Amy Vaughan:
Hello everyone and welcome to our weekly Power Lounge. This is your place to hear authentic conversations from those who have power to share. My name is Amy Vaughan and I am the owner and Chief Empowerment Officer of Together Digital, a diverse and collaborative community of women who choose to share their knowledge, power and connections. You can join the movement@togetherindigital.com and today we are exploring a topic that hits close to home for so many, many high achieving women within our community and beyond. How to succeed without sacrificing your health or your soul, as it feels like sometimes. And I am thrilled to introduce and welcome Seema Giri. She is the founder and international best selling author and transformational expert in wellness and leadership who truly embodies what it means to rise from challenge to change. As the founder of UpLyft Media and the CGO at Uplift or Upbuild Global Inc.
Amy Vaughan:
Seema has spent over 30 years helping purpose driven entrepreneurs transform their personal stories into bestselling books and powerhouse brands. But what makes her story particularly powerful is her own personal journey overcoming a debilitating illness. She has dedicated her life to empowering others to thrive without burnout. Seema has guided hundreds of women to publish, to speak, to lead with confidence. And her mission goes far beyond business success. She is here to help us rewrite the rules of what success looks like where wellness isn’t an afterthought and a non-negotiable. It is a non, but a non negotiable strategy for long term achievement. So friends, listeners, if you are struggling with a demanding career, personal life, the desire to do more, or maybe all of the above, today’s conversation is going to give you the tools to shift from burnout to balance.
Amy Vaughan:
So please join me in welcoming Seema Giri to the Power Lounge. Welcome Seema.
Seema Giri:
Hi Amy. I’m so happy to be here in this Power Lounge with you and with your listeners.
Amy Vaughan:
Absolutely. And those of you who are here with us live live listeners, we love you and we appreciate you for taking the time to be here with us in real time. Use the chat, ask questions if you have them. I promise you we will get to them before the end of the conversation. And for those of you who aren’t listening live, just know that you always can. You can find our events on Eventbrite. Also be sure to follow us on YouTube and anywhere you stream your podcasts. All right Seema, let’s get into this.
Amy Vaughan:
I, you know I’m excited for this conversation. These questions I think are a lot of the questions that are swirling around in all of our busy little brains. But first, I want to start with your journey. As I mentioned in your bio, you experienced a debilitating illness to be and then that to becoming a wellness and leadership expert. It’s pretty remarkable. What was the turning point for you that made you realize that success needed to be redefined not just for you, but the women that you serve?
Seema Giri:
Wow. So, you know, years ago, this is 27 years, to be exact, I was struggling with just the general kind of tiredness and just exhausted. And that sometimes felt like maybe coming down with a cold. Sometimes it felt like a flu, Sometimes it just felt like I was being overworked. Right. But I didn’t really pay much attention at that time. I was in my twenties then, and I was newly married. I had a great job partying over the weekend.
Seema Giri:
So I started cutting things out, you know, to stop the partying. I just focused on working and coming home. But still, things weren’t getting better. So, you know, as women, we are always putting things off and not going to the doctor right away. We’ll try everything else. So finally I went to the doctor, and they did their test, and everything came out normal. So they said, you know, you’re. You’re just depressed or you have, you know.
Seema Giri:
So I kept going to more doctors, and I kept hearing the same thing, but. But now, Amy, I was in extreme pain. I couldn’t drive. I was in pain all the time. And it’s like, you look perfectly healthy from the outside, maybe a little tired, but it felt like a tsunami was going internally. It took six years to finally be diagnosed correctly with three types of autoimmune issues. Hypothyroid, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.
Amy Vaughan:
Oh, my.
Seema Giri:
And before that, all the doctors were saying is in your head. It’s, you know, it’s. You’re a woman. I was. I felt dismissed.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
Because I’m a woman. And. But that. There was a little voice inside me that said, you know, just, there’s something there. Keep going. So finally, after being diagnosed with these three types of autoimmune issues, I put myself on 30 medications.
Amy Vaughan:
Wow.
