tools you need after you form it. Like operating agreements, meeting minutes, and thousands of how to guides that explain the complicated ins and outs of running a business. And let me tell you, this is life changing because I had no idea how much went into this. So don't wait. Protect Your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business Identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Visit www.northwestregisteredagent.com forward/earn free and start building something amazing. Get more with Northwest registered agent at www.northwestregisteredagent.com forward/earnfree.

Okay, so in six weeks you're gonna be on stage and you're either gonna make an idiot of yourself by starving yourself or you're gonna do well and listen to us. And they're like, the decision is yours if you're going to go on stage and embarrass yourself or not. But you are getting on stage in six weeks. And so that kind of triggered the whole motivation of wanting to get better and wanting to eat the food on the diet plan, do the cardio, do the lifting, get healthy. And I remember competing. My first show was Natural Ohio. I won first overall, the whole deal, and then I was hooked. I was like, I want to do this. So I competed for a few years, went pro, and it was very difficult because I was, at the time I was maybe 18, 19, competing against women who are 26, 27.

Yeah, I was gonna say it's usually a sport you get into in your later 20s.

Yes. And I had a struggle because I didn't have the muscle maturity. Just naturally, I didn't have that muscle maturity that a 26, 27, 28 year old woman has. And so it was very, it was very hard to compete pro. And I remember after WWE signed me, I had competed with Arnold for the last time. And I was just like, you know what, this is gonna be fun. Like, I went out, just did my thing and bowed out. I was like, this has been great. But yeah, like, definitely it's something wwe, I take it as something that, you know, I trained for my entire life because I've been in athletics since I was five years old.

Hmm.

So I find it so interesting coming from a fitness background as well. Like, there's a drive of, there's this line of like, being driven in a really positive way. And I think all of us have this in us, to be honest. Being driven in a positive way where it can turn dark.

Oh, very quickly.

Really, really quickly.

Yes.

So. And I know that I've dealt with that my whole life, like, trying to keep the motivation and drive of like, you know, wanting to achieve something but not have it be so much coming from the place of I'm not enough, I'm not good enough or I'm not gonna be seen or like trying to keep that in perspective of balancing life with needing to achieve. So are you still. Do you feel like you're still in that dance? And how do you find when you're going to the extreme end? Because I'm sure it's so easy, especially with you're in. You're in the forefront all the time. Like, how do you kind of reel it back when you feel yourself going into the extremes again? Because so many people relate to this, this is one of the biggest.

Oh, for sure. You know, I'm definitely an extreme personality. I'm either all in or all out. And that's just how I've always been. And especially after, you know, going through the body image issues, going through everything, the depression, like, every kind of, you know, mental thing that you can. You just have to know your boundaries and know, you know, now. Like, I purposely. Like, I know my boundaries. Like, I know if I get a little too lean, I'll purposely go and order pizza and. Because I know that at the end of the day, like, I'm gonna feel good after I do that. And I just. I make myself get out of that negative place. And especially, you know, here, it's hard because we travel 300 days a year. We're away from our families. We're away from our friends. Like, we don't see them. So it. You can get into that. That kind of mopey mentality quickly. So you kind of have to, you know, know how to get yourself out of it. And, you know, it's. It's.

So what do you do? Do you talk to people? Do you, like, what are the maintenance things for your mental health that you do?

Well, I. I love watching Netflix. I call my friends. You know, I call my mom. Like, my mom lives down the street. I have a whole bunch of animals. I have three dogs and a pig. I have a Maltese, a chiweenie, and a Yorkie and a pig.

Okay, that's awesome.

Yes. But he thinks he's a dog because he's been raised around by.

I've heard that we have some pigs in our neighborhood. I live in la.

There you go.

Like, okay, there's a massive pig getting walked right now.

Yep.

With popcorn. Yeah. It's the only way to walk.

Oh, my. My pig likes Cheerios.

Yeah, they probably like a lot of anything, huh?

My pig's very picky eater.

Really?

He only eats carrots, spinach, and pineapple and Cheerios.

That is insane.

He won't eat anything else. He's very picky. I was like, I thought pigs are supposed to Eat everything. But he just. That's what I'm saying. He's picky. He's like no picky pig. He's a diva.

