090: Aligning with Success with Aileen of Lavendaire

It's Sahara Rose and welcome back to the Highest Self Podcast, a place where we discuss what makes you your soul's highest evolvement. I am currently in Bali as I send out this podcast episode to you guys and you'll be able to follow me along on my Instagram at. I am Sahara Rose, but I so needed just a little bit of time to go inwards, to journal, to write, to reflect, to connect back to earth and nature. And you know, it's hard in this technological age where you're always doing things and you're always being really proactive to sometimes, you know, forget what the greater meaning of life is, which is just take a step back and enjoy this process. And this is exactly what Eileen of lavendaire and I talk about in this podcast episode. Eileen Zhu is a Life lifestyle blogger, YouTuber, podcast host and creator of the Artist of Life Workbook, which is an actual notebook that I use that has different prompts for journaling, self exploration, setting goals for yourself, and it's really beautiful. She loves empowering people to embrace their true potential and create their dream life, which I'm all about. So because of that we decided to interview one another for our podcast and I really love what she's all about. I'm so excited for you guys to listen to this episode, but first a note from our incredible sponsor, Uvada. Uveda is an organically grown, family owned modern Ayurvedic supplement company that delivers yoga and meditation advice directly to you through their app along with plant based nutrients and vitamins to your door. I am so excited to be partnered with them because they truly are a testament for making your mess your message. The founder Gunny suffered from clinical depression and anxiety after the loss of his brother and turned to Ayurvedic plants and herbs to heal him. His father is a leading Ayurvedic doctor and helped him become healthier and happier with these herbs and he made this company Uveda to help other people deal with not only anxiety, depression, but adrenal fatigue, stress, immunity issues, digestive issues and all sorts of other things. You can try out Uveda on their website uvaida.com and receive 35% off with code Sahara. I'm so excited for you guys to try this and please tag me in your pictures because their products are adorable. Without further ado, let's welcome Eileen Zhu of Lavendaire to the Highest Self Podcast. Welcome Eileen to the Highest Self Podcast. It's so amazing to have you here. Hi.

Thanks so much for having me.

Yay well, the first question that I'm going to ask you, that I ask everyone is what makes you your highest self?

And I love that you start with that because it's a hard question. But I would say what makes me my highest self is that I always try to align everything that I do with my heart and my intuition. I'm such a feely person. I have to feel right with everything that I do. I'm very like, I won't do something if it's just logical, if it only makes logical sense, really have to feel it. And I think that's what connects me to that higher power, and that's what makes me my highest self.

I love that, and it's so true. And I think a lot of us are, like, disassociated with feeling things. We're so used to thinking about things. So I love how feeling something brings you back to really who you are. Yeah, well, great. Well, you do so many amazing things and our work is so similar, which I'm so excited to talk to you, that we both feel like our highest selves are helping other people become their highest selves. And you're the only other person I've seen who talks about ikigai and these sort of subjects. So I would love to know your journey and how you came to be interested in these types of things.

That's so funny that I'm like the only person you found who talks about it. Yeah, I mean, I guess I've learned about all these different things from random sources, but it's all under the same umbrella of figuring out what to do with your life and how to live your best life. And that's. I mean, my umbrella. I call it personal development and lifestyle design. So how to improve yourself, but also, how do you create your dream you. I guess how it started out was in college. I was really lost with my life. I think growing up, I've always been a good student, pretty ambitious. I was like, okay, gotta do well in school, do good on my SAT so I can get into college, all of that stuff. And then once I was in college, I was studying business. You do internships? And so I was doing all these different internships to figure out what career I wanted to go into. And every single internship, even though to other people it might have sounded like a fun internship in fashion or marketing, I never really enjoyed being in that corporate setting. I just felt like my life means so much more than this. I just felt like an insignificant aunt working in a big company. And so I just knew Deep down it wasn't for me, but I knew that it was crazy to tell my parents I don't want to get a job after I graduate. I don't know. I struggled for many years from junior year of college to the couple years after college. When I graduated, I decided to not take a normal 9 to 5 job. But I really made it a point to set out and explore all the different creative areas that I'm interested in. Naturally, I loved music, I loved performing and acting. I thought that maybe that's what I want to do. I pursued music. I was auditioning for a while and throughout that journey I was also reading a lot of self help books like how to find what your purpose is. And all of these topics that I felt like no one my age was really reading about. And I was going through this phase when I was like 19, 20, 21 and your friends are partying, you know what I mean? You're too young to really realize things about life or either your friends are partying or they're getting a really good job and that's what. And they're still at that point where they're like, yeah, this is what I want. I want to make a lot of money and get something prestigious. So I kind of thought ahead because of my internships, I jumped ahead. I was like, if I go that route, I know I'm going to hate my life. Deep down I knew there was something more and I had to find it. I just didn't know what. And that was the most frustrating part, the figuring it out and trying to explain to my parents. Just give me some time to figure out what I'm supposed to do that whole journey.