Seema Giri:
Which was still, you know, the pain was a little bit better, but there were so many side effects. And just taking this kind of medicine was not easy. And just maintaining a regular work was also very hard. Then I had my son. The doctor said, you know, it seems, pregnancy changes your entire hormones and body.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
And so if you have, you know, if you start having children, that might help you. But then I was at a moral conflict here, Amy. Because when I did not want kids. And that too, at that time. Right. And then I didn’t want to use a child as an experiment.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
And not be happy having a child.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
The child is going to suffer.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
So I had to struggle with this emotional and moral conflict. And I was like, you know, if this is not fair, I’d rather deal with the pain. But I finally came to terms that, you know, this is something that I would want and I would honor the child and love the child the best I could. So the pregnancy helped. I never felt better. I released weight. I only had the baby weight. Pregnancy, the delivery was a little difficult.
Seema Giri:
And I think because of that, soon after, two months after my delivery, I became bedridden.
Amy Vaughan:
Wow.
Seema Giri:
And I couldn’t enjoy my baby. I couldn’t hold him. I couldn’t. You know, the joys of new motherhood was like. Felt like, was taken away from me. And the doctors then said, seems, you know, we can make you comfortable, but I’m sorry, this is how your life is going to be for the rest of your life. And I looked at them and I was like, really? Are you sure? You know, so God, opinions, doctor after doctor. And they all said, yes.
Seema Giri:
Then, Amy, I did the only thing I could, and I looked at my baby and I said, no, this is not the life you’re going to have. He didn’t come into this world. I had a son. He didn’t come into this world to say, you know, to have this kind of a life. I said, I’m going to do whatever I can to give you the best possible life. And I made that promise to him and to me. And so I noticed that, you know, as women, it’s hard for us to do something for ourselves. And it’s okay if you can’t do it for yourself, but take action for someone else that you love so much.
Seema Giri:
So my child was my catalyst, my inspiration, and I started listening more to myself up to this point. Although I was raised in the U.S. I’m from an Indian family and a very traditional, conservative Indian family. So I was. I had a blueprint that I had to follow. And so I was told I didn’t. I couldn’t really use my own thoughts and feelings and ideas and make my decisions right up to this point, I hadn’t really made any major decisions. And now I was.
Seema Giri:
I was forced to make my own decision. Family and doctors were all saying the same thing. I had to cut out all that noise, go internal and say, okay, Seema, what is it? And I started listening to my intuition. Then when you make those decisions, the right people come into your life. I had a family friend living close by. Veena Singla is her name. And she told me, she said, “Team, I put on your big girl panties and start taking control of your life and your health.” Yeah, right, Start.
Seema Giri:
So the things that the doctor said, nutrition is not going to help much. Exercise is not going to help much. Those are the exact things that helped. I started implementing whole food nutrition.
Amy Vaughan:
I love it.
Seema Giri:
And within four months, Amy, I was up and about. I was able to take care of myself. Six months later, I was able to take care of my son and really start on that healing journey. So it’s really about what you are fueling yourself with, right, in terms of nutrition, in terms of what your stories, you’re allowing it, and who you are listening to. And I find as women, we really listen to everyone else around us except for ourselves.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes. I love that. Seema, thank you for sharing that vulnerable story. And you know, it is true. There is no one coming to save us. And the answers are not outside you. They are absolutely within you. Like, everything starts there.
Amy Vaughan:
The way you see the world, the way the world sees you, all of it. And I love that you shared that because it’s funny, as soon as you started speaking about your symptoms, my first thought was autoimmune. I can’t tell you how many women I know that are dealing with autoimmune issues. And it does take anywhere from five to seven years sometimes for them to be diagnosed. This includes my own mom, and I’ve been her patient advocate for over a decade. And so anytime someone starts to share some things with me, it’s funny because I get medical professionals now who will tell me. Even at the vet. Today I was talking to the vet for my cat.
Amy Vaughan:
She’s like, are you in the medical profession? I’m like, no. I just, I educate myself, you know, on these things because, you know, and I used to work in health care. It’s so. It’s so. It’s so fractional and people aren’t talking to other people and the systems are very broken. In my opinion that it does leave, especially women and minorities in a place where they can either be misdiagnosed, mistreated, or, you know, never diagnosed and just told, “Well, this is what life is and it’s going to be suffering and no, there’s nothing you can do.” Which I love that you’re like, “That is not an answer I’m willing to accept.” No and you’re so right.