So for you, what are you. What do you wish more people asked you? What's a question that you wish more people asked you, that you don't think people know about you?

I don't know. I don't know. Well, mostly, like, when people ask me stuff, it's always about, like, wrestling and. Which is fine. Cause it's what we're known for, I guess. I don't know.

Are there things that you would love for people to know about you that you don't typically share, or do you feel like you share a lot?

I share a lot.

That's what the other ladies. We are an open book.

That's the thing. Cause, you know, with WWE and our characters and, you know, with how much we do, like, community outreach and how much we do, like, the star programs and everything like that. So we're kind of expected to lay it all out there.

Yeah.

Should be like. Because someone somewhere will relate to something you've gone through.

Yeah.

So we're kind of. We're all highly accessible and very much an open book. I don't think there's anything anyone doesn't know about me. I think that's the. It's good and it's bad.

Yeah. What's the good and what's the bad?

The good is, you know, people know us in and out of character, and they can relate to us in and out of character in any way. Like my character on tv, I'm completely opposite on TV as I am in real life. Like, my character is the biggest just B word you will ever meet. It's that girl from high school, you know, that everyone secretly hates, but will still follow them on Twitter, you know what I mean? Or Facebook them something. And myself as a person, I've always been very, you know, shy in a sense where I'm very, like, extroverted, introverted. If it's like one on one, I can talk your ear off. Insert a third person. I'm the quietest one in the room. Like, I just get real awkward and quiet and just like.

Where do you think that came from? Do you know?

I don't know. I've heard it's a thing, though. Yeah, I've heard it's a thing. So I was like, so I'm not the only weird one around here?

No, I don't think anything's weird, but yeah.

And I guess the bad is everyone Knows everything about you. Yeah. Literally you can't do or sneeze without people knowing. You know what I mean? And especially because on social media, everything gets blown out of proportion all the time. I mean, luckily, I've never been, like, a victim to any of that stuff. But like, even just like seeing stuff that people, like, write about you and they're. You're just like, you don't know me. You don't know me as a person. Like, especially on social media, media, we show you everything about our lives, but we also only show you what we want you to see. And so that's just like. I guess that's the bad of it.

It's so interesting. So this relates so much to everything that most women ask. Most women who are listening to this either want to, or they have a business or they're an entrepreneur or they're, you know, a public speaker, or they're really getting. Wanting to write a book or they have already written books, things like that. Like, really putting themselves out there. How do you. How do you kind of keep a safe boundary for yourself mentally when you're really out there? Because I think now with anything, it's required to be really out there.

Yes. Especially, you know, there's people on Instagram that, like, film their entire lives every day. Hair and makeup ready, which, kudos. Because when I'm at home, my hair is in a messy bun. I don't leave the house, I Uber eats, I watch Netflix. Like, I do not leave my couch and I sit with my animals. And that's kind of what I do. Like, when I'm home, nothing is work related. There's no speaking of wrestling, there's no speaking of work, there's no speaking of anything. That's not positive energy.

So that's a huge boundary right there. Yeah. So do you turn your phone off or what do you do?

Oh, girl, I can't turn my phone off.

Put everything else.

I can't turn my phone off because I'm addicted to Pinterest. I'm always like, on Pinterest and stuff. But like, that, that kind of. For me, I learned that, like, from John Cena. John Cena came and talked to us when we were in nxt and he was saying, when you're not home, disconnect. Because someone said, what's the secret of longevity? And I said, disconnecting. Because sometimes you can become so wrapped up in what you're doing or what you're focusing on that you become so obsessed with it that sometimes you need to step back because if you're. You're not seeing it from a clear angle when you're always in it.

Yeah.

So, for example, you know, when I was injured, I was out with a couple concussions, and I saw my work and I was like, you see it from a perspective and you're like, oh, I can really improve on that. But when I was in it, you don't see it. Yes. And so I think it's healthy to make that boundary and to kind of step out of it and do things that you enjoy. Because if you're so wrapped up in it, you're not going to enjoy what you do anymore. It's going to become work. So if you don't separate yourself, like now, this isn't work. It's fun. And because I was able to step out of it and create that boundary in a healthy way.