And your parents are Chinese, right? I remember you mentioned. So that's also, you know, my parents are immigrants too. A lot of like the Asian parent stuff.

Yeah, you gotta be perfect. You have to be perfect. And they just don't understand why you can't just get a job. They're like, if you don't know what to do, just get a job in the meantime. I don't know, I just deep down, like I said, I follow my intuition. Right. I just knew I had to go down this random windy path, taking up all these random part time gigs just to find what I was meant to do. Because I truly believe that we, what we're meant to do is a combination of all of our past experiences, all of our talents, all of our past experience. It all should contribute to the value that you bring to the world. So I had to go through those Random learning how to act, learning how to sing and perform on stage every month just so I can build some sort of stage presence and personality for what I do today. And then I also studied business and that didn't go to waste. I know a lot of people think that if you don't, like, do what your major was, that you've wasted your degree. No. So much of what I do now is business and marketing. I really believe that all of my random experiences, I had to go through them to lead me to what I could do now.

I love it. So you had all these experiences. You looked at the people around you in these jobs and you're like, I don't want to end up like them. But then how did you come up with. Did you first create your artist of life workbook or did you start with YouTube? What was that journey like into becoming into social media and using this as your platform?

Yes, it started with the YouTube and this is another part that I brushed over. In high school, my senior year, I started a YouTube channel for singing. Like I said, I was really into music. Throughout college, I was just posting YouTube videos for fun. And I tried to take it seriously. After graduating, it mean I created an album and I had an album release party. It was going, but it wasn't taking off. And I think honestly, I had so many times I had an idea like, oh, I should start another channel. And I want to start a channel that inspires people. But I didn't know what that looked like. And I had these ideas like years ago. But it took me years to start Lavendaire. Like, I started Lavendaire in 2014. So I would journal these ideas and it just. You know what I mean, it takes a while to actually start them. But it was because I was learning all these things from my books and from just living life. And I realized as I was living this creative path that I can really shape my day and I can shape my life however I want. I don't have to fit this traditional whatever society tells me I have to do with my life. That's where I came up with this artist of life concept that we are all artists of life. We can really create and shape our life in any way that we want. Life is a canvas. I was really into this artist mindset because I was working on creating music and studying all these artists to learn how to be a better artist. But I think that background, I applied it to self help and I applied it to life, and that's how all of these things fused together. And I was inspired to start lavendaire partly to share everything that I was learning, but also to share my journey in creating my dream life because I knew that there was so much more I had to learn.

I love that. And I think it's a really important parallel to see that self help is an art.

Yes.

How do you see now, like living this life of, you know, personal development and care and putting yourself out there. How do you balance that out, that business side with that artist within you?