Amy Vaughan:
Kids do mess with everything. I think my foot grew by half. My eyesight changed. Actually, my eyesight got better while I was pregnant and I ended up with an astigmatism that went away as soon as my kids came. I had no clue that, like the hormones and the things in your body that are produced while pregnant and after could do so much to your physical body. So I, I think this is a great call to you listeners, you know, who are, you know, having these experiences where you feel like you’re, your feelings, your symptoms, all of these things that are telling you like something is wrong. You just, you have to keep advocating for yourself and wanting something more because you’re right, you’re doing it for your kids, you’re doing it for your family and not just yourself. Right.
Amy Vaughan:
You can’t show up half empty and a hollow shell of a person. Right. It’s just not the kind of mother any of us would have wanted.
Seema Giri:
And that’s the thing, that other thing that I want to bring out is eventually you want to move into doing it for yourself.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
Now, at this point, the things I’m doing, I’m doing it for myself because, you know, especially if you have a family and a community around you, people don’t do as they, as you say, they do as you do.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
So that is really important too. And it all boils down, Amy, to self leadership. How are you leading yourself? And then why is anyone going to follow you if you want to be a leader, even at the workplace? But. Right. And just because you have the mom title does not mean you’re not a leader. You’re leading the most important community ever. Because these children are going to grow up to be leaders and how they behave and communicate and the things they do is going to affect everybody.
Amy Vaughan:
I love it. Preach, girl.
Seema Giri:
All right.
Amy Vaughan:
You know, I, I’m always in the mindset of our listeners and our members because, you know, I get to be in work, close, in community with them. And I know that, you know, it’s not an intentional thing. But oftentimes those who are high achievers wear their busy schedules like a badge of honor and use that as a reason not to take the time that they need to take for themselves. How do you help women recognize when they have crossed the line from productive ambition to harmful burnout?
Seema Giri:
Well, you, you know, you start noticing things that you’re not getting as much things done. Right. You are frustrated, you are tired, you are irritated. Right. Things that may not bother you start bothering you, right? I love being busy. I love having a packed schedule because I feel like I am so much more productive than. Right. But you’re not even machines.
Seema Giri:
You’re not a machine. But even machines need downtime. They need to be maintained. They need to be oiled, they need to have all that just like your cars. Right. They won’t give you that kind of mileage if you don’t take regular care. That’s how we are. And for us, it’s in the form of rest.
Seema Giri:
Right. And I think one of the reasons really is hard because we want to have it all. And in order to have it all, you know, we have to do certain things. And it also comes from culture and your background, right. How you’ve been raised in our culture. From the period of those who came here. As an immigrant, we had to lead a very different life. You know, for safety purposes, we had to be almost invisible, work really hard.
Seema Giri:
We did not have time to rest. And at that time, if you did rest, you were considered lazy. You were considered not serious enough about your work. So that builds that. It’s part of our DNA. Right. So it’s part of recognizing those things. Whose belief is it? Right.
Seema Giri:
And then what were the reasons we were told back in the day? And does that still apply today? And it doesn’t apply today because things are different. We are the next generation.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
So you are allowed to rest. Your body absolutely needs it. Right. You’ll start seeing symptoms like I did. And autoimmune initial symptoms are very generic. You could have anything. You could be from nothing to having cancer. Right, Right.
Seema Giri:
It’s such a big thing. So you need to, you know, be your own best friend. As soon as you start noticing anything different in your body. Listen to your body. Your body says things very softly. I didn’t start getting tired, just that in my 20s, it’s been happening over a period of time. At that time, I was a teenager and I didn’t know what it was saying. So start listening to your body.
Seema Giri:
It might be if you start noticing a pattern, like every time you’re ready to ramp up, something happens and you’re slowing down. Right. That was the biggest thing for me. I’m ready to ramp up things and I’m ready to go. And then something happens and I’m back to square one. Things just like taking a five minute breather, you know, just sit for five minutes and breathe.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah, that’s hard for some people. That’s really hard. And I would say, like, start with small doses, like I’ve recommended maybe in past episodes of like. During the pandemic, I was trying to get back into my meditation practice. I’d been meditating, doing yoga since I was 18, like in the 90s, before anybody was really talking about it and doing it was trendy. And so for me, it was. It took me time, even having practiced in the past, you know, 20 years later, to come back to it. I found walking meditations to be really good and helpful because I had that extra energy that I needed to get out or meditate after working out.