Yeah. What do you think is the most challenging thing about what you do in this industry every day?

I'd say the travel.

Yeah.

I've been home one day this whole month, and I think that's the hardest part. And I'm really, like, OCD and, like, germaphobic too. So, like, not being able to do my laundry all the time, that really gets me. I'm always like, oh. So I always, like. I always make sure I book somewhere that before I book a hotel, I make sure they have guest laundry. I'm like, looking. That's hilarious. It's like a thing. Yeah. I'd say the travel. I'd say that's the hardest thing. Like for this week, example, you know, we. We've had 7am flights every day. So I've been up the last five days at 4am every morning, flying in and then, you know, having full days. And then tomorrow we're gonna go to Ontario and then fly out straight from Ontario to Tampa. Tampa to a commercial. Commercial to pay per view, pay per view to Japan. So it's just like you're constantly on the go. That's why I always say I live on caffeine and concealer.

Yeah.

If I ever write a book, that's gonna be. That's the title. Caffeine and Concealer.

So how do you. Because especially coming from fitness background or eating disorder or anything like that, and I think just being a human in general, like, we want to attempt to have control in our lives. And I know that travel's, like the number one thing that can make you feel like you're out of control.

Absolutely.

So how do you find. And this answer can be translated for anybody listening Even if you don't travel, because it can be related to when your life feels out of control. You can't plan for your kids or you can't plan for certain things at work, or you're not in control of different things that are happening within your business or whatever that looks like. Like, so how do you, how do you either find like that calm or that peace when things just feel out of control? And how do you create ritual amongst no control?

And it's so crazy that you said that, because there's times I can feel my life getting out of control.

Yes.

Mainly because whenever I feel my life getting out of control, I always have tornado dreams.

Interesting.

Every time. Like actual tornado, like, like dreams about tornadoes. And I've looked into it and it's like you dream about stuff like storms or anything like that when you feel like your life is out of control. Like you can't control the situation.

Yeah.

So whenever I start to like, even have an. It's the weirdest thing. Like I just, my body knows when things are out of control. So like, I like have a whole bunch of like meditation apps on my phone. I'll read a book. Something that, you know, you can take your own pace. Like, and especially like travel. There's been, I've been in literally every travel situation that now I, I feel like even if travel is out of control, everything ends up working out. For example, like, last UK tour we had, we missed our connection because the connection was booked too close. You have to. We landed, we had a 30 minute layover to go through customs, recheck our bags. Wasn't going to happen. As soon as we got off the plane, the person asked for our boarding pass. They laughed at us. They were like, yeah, you're not making this. Our bags were lost for four days. We were on a two week tour. Bags were lost for four days. We went to go shopping. Somehow my wallet got left in the Uber. And in Spain you can't contact the Uber. No one would help us, no one would do anything. Finally, this one woman walks by, just happens to stop and ask me if I was okay. And I was like, no. Like, I'm freaking out. My wallet's gone. I had my passport, everything.

Yeah, gone.

And she was just like, oh, she spoke English, like one of the very few people that did. And she was like, oh, my friend works for Uber. Let me just, let me just see what's going on.

That's so.

Calls, like, speaks to whoever she could and they're like, oh, is it a black studded? Whatever, whatever. And I was like, yeah. They're like, oh, we'll find that driver. Blah, blah, blah. Oh, he's still in the area. Somehow, like, this whole situation happens. So I always feel like, especially when it comes to travel, if I can handle the worst situation.

Yes.

Possible. Like Murphy's Law. Yeah, I can handle anything. That's kind of like one of those things. Like you have to go through those out of control situations to know that you can be perfectly fine in the smaller out of control situations. Like you said, like travel stuff or just little things that happen. I mean, kids are a big situation, but sometimes you just don't plan for that stuff. We kind of have to take it day by day and understand that things always work out how they're supposed to. Whether it's good or bad. It's going to work out how it's supposed to.

So is that a. Is that like a core belief that you hold in your life just like it will? Even when it feels crazy? You're like, I'm just waiting this storm out.

Yes, exactly. And it.

That's.

My friend told me that she was just like, no matter what happens, she goes, everything's gonna sort itself out in the way it's going to. She goes, doesn't matter what you do, how you try to control it, it's gonna happen how it's supposed to. And you're like, you know what? You're right.