That is like the constant, like teeter totter balance. Because sometimes I'm like more of an artist where I'm just like, I just want to make whatever I want to make and I don't care if people like it. Like, I just want to make it. Sometimes you need to just fuel that side of you. But like I said, I do have my business side and I do watch a lot of YouTube analytic driven type of people who talk about that, how to just grow faster. And I go to these YouTube conventions where they teach you different strategies. I feel like it just depends on the phase I'm in. But it is a balance where you have to. I think it is smart to understand the business side of things because you have to learn how to market to people, how to create content that people actually want to watch instead of just creating it for yourself. But at the same time, like, you do have to add the art element into it because you can't just be like a robot and create. You know what I mean?

Right.

Can't be too one sided. I think you do have to have both.

Totally. And I think, yeah, I'm the same exact way. I'll go down all these like business podcasts and like financial success and then I'm like talking about the new moons next and it's like, it doesn't have to be one or the other. I feel like people think like, oh, if I'm spiritual, I can't think or talk about money. Where it's like, money is energy and rules the world. So what has your relationship with finances been like?

I love how you bring that up because I really struggled in the beginning of my career with finances. The mindset. I think when I was pursuing music and acting and I started my channel the first year or two, I would tell myself, I don't need to make money, I just want to make a difference. I think that mindset that kept me from making money, you know what I mean? Like, I blocked it from me because traditionally I like, you know, just seeing your parents and seeing society I connected money with greed. And I was like, I don't want to be too greedy. Like, I just want to help people. I don't. You know what I mean? And then this year I actually listened to this audiobook. You are a badass at making money.

I listened to that too. I listened to it this summer.

It's amazing. So I think that that helped me a lot to reframe my thoughts about money and start to see money as just a tool. It's just a resource. It has no connotation, no emotion tied to it. You know what I mean? You place your meaning on money. And what I love in that book, she says that money just makes you more of who you are. If you're stingy person, if you're greedy, then if you have more money, you're going to be even more of that. But if you're already generous and kind and you have more money, then you have more resources to be more generous and more kind to the world. So that, that was really like, it shifted the way that I thought. And I think that this year was the year that I started to attract more money into my life.

Totally. And I think that is such an important discussion that needs to be had in the spiritual community because we grow up thinking you either are a slave to money or you have to, like, be a hippie and not have any money and, you know, like, live at Burning man, basically. So it's like, how do you have both? And that's why I loved the book and some of the meditations. Like, I wouldn't really like medit, like with money flowing around me, but I like the concept. I like the idea of it. But what is it, you know, with YouTube, it's so much of this, like brand sponsorship and stuff. And like, that's how you have to monetize it. So how do you navigate that?

Honestly, I think that the first wave of like YouTubers when they did brand deals, people would have some sort of resistance, like, oh, why are you being sponsored? But I think by now we're kind of in like this new wave where it's more mainstream, it's more saturated that I think when people see more branded content, it doesn't turn them off as much. You just don't do too many of them. I think more and more people learn to understand that in order for this to be a job, it has to be a business. And you can't just create content for free for everyone and not get anything in return. You have to have some way to make money. Otherwise you're going to just close down your podcast or close down your YouTube, and a lot of people don't want that if you're actually giving them value. I've learned to see it as. I mean, I think it's important to choose brands that you really align with, brands that you believe in. But I think it's okay to do brands, and I do run ads on my podcast, and I think as long as it's not overdone, then I'm fine with it.

Yeah, I think everyone needs to. And so many people want to be doing YouTube, podcasting, blogging as their job. So it's like you have to figure out a way to monetize it.

Yeah, definitely.

So what has it been like for you then? Creating your own product? And what was that journey like of having this idea of what is an artist? Like, how can I design? It's a calendar scheduler. I'm really excited because your assistant emailed me and they're going to send me one. So what was that journey like of creating it, and what was your creative process like?