Amy Vaughan:
Somehow expending energy got me into stillness a little bit easier. So playing around and figuring out what works for you is great. And I agree, like, stress has such a big impact and can really drive inflammation in the body, which then is huge for the autoimmune. Right. So if you are dealing with something autoimmune or even hormonal based, you know, again, those stressors cause you to slow down. And I really want those who are listening to remember that rest is actually a part of productivity. Right. Like you said, that machine has to shut down.
Amy Vaughan:
And it’s not just sleep, but it’s quality sleep. It’s, you know, time doing nothing and being bored and learning how to be still. And it’s not like you have to be in a cave meditating for five hours, hours. But, you know, finding those little moments and points of rest, that’s what’s going to help you carry you across the finish line. It’s not going until your legs come out from underneath you. Right. Like, the rest is required to get to the finish line.
Seema Giri:
And, and if you don’t like meditation or rest, think of this way. What brings you joy? Do the things that bring you joy. Right. Because you want to have fun. Life is meant to be fun.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Yeah. That’s actually the intention. You’re here to do something, you’re not here to struggle. And if you’re struggling, then that’s probably not the area you need to be focusing on. These are signs. Right. I had no idea that struggle is a sign that you’re probably doing something that you’re not meant to do. Because when you’re doing something that you’re meant to do, it comes with ease, it flows easily.
Seema Giri:
There are hard times, difficult times during that time. Right. But you feel more joy, you feel more energized. Everything you’re doing, whether you’re with, with people, do you assess yourself? Are these people giving me energy?
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Are they the tasks you’re doing? Is this giving me energy? Now we have so many resources to outsource things. Outsource them, Right. You can’t outsource your health. You have to take the responsibility for it and take responsibility. You know, people, we. We keep saying, you know, this is happening, this is happening, this is happening. But we don’t take that responsibility.
Seema Giri:
That’s leadership. Take your responsibility and take action. Because we. Other people can be doing things around us, but we’re allowing them to do it with us. Right, Right.
Amy Vaughan:
I love that. Lead. Lead yourself first and then allow others to follow. I love that so much. What you were talking about a second ago, though. I think I want to bring it back to that for the next question, because I totally, totally realize as a former, very busy, very, like, in. In my career, I am kind of a weed kind of person. I
Amy Vaughan:
I literally was living in my head alone. My head. And like, I was. Might as well just been from the neck up for about 10 years. You know, let’s start talking about, like, reconnecting with your body’s wisdom as a guide. You said something about, you know, paying attention to where energy comes in, where energy goes, energy flows. Right. So, like, where do I feel energy? But then a lot of women, they’re like, I don’t know.
Amy Vaughan:
I really don’t feel anything from the neck down. How can you help or how have you helped women who’ve been living in their heads for years kind of take that first step into rebuilding the connection with their body so they actually can pay attention to the things that bring them energy? Because a lot of times you’ll say that, and women are like, I don’t know what that means, because I don’t remember the last time I felt anything again from, like, the neck down.
Seema Giri:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those. The. The. I find that is usually when we’re trying to not feel things. Right. I would like to, if it’s okay with you, Amy.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Just take a real quick exercise right now so everyone is in their own safe place. You can close your eyes, take a deep breath in, and just scan your body. This is called a body scan. You start from the top and you just go down, soften your head and just feel your face, your cheeks. Right. Take another deep breath in and just go feel your neck. And you want to look for it. Where do you feel any kind of sensation or any kind of pain? Right.
Seema Giri:
You might feel pain, you might feel stuckness, you might feel maybe even some kind of warmth or heat. As we scan the body now we’re at our chest and our upper shoulders and arms. Right. See where you feel that sensation down to your stomach, your middle of your back, your arms. And any place you feel any kind of sensation, stiffness, any kind of pain, maybe any kind of heat, any kind of sensation. Everyone is different. I want you to bring your awareness to that spot and just send your breath there. Take a deep breath in.
Seema Giri:
Bring awareness of that particular spot and send your breath there. Take a few breaths and send it there. And continue scanning. Now we’re at our hips. Our buttocks go down to your thighs, your knees, your ankles, your calves. And anytime you feel any kind of a stiffness, a pain, some sensation, take a moment to bring that to your awareness and send a few deep breaths directly to that spot, and you’ll notice that it’s opening up a little. The pain may have seized a little. The stiffness might be less.