Too many people finish their workday feeling frustrated, drained, and unfulfilled. I know that. I have experienced that myself. And the good news is it. It doesn't have to be this way, and you don't need a new job to fix it. Patrick Lencioni, author of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and more than a dozen other bestsellers, created the working genius assessment to help you pinpoint the kind of work that gives you energy, the kind that lights you up, and it also shares the kind that drains it. So over a million people, including me, have taken it and completely changed how I lead and show up every day. If you're a CEO, an entrepreneur, or someone who just wants to level up in business and in life, working genius is going to give you the clarity and confidence to operate in your strengths and find greater joy in what you do. Because confidence isn't pretending to be good at everything. It's knowing where you're truly gifted. Take the working genius assessment today and get 20% off with code. Earn@working genius.com. that's working genius.com. you'll be glad you did it.

I think that's such a big part of successful people's mentality, is they. That that's truly, like, if that's a core belief that it will always work out. It will make you stay in the storm instead of retreating.

Exactly.

Instead of being like, whoa, this is too much, or this is something that they can't handle. But you don't know if you can handle it until you know if you can handle it.

Until you go through it. You have to do it.

And there's no real graceful way of. I think there is later, but there's no real graceful way of handling it. The first time, like, did you have a meltdown the first few times that.

It happened, like, with, like, travel stuff?

Yeah.

Just absolutely falling apart. Oh, my God.

So it's a part of it.

My biggest thing is getting lost. Yeah, I hate getting lost. And one time I remember I'm just, like, crying and like. Cause my phone, like, stopped working, and I'm like, in Arizona.

Oh, near so.

And I had no idea where I was at. And, like, I somehow was able to call my mom from my iPad, because I was able to connect to McDonald's Wi Fi, and I call my mom, and I was like, can you direct me to the nearest AT and T? And bless her heart, she goes, so you're gonna go southwest on this street?

And I was like.

I was like, mom, what did you look up? And she went. I went on MapQuest. And I was like, it's 2019. No one's using that quest. So I was like, please put it in your phone. And I'm like, I'm at this intersection at this. And. And I was like. I was like, northeast, southeast, west. That doesn't do anything to me. I was like, I need left, right, straight, and forward. That's exactly how backwards I just remember. I was just like, lord.

And I cried.

I was. Was crying so hard. And then, like, eventually I. I found it and everything worked out, and then I was like. I was a little dramatic over nothing. You know what I mean? So you have to, like. You have to, like, notice when you're being a little too extra and kind of, like, tone it down a little bit.

Yep, totally. So what's something right now that you feel in your life besides travel, that maybe you're struggling with, either mentally or something with what you want to do or where you want to go, or maybe a door is not opening? What's something that you feel like you're in right now?

For me, right now, it's the Scheduling of work, to be honest, because I haven't been home in a month. And it's very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially because here everything happens so last minute. So I was finally supposed to go home last week and I was sent to. Well, two weeks ago I was sent to Pittsburgh. I was supposed to go home and it was my best friend. She was coming down with her with her baby, and she's been my best friend forever. We booked this vacation for her a year ago, and she's only in Florida for three days. I was in charge of the baby's first birthday party. And just with how scheduling worked out, like, I was added on stuff to go to Pittsburgh for these two out of the three days. And I was just like, it's out of my control. And I'm like, if I don't get home, like, I don't see them for another year. And like, I'm in charge of the first birthday party. And it's just like. It's those things that you kind of have to realize that you have to make a decision, like, what's important. And so I made the decision that I needed to go home and I needed to spend my time with my friends and her baby. And I knew you can't get that moment back. There's some things in life you just can't get back. And work's always going to be there. And right now for me, it's just the scheduling because I was supposed to go home for the first time and then I got added to another appearance. So then I had to go to Austin and come straight back on the road. And I'm just like. It's just. It's almost like. And every day that I have is like super busy. Like today, for example, I was like accidentally triple booked on appearances before the show starts. You know what I mean? So it's like, it's finding a rhythm and just going with it. And so for me, right now in life, it's scheduling, which is very. Normally I'm very schedule oriented. And when that schedule gets thrown off, I get very overwhelmed and. And I think with that, it's just like, you know what? Right now you do the work and you can reap the benefits later and decide what you want to do then. But right now it's time to be on the grind and to get it done and rest will come after so.