What it is, it's called the Artist of Life Workbook, and it's like a guide to planning and creating your best year. Essentially, it has a section for reflecting on your past year and then a section for what you want to invite into this year. And I break down your goals into all these different areas of life. And then there's a self love section, and there's also monthly and quarterly reviews and places where you can track your goals and how you're doing. I'm really excited about it because it's essentially everything that I've done to create my dream life, all the exercises that have helped me in my journey, I put it all in one place. I had the idea last year to create this workbook. Like I said, a lot of my ideas, I've had them many years ago. I just didn't start them. Honestly. I looked back at an old dream journaling session in 2012 or 2013, and I had the basic idea, like, oh, what if I create this journal to help people with their years? And then I left it at that. And then last year, again, this idea sparked again in me. I don't know. Once I have an idea that gets me super excited, I just started working on it. And then originally it was just going to be a digital product where it's only digital. And then once I announced it, people are like, oh my God, you should make a physical version of this. Because a lot of people still like to have A physical journal. This was a year ago where everything felt last minute. I didn't know what I was doing. I launched the digital one and then I started the process of making the physical ones. It came really late. I think the physical ones came end of January and it was so delayed and I was stressed out about it, but I'm so happy that I went through that. And then this year I understand the process a little better. So I think each year you just improve it. And I've redesigned the entire thing. I've added more exercises, taken out stuff that I. And it's so exciting to have your own product because it's something to call your own. And I think for anyone who wants to be a content creator, Whether you're blogging, YouTube or podcasting, it's just more powerful to sell something that is completely yours instead of doing branded content, getting sponsors. That's what I'm really excited about, just continuing to improve it and to just create a business out of my own product.

Totally. Yeah. And I totally agree. It's like even, you know, there's so many ways you can do affiliate programs this that even if you're making less money, it's just like having your own thing. It's like, you know, it's the start of your own empire.

Yeah, it's. So I recommend it for every single content creator to have your own product.

So what are some practices that you recommend for people who are trying to become their highest selves? Are there any practices that you have in the workbook?

Yeah, I mean, in general, my key foundation practices are meditation, morning pages, journaling, which is like every morning you write three pages of stream of consciousness writing. I'm a huge journaler, so I believe meditating, journaling, and then some way to exercise regularly, like moving your body. Because I think if you stop exercising or moving, that's where you naturally start to keep. Get sad, depressed, unmotivated. And so much of your problems, even fear and anxiety, a lot of that, you can just sweat it out. After you get a good workout, it naturally just, I don't know, it just solves so much. A lot of people, if you're unhappy, I think the first thing you can start doing is just working out more, just getting a good sweat because it's definitely physical, it just boosts your mood. And then some exercises in the book, there are so many. But some that I love is I love creating a theme for my year. So setting a specific word or phrase that you want your entire year to come back to. This year, my Theme is space. And I want to make just more room in my life instead of being constantly hustling or even my physical space instead of being so decluttered and messy. I want to have time to breathe and time to make time for self care. You know, I'm all about like making extra time for yourself. Time to just relax and do not like not be so busy because we're always so busy.

I love that. And I think space is such an important thing that we like overlook because we're like in everything. Like, you know, I talk to people and they're like, I want to have a soulmate in my life. I'm like, well, what is your schedule like? And it's like, well, I'm always busy. It's like, well, where, where is the space for this guy if he shows up, when are you going to hang out with him? It's creating that space for whatever it is that you want. And it's basically telling the universe, hey, I have time for this.

Yeah. And it's like you do have to take time to clear out space. Maybe you want to go shopping for new clothes. What I like to do is clear out old clothes. So clear out the old and then make room for the new. And you can do that with your schedule. What can you clear out to make room for something new?

And as an entrepreneur, what were some of the things that you had to say no to and make space for so you could dedicate more time to what really matters in your business?

Honestly, I feel like a lot of weekday social time. You know what I mean? If friends want to have lunch or dinner on the weekday, it's harder for me to have a schedule for myself. Even though my schedule is completely flexible. I, I basically schedule Mondays and Tuesdays are my shooting and editing days. And it's kind of non negotiable where I won't go out, I won't change my plans. I have to be working on videos those two days. And then Thursdays are my days to go out and meet people. For me, I think I lean towards more of the introverted side so I can't be talking and seeing people every single day because it exhausts me. So I have to kind of schedule my energy or protect my energy in a way where I'm like, okay, these are the days where I have it all to myself. And then these are the days where I can give my energy to others. That's something that I have to move around and sacrifice.