Seema Giri:
The sensation might have gone away. Now bring it down to your ankles and your feet. So by doing this exercise, Amy, this has been a great way for people to start connecting and noticing different parts of their body. Where they’re feeling a sensation or pain usually comes up as a pain or maybe some kind of warmth. Mm.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah, I love that so much. Hot tip. For those of you who are still in working office environments, one, I apologize you’re having to work at an office every day. That’s hard sometimes now without the flexibility. But I used to actually go into those little huddles, like phone booth rooms because they were private and between meetings. And I mean, what you just took us through there Seema was a minute. Everyone has a minute. Like, imagine if you were able to give, like, I would kind of just notice.
Amy Vaughan:
For me, stress and anxiety is usually like a head spinning moment. Like, I feel like my head’s kind of like a top and it’s going around and around. I actually kind of feel dizzy and I. And I usually can’t get my brain and my thoughts to slow down. And so, like, some somatic things I’ve learned in the past is like taking my hands and putting them on top of my head like this to kind of ground my head, my crown of my head as well as my sacral and like everything else, like lower my root, but then also taking a few short minutes. And I can even do this head on my hands thing while I’m in a meeting with somebody. They don’t know what it is. You know, they’re not aware of what I’m doing.
Amy Vaughan:
They just think maybe I’m like, feeling a little extra confident, putting my hands over my head. But that little bit of time, even just giving yourself that minute, it’s such a gift in the moment. And you can take more of those little moments than what you realize. And I think once you realize it and put it in your toolbox you can use it. I used to do it even when I was starting to feel a bit weary. Around two, three o’ clock, I would normally go and grab a coffee which would just kind of then throw me into insomnia for the next upcoming night. I started doing a quick five minute meditation in one of those little rooms. And that was better than any cup of coffee.
Amy Vaughan:
I felt more, everything looked clearer, I felt more clear headed, I felt more grounded. And it really, really helped me start to learn how to truly listen to my body so that you know, when I’m in moments and times of stress or conflict, I know how to sort of take care of and soothe myself, which is just such a great tool to have. So thanks for demonstrating. I’m really glad that you shared that with us. It’s one of my favorite practices too is the body scan. I used to actually use it to help my kid get my kids to bed at night too. So if you struggle with insomnia, it’s a great practice for that as well.
Seema Giri:
Wonderful. Yes, it works really well. And I’d like to give another quick tip, especially those who are working and you’re in meetings and things come up in meetings. Right. So I love this box breathing because you can do it anytime, anywhere. No one really sees it. They are still breathing. They do that anyway.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
So it’s very quick. You can just take in a breath for four counts. You just breathe in for four counts. One, two, three, four. Hold for four. One, two, three, Four. Exhale for four. One, two, Three, four.
Seema Giri:
And then hold for four, four. One, two, three,. So when you feel anxiety coming up or when you feel nervous, if you have to speak up, or if you feel, you know, for whatever reason anything is, you know, the person comes. There’s always that one person that stresses everyone else.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
You can start doing these things and I was coming a little fast. You can even do it a little bit slower. Sure. But that just changes your whole physiology within your body and calms you down.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes. I love doing the double deep breath. Play around with your breath, I think and look at things differently. Like I think that one box breathing is great. I don’t know where I got this. If it was just something I played around and found out for myself, I call it the double deep breath, where I take shallow breaths in. I’ve realized, so box breathing. Sometimes I feel like I’m suffocating.
Amy Vaughan:
So I do like a big double breath in and then a huge exhale and then double breath in and then a huge. And it’s like all of a sudden I just, like you said, I feel lighter, I feel easier. And I think all these things are so important because, you know, we’re starting to learn that like stress, trauma, all these things, like it imprints on our DNA. Like there’s science out there that’s showing, like it is deeply affecting our body. It’s not just our brain that affects our body. Our body is impacting our brain so much that , like your heart rate, if I were to artificially inflate your heart rate and make it go up, your brain would start to go into a panic thinking something was wrong. Because the brain’s response is, how do we work this to kind of get it back to where it needs to be. So anybody who’s ever had any kind of heart test, knows what I’m talking about? Stress test, knows what I’m talking about.