Many important things there. I think people forget that when you are trying to reach a dream or you are working for something, there's like, that. I call it, like, the atmosphere point, where you have to break through the atmosphere and, like, your rocket has to be like. Like in full throttle. And sometimes you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, right? And it's like, what keeps you going in those moments where it's like, you don't think there's anything left?

For me, I honestly, I can't look at the end goal. I can't look because if I'm like, cool, I'll reach this. And, like, we have a pay per view coming up. I'll reach that pay per view in X amount of weeks. I have to take everything day by day, because if I'm looking at that, I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing day by day, especially because that seems so far away. And I will lose my drive and I'll lose the motivation to keep going at my best. So you have to take it day by day, because if not, you get overwhelmed.

Today, like, when you wake up, what's the mentality that. Because it's really easy to go out. How do you get back into your body and into the present moment and be like, what's today like? How do you be your best today?

Honestly, I just. Just kind of look at today as a whole and then break it down into sections.

Okay.

And I'm like, okay. So I have. Before the show starts, I have three things I need to do. And then I just take each one. Cause if I were to look at today as a whole, I'd be like, this is gonna happen.

Yeah, I'm done.

Yeah, I'm done. I'm actually not showing up. I said that to myself on the plane. I was like, maybe I just don't show up.

What would happen?

What would happen? Do I really need my job? No. So like I said, I'm like, oh, no. That's the thing. Like, people. And I've seen little, like, memes of that. People are like, when you really debate how much you need your job, like, that was me this morning. I was like, today I was like, I'm just not going. I'll physically be there, but mentally I'm not going. No, but you just have to take it. You have to break it down into where you can control it and you can absorb everything. And that's kind of how I do everything. Like, especially, you know, during our live shows, we'll have like three or four live shots to do. And instead of looking like, oh, my God, I have three or four live shots, you go, okay, so what's the first one? Here it is. This is what you're doing. This is how I feel about it, and this is how I'm gonna do it. Cool. Don't even think of the arrest of stuff yet. Finish that one task and then move on to the next one and then the next one. And then by the time you're done, you're less overwhelmed. It all went well because you're focusing on the one bit at a time instead of one piece at a time instead of the whole big picture. So that's kind of how I have to handle a lot of my day by day stuff. Especially because, like, with how much we travel and how much we do, it's like, oh, my God, today's overwhelming. But then you go, if you take it step by step, it's not that bad.

It's so crazy. Out of all of the interviews I've done with crazy busy people or people who are chasing their dream, that's literally what it comes back to. They're like, it has to be moment to moment or we implode.

Yeah.

That's why, you know, I'll talk to some women who are just like, I'm so anxious.

I'm so freaked out.

I'm so like, where are you thinking right now? And they're like, I'm thinking six months from now. I'm like, holy shit. Like, you need to back.

I don't even know what six months from now looks like.

Exactly.

Exactly. So for you, what is something that really, like, makes you happy and gets present on the daily. Like, what's something that. Do you find happiness every single day that you can? And I get that some days are like that, but is there things that drop you into being present and make you either grateful or.

I like kind of just people watching. Yeah.

Yeah.

To be honest, what does that mean to you?

Like, people watching?

You know, when you look around, Like, I get a lot of motivation from other people, whether it's motivation for work, motivation for personal life, and I like, just like looking around other people and seeing how they live their lives. And it kind of grounds you for a second and realizes like, yes, what we do is very overwhelming, but what we do is really freaking cool. And it impacts a lot of people and in a positive way. And if we weren't doing what we do, we wouldn't be an escape for other people. And sometimes we need an escape from our escape. But I just like to people watch and I like to, you know, get in contact with my friends and stuff. That makes you grounded and stuff that makes you really appreciate what you're doing. And then you realize, like, this stuff isn't that bad. Totally. And like, I, and I. That's why, like, I love, that's why I love my job and love what I do. Because it is crazy. But we wouldn't do it if we didn't love it. And we love the reaction and interaction we get with people. For example, like, Nadia and I just went to Saudi Arabia and we got to visit with kids in the hospital. And the fact that they knew who we were was incredible. And we were an escape for them just for a couple minutes. And just to be able to take people out of their current situations, it's just. It's crazy to know that we do that.