So good. And I think it's so important for People who are self employed to do that, to set the same boundaries and schedule that you would as if you were working in a job. Otherwise it just turns into you're always on. And that's how you get burned out.

Yeah. Because when you're an entrepreneur, you're technically always available, but then you can't let people know that you're always available because otherwise people are going to be wanting to get at you all the time. And you really have to set those boundaries.

Yeah. So, yeah, boundaries, I think, is just such a key topic because space comes in. Boundaries. You know, we can't just create space out of nothing. And I think boundaries are something like, especially women we're afraid of doing, like saying no to someone, saying no to a potential opportunity or someone asking us for help and just like not being able to do it. So, like, what has that been like for you? Like, kind of stepping up and setting those boundaries that you need.

Honestly, I've grown to enjoy saying no. Okay. I don't enjoy it all the time, but it's like I've embraced saying no to things that I don't like that my heart isn't fully in. I follow this woman named Marie Forleo.

Yeah, I love her.

Yeah, I love her. She said something. I can't quote her exactly, but it's something along the lines of only say yes to a certain opportunity if your entire body feels like a yes. And you know, when opportunities come and your whole body's like, yes, this is it. I'm excited. I want to do this. And then, you know, like a lot of most times when people ask you for stuff or ask you to do something, you're kind of like, I'm not sure about that. Like, maybe. So I only say yes when everything is a yes. And it is hard to get to that point. So I think it just takes practice. I think practice saying no to things that don't really serve you. And then after you say no to that first thing, you're like, wow, that felt good. Like, I don't have to commit to something that, that I don't want to do. And it's actually fun, you know, so totally.

I was watching this YouTube video of Oprah speaking and she was always like, a yes person. She's a kapha and she's just a people pleaser. And it was to the point that someone was like, can you fly in and give this speech at this, like, charity dinner in Spain? And she's like, in California. And she literally flew to Spain, gave this speech, got Back on the plane and came back, and then she was like, okay, I'm, like, burning myself out. Like, you know, she was making more money. So everyone, like, who've never met her would show up at her door and ask for money, and she would give them money. And then a lot. Yeah. And then someone, I think it was like, Stevie Wonder or someone like that, he asked her for something and she was just like, no. And she was like, oh, my God, I can't believe I just said, like, no to Stevie Wonder. And then he was. And then he was like, okay, catch you later. And she was like, what? It was that easy? Like, people don't really care as much as you think.

Well, exactly. Because I think. I mean, I used to be a yes person, too, but I think over time, you realize that everybody is busy, and if you say no, they completely understand. Because, I mean, if Oprah said no, I completely understand. She's a busy woman. Right. She has so much better things to do. So I think if that person. I mean, just say no, because if that person respects you, then they'll be okay with it. You're not going to hurt their feelings by saying no. And if you do hurt their feelings, then that means they're being selfish. They're not thinking about your energy, for sure.

Yeah. And I think it also gives them permission to say no to the things that they don't want to say yes to as well.

Exactly.

Yeah, totally. Yeah. It's such an important thing. So I would love to know more about now, navigating more into that creative side. Like, what are some rituals or things that you do when you've set that time for yourself to work on your workbook or other creative tasks?

You're talking about how I create or when I. Yeah.

Is there any ritual you do before or do you have any practice? Do you, like, work at night? Do you set any specific schedule for yourself? Like, this is my creative time. Because a lot of people want to create and they just don't know how to get there.

Yeah. I think the first thing is setting a schedule for yourself, setting a time range. Like, this is the time that I'm going to work on this. Like I mentioned, Mondays and Tuesdays are either shooting a video or editing a video all day. And then when I had to work on my workbook, I really had to learn to buckle down and shut down all the social media. I usually journal before I do any creative work, just to get any random thoughts out of my head, if I can. Then I'll meditate like I said, those are my two foundation techniques, like journaling, meditating, and then creating. Another thing that I started to do with my workbook because it was really hard to focus this time around, was using a Pomodoro timer. There's an app called Forest on the iPhone, and it's like a timer for 25 minutes. You set it, and it's really cute because there's a digital tree, and if you leave the app and get, you know, look on Instagram or something, the tree starts to die. And so you don't want the tree to die. So obviously you, like, keep it open, and then you're working. So little things like that help me focus.