Amy Vaughan:
And that’s why it’s like, I think if we realize if you could slow your heart rate, you could actually slow your brain down. And that’s, I think, where the breathing, the breathing and the science behind taking a breath is so, so helpful to know. All right, for my next question, you know, I wanted to dig in more to the fact that, you know, you’ve helped a lot of women take their stories and move them into things like best selling books and brands, a lot of personal transformation. I’m curious if there’s any patterns that you’ve noticed and the women who’ve successfully shifted from kind of this place of just desperation and burnout to something that was successful, sustainable and looked like success for them on their terms.
Seema Giri:
Yes, great question, Amy. Yes. So the things that I’ve noticed, right, they’re very successful women. And these are the kind of women that he looked at, you would not think that they’ve had anything else going behind them, right? The low confidence that they had, the low self esteem, but they knew they were meant for more. And that’s why they had even stepped into personal development. They knew, you know, that they had a gift that they wanted to give. They no longer wanted to keep it within. So one was they were sick and tired of being sick and tired and sick and tired of being in that position, right.
Seema Giri:
So they took those courageous steps to be there. So the pattern that I’ve noticed was that we. They were not taking ownership of their own life and their story. Right?
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
Upset that we’ve had this difficult life, or we did not have this difficult life. You need to own your story. Even if, like me, I didn’t have much control over my life in the beginning, I wasn’t able to make a lot of decisions. Right. But I had to own my story, saying, okay, whatever it is, this is my story, it’s mine, and I have to accept it. So I think we’re always living outside of our story. Yes, we had them. So they accepted whatever responsibility they had, whatever however it was, and then they were ready to decide, okay, now I can create what I want.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
Right. So they had to really get in tune with what it is that they want? What kind of a life do they want to have? They are the creators, right? It’s so understanding that and taking that ownership and then picking and choosing. Life’s like a buffet. Right. You can create what you want. How do you want it? And then just stepping into that. Many times it felt like, you know, they’re going forward, but it also felt like you’re taking 10 steps forward and taking 10 steps back.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Or you’re taking 10 steps forward and you’re going two steps back. And that’s part of the process that is going to happen. So understanding that is part of the process and just keep moving forward. So even if you see the curve, right. Even though you’re moving upwards and you’re falling back, the fallback is not as. It’s not the beginning, right?
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
It’s just a little bit.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Right. So you still have progressed. So that’s what I’ve helped them really see is that when they’re falling back, there’s still much ahead they’re not at the beginning.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
And taking small, intentional steps. Right. We try to do it. I like me, I try to do everything at once, and it’s just not possible. You want to take small steps. Right. This is a kaizen approach that I teach all the time.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
Right. It’s small incremental steps that you can do daily. Do the things you can do right from where you are. I think sometimes we make the mistake of trying to do everything else. Right. But the other person is doing it. And you have to be. They started being really honest with themselves.
Seema Giri:
Right. Really authentic. Finding who you really are and then showing up that way. Right. You’re a woman. You’re becoming into them. To the Greatness, you’re meant to be. You’re already great, but you’re becoming and stepping into your next phase, your next, Your next chapter.
Seema Giri:
Right. So sometimes in order to become that, you have to start living that way today. Right. So these are the patterns that I’ve noticed with these women. Right. Taking ownership of their story, believing it’s an amazing story, however it is. Right?
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Believing it’s your. It’s your story. And you are great just the way you are. You don’t need to change yourself, you know?
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah. Somebody else. Yeah, yeah.
Seema Giri:
Discover your. You. There’s. As humans, there’s so much depth to us. Right. You are a mom, you are a sister, you are a wife, you are a warrior. Right. You are yourself too.
Seema Giri:
There’s so many different aspects of us, of ourselves, so we get to be all of that. And they can be very different too. It doesn’t have to be. You know, so many times people have told me, Sima, this is who you are. This is how you are. I was like, no, that’s the part you see from your experience. Right. And from your bias also.
Seema Giri:
People see us through their own filters, just like we see others through our own filters. Don’t let those filters impact you. You know who you are, you know who you want to be. And. And write it down.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Write it down. Post it everywhere if you need to. And it’s okay. You can do all of that.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
And it’s okay to fall back. You’re going to fall, you’re going to get upset, you’re going to feel like you haven’t achieved anything.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
It’s all part of the process.