So you get into, like, deep gratitude for what your impact is.

Yeah.

So what do you hope when people, like when teenage girls look at you, what do you hope that they get from it? Get from just even the way you live your life or how you followed your dreams?

Honestly, I feel like when I was going through like my depression and my eating disorders and everything like that, I didn't have anyone to look, look to. Like, I remember when I was hospitalized, like I was hooked up to a heart monitor, freaking IVs, tubes, like, everything. Soccer players came in and visited me.

Yeah.

And I remember being like, you don't know what I'm going through. You know what I mean? And I feel like women are like that in general. We're always like, we're always like, you don't know. Okay. You don't, you don't get it. But that's just how I was. I was like, you don't get what I'm going through. But I've been there and I've been through, you know, a lot of stuff. And like, and I feel like I hope teenagers, whether it's boys or girls, I hope they see that you, like, when they feel less confident about themselves due to other people. For example, like if someone else is causing them to feel worse about themselves or anything like that, like, no one can determine your self worth but you. And so I kind of hope that they see me as that person that I needed growing up because I needed someone to be like, hey, you're gonna go through this and you're gonna go through it a lot, but it's not going to define you and you're going to be successful out of it. You're going to, you're going to be happy some days you're going to be really sad some Days. But that's just life. And I think people. One thing I wish we would be more open about with, you know, teenagers and stuff like that, especially with online, like online bullying and stuff like that. We get it, too.

Yes, totally.

And we are just as successful, even though we go through it, too. Because I remember when I was in high school, like, people would write on my MySpace and I was just like, oh, my God, the world is ending. You know what I mean? Like, I am just so worthless and this, that, and the other, and. But we go through it too.

You know what I mean?

It's something that we can connect with people, and that's why we have BS Star and all that stuff. And it's because it's not the end of the world. And I wish more people would talk about online bullying, you know, mental illness and all that stuff, especially with women and teenagers and stuff like that, because we've all gone through it. But it doesn't have to define you. You can be successful out of it, and it can actually be like, the thing that makes you successful.

Yeah, let's talk about that. Because I think that one, honestly, it's something that I really struggle with because I see it every day in what we do. Just someone leaving crappy comments all the time, or in your DMs, or whatever that looks like. And it's just a part of it. It's literally all a part of it. But how does somebody who. Because I think women are fairly sensitive and we want people to like us. I think that's very human. So how do you kind of block that out?

Honestly, I just kind of laugh at it because, you know, to that point, though, of laughing at first, I was never like that. You know, because you'll scroll through comments and comments and you'll see all these positives.

Yes.

And then you'll see that one negative, and then you'll focus on that one negative, and then all the positives don't mean anything. I kind of just. The way I able. Was able to kind of separate from that was just to realize that, you know, I'm much more than what I'm posting.

Yes.

And I only show you what I want you to see. And the fact that you're judging what I'm giving you, that's kind of laughable because, like, you're just like, come on, man.

Like, there's so much context that normal person would understand. There's so much context that you can't write about.

Yes. And it's just people are just so quick to Judge. And, you know, I've always, always been a big advocate about, like, social media could be, like, the best thing in the world or the worst thing in the world. It just depends on how you do it. And, like, I remember, like, one of a girl I knew in high school, her younger brother killed himself because of online bullying. And it's just one of those things that people. It gives people this way of saying things, hurtful things and harassment with no consequences. And I feel like that's just. If you have to go out of your way to say something mean on my stuff, what is going on in your life? And that's kind of like, if that comment made you feel better about yourself, cool, dude. Like, sorry, but, you know, I'm still gonna be out here living my best life. And that's kind of how you kind of have to look at it. You kind of have to take it with a grain of salt. You know, it took a while to get to that point, but you kind of have to realize that with every hundred comments, there's gonna be a negative, but there's also 99 positive ones that you actually have to read and have to look into. And because we're so quick to just swipe through the positives, and they're like, oh, this person said my hair looked bad or something. You know what I mean? And so you have to just take everything with a grain of salt and realize it's not real.