I love that. Oh, my God. Because I keep on. For some reason when I'm writing, I just, like, feel the need to check Instagram. And it's like, really, your mind just trying to escape from the moment?

Yes. I realize when the work gets hard, when I'm feeling resistance, that's when I just stop. And I'm like, okay, let me look at Instagram. Because you're just trying to run away from it. But, yeah, learning to focus, that's tough. But another thing that I do is I'll play really soothing music in the background. My favorite Spotify playlists are called Deep Focus, and another one is called Piano in the Background. If you have Spotify, I recommend those. Just the music set the tone for you to work, and then, yeah, do your thing.

Totally. Yeah. I think another thing that at least I do is, like, I start eating for a distraction. You know, it's like, oh, things are getting hard. I need a snack. But it's like, really, you don't need a snack. You just want to stop working.

Totally.

So, yeah, I think it's so important because so many of us, we have these dreams and goals, but it's just like, we don't know how to get there. One of the girls who's in my Doshas and Dharma, which is like, my mentorship group, is like, a huge fan of yours. Yeah. And she wants to start vlogging, but she kind of scared. She's afraid of. She makes a video, and she's just rambling on for no reason, and people won't like it. So what is your advice to people who are kind of scared of putting themselves out there?

I think the fear is always there in the beginning, but the more you do it, the more the fear subsides. So it's a matter of consistency. Showing up every day to film something, even though it's scary, just Doing it anyway. Right. Like taking action that beats the fear. That's how you overcome fear, just by taking action and practicing in terms of rambling. Then I recommend to have her rehearse the video one time through, one or two times through before she actually records it. Because when you press record, you don't want that to be the first time that you're saying this stuff. I mean, sometimes people are really good at their first try, but most people, you get better each time you do it. I. I wouldn't rehearse too much, but definitely, like, know what you're gonna say. Have an outline and then practice once and then record.

That's really good advice. Yeah, I think just going through it and sometimes we don't even know what we're going to say. I mean, I.

Exactly.

I'm the kind of person who I just start talking, but it took me a while to get here. Like, I'm sure for you, at this point, you're not really rehearsing as much unless it's, like, a new subject.

Yeah, not as much.

Yeah. But at the beginning, it was like a lot of, like. Like I had, like, notes in front of me, and I'm like, can I read off the note cards while I do this video? So it's just that practice.

Yeah, it's all practice.

Okay. Amazing. Well, you're so good at answering questions. You're, like, on point and precise. So do you have any advice for anyone else who's out there? Who's listening? Who wants to have a creative business? Who wants to live the life of an artist? What are the words that you would like to leave them with?

I would say patience and perseverance is the most important. Because if you're trying to start in a creative path, whether it's with a business or you want to create content, you have to have a lot of patience. Because it's all about who can last the longest. Because you can't expect to succeed in a couple months or even a year. Sometimes it just takes a long time to get to where you want to be. Patience is so huge. Like I said, I also. Perseverance. Just don't give up. Just keep going. My motto is, no matter how hard you fail, as you're going, if you pick yourself back up and you keep going, then you're eventually going to succeed. You're eventually going to make progress. It's just a matter of who has the most stamina, who can last the longest in the game. Because whoever can last the longest is the one that's Going to win.

Totally taking that time, patience and of course, perseverance. It's so, you know, I tell people like if they want to be a vlogger, like how often are their favorite vloggers posting? It's like every week, if not more, for years. It's a lot. Yeah, it is a lot.

Like you have imagine posting like two videos a week for like two years and your channel like barely grows. Like that's what you have to be able to endure if you really want to be in this business.