Mm. It's so not real. I have to literally, every day, I'm just like, this is not real life. This box is not real life.

Yeah, that's the thing. Like, it's. It's not real.

Sometimes you don't realize that until you get off of it for a while. Like, I have time where I'm just like, get this phone away from me. I can literally feel everybody on it.

Yeah, that's the thing. And then there's so many times where I'm on Instagram, and I'm like, how is everyone living their best life like this? Everyone has a professional photographer with them. Like, everyone's going on trips. And, like, I always love seeing those little, like, memes of, like, people when they're, like, holding, like. Like, a picture and they're like, it looks like they're in front of a mountain, and it's really a picture frame. Like, I love that kind of stuff because it's so true. It's like, we. We show you what we want you to see, and you kind of have to realize that you're more than that. And so if someone comments on the little bit of their life that you let them see, like you don't have time for them.

I love that you say that about. You have to realize that you're more than that. Because I. I can trace back to just different points in my life where I've had to let go of identities outside of something. Like when I decided not to be in the fitness world anymore, it was like I had to realize I was so much more than my body. Otherwise I. I was like losing my.

Mind for real for like a year afterward.

Because if I wasn't getting recognized for that, I didn't yet put value in other things in myself, because it was the first time I really got attention or achievement, especially for someone like you or for different women who really start to get attention for one kind of like one area of your life. And yet your personality, while you are you. You're also playing a different character right out there. So how do you make sure that you're kind of like, like investing in other parts of you so that when this is done or you've moved on from it, that you are still valuing who you are?

You know, I've always had. I don't like to. So I have a plan B and a plan C and a plan D, but I don't like to focus on those only because if I focusing on plan B, I'm taking away from plan A mentally. But, you know, I went to school for dietetics, and so I know if I wanted to, I could do stuff with dietary stuff and dietitian. And, you know, that that's my true passion of what I really want to do eventually after WWE is I want to open up like a halfway house for people with eating disorders and mental disorders. Because I remember, like, when I was going through it, you were either hospitalized or completely outpatient. Oh, yeah. There was no happy medium. And I want somewhere where people can just come and kind of be a halfway point, because that's what I needed. And if I can just like, help impact in that kind of sense, that's kind of like really what I want to focus on. Because I'm not like. Like, I'm not super fashionable. I mean, I'm wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt.

You look great.

I've been on the road for three weeks. I haven't had time to do laundry. Sorry. But, like, do you know what I mean? Like, people like, oh, I want to start a fashion line. Just like, I just want to be kind of like, I just want to be Me. And, you know, I love acting, so maybe that's something I would try to pursue one day. But I think I just want to use this platform to show, you know, be that something for someone, if that makes sense.

Totally. I have one last question for you. When you're about to die, we're going there. So when you're about to die, you literally can only leave one message, and it's on a billboard, so there's only enough room that people could read on a billboard. And it's one message about life in general that you have learned that you've kind of categorized up. And it's not in the future. It's literally just say right now, what's a message that you would leave with people? It's the only message that you could possibly leave behind.

It sounds cheesy, but I would say put happiness first, because I've been in a lot of situations, whether it's relationships or working stuff, where if you don't put your happiness first, nothing else in life goes right. Because if you're happy, it changes the whole world around you. But if you're not, it negatively changes the whole world around you. So I would say put your happiness first 100%.

Well, there's your billboard.

Yeah, there's my billboard.

Well, I'm so grateful.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I loved it. I love getting to know you. I feel like there's a million other things I could ask you, but we're just gonna have to stop there. So thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Yes.

Thank you guys so much for spending this time with me on the earn your happy podcast. I am so glad that you stopped by. If you could take one second to share this episode with someone you you think would love it, that would be absolutely amazing, and we would be forever grateful. Also, please leave us a review if you feel so moved by going to itunes and leaving us an honest thought, an honest comment, Tell us what you think. Tell us what you want to hear. More of it would really help us out on our journey to helping thousands and thousands of people. Until then, don't forget to earn you're happy. Thanks again, guys.

Bye. Bye.