Totally. And I think you have to enjoy the process of the editing because that's a huge portion of it too that people don't really think about.

Yeah, you totally have to enjoy what you do. Enjoy the process. And then you also have to like learn to like block out what people are saying because people are always going to give you their opinions. They're always going to tell you to stop that. This is a fabulous.

Especially on YouTube. YouTube's like another type of people. Like everyone on Instagram, on itunes, they're all really nice on YouTube, it's like, who are you guys?

I think so.

Well, I just see. I don't know what it is, but.

Are you talking about the comment section?

The comments? Yeah, I see so many negative comments. I mean, I don't really get. It's like it's not that controversial. But like I just see on, you know, someone gave a great TED Talk and all they're talking about are like their boobs or like this. Like maybe it's because the visual component. And I'm like, who are you people? Like what do you guys do on your day to day life? Just like be mean on the Internet? Like.

Yeah, they're just sad in their life. They need an outlet.

Yes. So I think it's like we all receive those comments and it's so important to, you know, the first few ones you get, they're hurtful and they do hurt. And then you just gotta get past it. Yeah. Because it's like anyone that we look up to, they get tons of negative comments as well.

Yeah, totally. And I mean, yeah, I feel bad for celebrities. I think a lot of people bash on celebrities as if they don't have emotions and feelings. It hurts, it sucks. But I think a way to see through it is I always look at what is that other person going through. They're probably really depressed. They probably don't like their life. They're unhappy in some way, which is why they're attacking it on you. So whatever they're saying about you is not about you at all. It's a reflection of them. So, yeah, it doesn't faze me as much just thinking about that.

Exactly. And we have to just remember, only hurt people hurt people. Like, no happy person is writing, wasting their time writing negative comments on YouTube. It's like, these people are not a good place in their life.

It's such a waste of your life.

Yeah, well, it's really important to have these conversations because a lot of the reason why people aren't doing it is because they're so scared of these, like, little sad people. So it's important to have these conversations.

Yeah. And I mean, when I originally said that, I meant, like, people in your life, because people who care about you are going to be afraid of you taking this risky step. People are going to try to warn you, like, oh, maybe this isn't for you. Maybe you're not good enough to do this. And they're saying it out of love because they don't want you to fail or they don't want to see you get hurt, but you have to kind of block that out. If this is really your dream, you have to go for it no matter what, because you're going to regret it if you don't try. Right?

Yes. It's like you're reading my mind. I literally just yesterday recorded a little solo cast about how oftentimes your parents or other people, they want the best for you, but they don't know what's best for you.

Of course. Yeah.

And. Yeah. And so what was that like for you? Were your parents, like, kind of afraid of you taking this path?

Yeah, totally. Like, they both didn't understand what I was doing. My dad is more, like, pragmatic, business Y type person, so he just wanted me to get a job. My mom is. She's more, like, calm and chill about it, but at the same time, she likes security. Security and stability. So she just doesn't like the riskiness and the uncertainty of it at all. But I realized that it's really what. It's my parents projecting their fears onto me. So, yeah, you have to learn to take action regardless of this fear and this pressure. Because like I said, if it's really your dream, then it's worth it to give it a try.

Totally. And it's like, we have to understand. Our parents grew up in a really different time where there was no such thing as the Internet and there's no such thing as people making up their own jobs. So this is like, it's so true. Unheard of for them, it's like, what? And especially if they were in poverty, they were immigrants, anything like that. It's like fear is so implanted in their being that they just are operating from this place, even if they don't realize it.

Yeah, I totally understand. Because both my parents are immigrants. My mom is a refugee. Like, she left Vietnam. Like, it was war torn. They came here with.

Yeah, my mom was a refugee from Iran too. Yeah.

Oh, really? Yeah. So I totally understand where they come from. So I'm not saying that it's bad or anything, but, I mean, I think it's beautiful. Looking at the growth. You can have someone like my parents who came. They were poor. They came here literally with nothing. And then they created this life and then these children that I think me and my brother are doing pretty well for. I'm proud of both of us. So I think seeing the growth of what is possible in just a couple generations is really cool, too.

Absolutely. And even when you take that path, you're also teaching them.

Yeah, yeah. You're showing them this is possible. And then just also showing them that it's okay to take risks. Because I think my mom was so scared of taking those riskier routes, and I think now she's kind of blown away that I can make money doing this in my PJs at home. I'm recording in my closet. A podcast, right?

Yeah, yeah. It inspires them to look at their own lives in different ways and maybe ways that they were limiting themselves.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This the same thing with my mom. She was, like, the person most against my career. Like, so in fear. What am I gonna do? And now she's, like, going everywhere, like, oh, this is my daughter's book. Like, you know, number one, number one fan. But it's like. And it's. I think now she's taking classes in, like, philosophy and stuff, which she would not have done before. So it's, like, amazing. Our parents teach us for, like, the beginning, beginning, like, part of our life. And then we really become their teachers.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, well, thank you again for spreading all of your wisdom, for sharing with us online. So where can people find you? Get the Artist of Life workbook and listen to your podcast.

You can check me out@lavendaire.com. my YouTube is lavendaire. Everything is called lavendaire. Like all my social medias and stuff. But yeah, check out.

What does lavendaire mean, by the way?

It's a word that I invented. I mean, it's A combination of, like, lavender. And I just wanted it to sound fancy. I just wanted to create an original word that if you looked it up on Google, I would be the only one there. Cool. I mean, I'm happy with it because it sounds very dreamy. I had purple hair before, so, yeah, it's all what I'm about.

I love it. So we can find you on lavendaire. And when will the Artist of Life workbook be out?

End of November.

Cool. Well, I'll pick up copies. I'll definitely be sharing mine on my Instagram story, and we can all do them together.

Yay. I'm so excited.

Yay. Well, thank you again so much for sharing your voice and your wisdom with everyone on the Highest Self podcast. And Eileen interviewed me too, so be sure to check out my interview on her podcast.

Yes. Oh, my God. It blew my mind. By the way, I love your book. I've been reading it.

Oh, yeah.

And I've been changing my diet based on what I'm learning. Yeah, I showed my mom, too.

Oh, good. There's a part about scheduling your day with the Doshas, so we can talk about that later on and you can add it into your workbook. Scheduling your day.

All right.

Okay. Sounds good. Have a good day.

Bye.

Bye. I hope you enjoyed that episode. I've been using her Artist of Life workbook ever since she sent it to me after this interview, and I absolutely love it. Highly recommend checking it out and just keeping a journal and keeping track of things and. And really going after your dream life. Not just settling with what you were given, but going after what your higher purpose is. Because it's so easy for us to just settle for the mundane, but it takes an extra ounce of strength to really move away from a situation that may be comfortable and cozy to be like, mm, mm. No, this isn't for me. There are bigger things out there for me, and I'm ready to step up into them. And I don't need to always look the best or make sense to other people. Sometimes I just need to follow my own path, and that is the most divine thing you can do. And we have to go through periods of confusion and uncertainty to find that path. And notice that every single person I've interviewed has gone through these periods. So if you're in one right now, don't think you're weird. Don't think you're a failure, don't think you're alone. Everyone has gone through them because after a breakdown is a breakthrough. And if you loved this episode, and you'd like a little gift for reviewing it. I would love to send you you the first half of my unreleased book. It's called Eat right for your mind Body type. It is not available for sale anywhere, never will because now it is Eat Right for your mind body type 12 week guided program infusing Ayurveda with modern nutritional science. So as a free gift for reviewing this episode in the itunes store, you just head over to itunes on your phone, on your computer, click write a review, write a nice review, take a screenshot of it and email it over to me before you hit submit. My email is Sahara S A H A R aatfeelfresh.com and I will send you back the first half of my unreleased book, Eat Right for your mind Body type. I hope you love this episode and I'll see you on the next one. Namaste.

You.