Amy Vaughan:
I love this so much. I think, you know, everyone deserves to fall in love with themselves. As weird and conceited as that might sound, it’s like, no, you’re the only person who is going to know you for your entire life literally. And it’s like you have to be your own best friend. And I love this idea of, you know, a lot of who you are starts with who you were. And I found that through a lot of, like, personal development and self awareness and being open and more honest and sharing, like. Yeah. I’m a first generation kid too, so I relate a lot to the things that you’re saying.
Amy Vaughan:
But I also grew up in a trailer park with a family that didn’t have a lot of money. I’m also the firstborn. You know, there’s so much that goes into who I am now and how I respond to things now, because who I was when I was 7 or 8 years old. And if you’ve forgotten yourself in that kind of childlike state, there’s a lot of you that you’ve left behind. And I think having that vulnerability and self awareness, I think one, it opens up doors for you, gives you kind of like a roadmap to know, you know, the path that you’re on and where maybe you want to go. And I think that’s another thing too. Right. I think we often look at it.
Amy Vaughan:
I love your advice and I love the Kaizen work as well, because it is. We often look at the summit and like where we want to be without just even looking where we’re taking the next step. And it’s like, how do you ever plan to get there if you just don’t take that first small, tiny step? Like, focus on the steps and where your feet are now and then occasionally look up at the summit and remind yourself what you’re striving for. But then I also. I’m always going to remember that image too. He must say thank you. Of like, even when you fall backwards, you. It’s, it’s.
Amy Vaughan:
It’s so few steps less than where. For how far you’ve come. So really celebrating those successes and looking at that and every time you fall back, it’s like, that’s a lesson. And so now you’re growing even more. So really the only way is up. But it has to start with you. Nobody’s going to be able to do this work for you. So, listeners, I’m sorry.
Amy Vaughan:
As wonderful as advice as Seema’s giving you, and again, working with somebody like her, like a coach, to keep you accountable and to help you figure out what roadmaps might look like, that’s all great too. But at the end of the day, she’s not going to do it for you, y’all. You got to do it. The hard work and having to take the step. Yeah. It’s scary. It’s hard.
Seema Giri:
Yeah. Know that it’s possible. Yeah. I. You reminded me of my favorite quote Amy by Lao Tzu. The journey of a thousand miles starts with the First Step. Right. And it’s always about the next step.
Seema Giri:
It’s not about 10 steps later, it’s just about next steps. So you don’t need to know anything at all today. You just need to know what your next step is. Yes.
Amy Vaughan:
I love it. Absolutely. Make it manageable, make it doable. It’s going to be. Those are going to be the kinds of wins that keep you moving versus holding you back. All right, let’s talk about another popular common theme around burnout, and that’s boundaries. And that word makes a lot of ambitious women uncomfortable. How do you help your clients create boundaries that protect their energy without feeling like they’re limiting their potential?
Seema Giri:
Well, the. The first is, you know, sometimes we’re meeting with people and making certain decisions at a time that’s not really conducive to us. Right. So first is knowing when is the best part of the day for you to do certain things. Right. If you’re a morning person, you might want to have morning meetings. That’s when you’re active the most. Right.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
So knowing and understanding that. So if, you know, you need to make certain decisions, you know, important decisions, have it be around the time that you are the most active and energized. Right. That’s one thing. Also, these things work around your cycle.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
Your menstrual cycle, too. So if we can plan your work around that as well. So maybe take more planning, a kind of work that requires you to be alone and think, you know, to do, do it around that time. I know it’s not always possible, but if those who can.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Control, that is the best way to do that. Right. I love it. And it’s a practice of getting to say no. Right. And you don’t have to say no in that. No, no. Right.
Seema Giri:
If you need to, you know, start saying maybe that you’re busy or that you’re double booked, you already have a previous commitment. Because we tend to do a lot of things that we don’t really want to do out of obligation. Right. But you have to protect your energy first. So ask yourself, is this activity going to give me energy? If not, then politely decline. If you can do something with the person you like, the person you want to do something at maybe a better time, then, you know, do that.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
For it’s, you know, when we say boundaries, it just maybe gives it another word that feels better for you.
Amy Vaughan:
Oh, I like that idea.
Seema Giri:
Yeah. You know, yeah. Maybe I have time. This is me time. Right. Schedule those things in your calendar.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Or you call it your sacred time.
Amy Vaughan:
Oh, I like that too.
Seema Giri:
But we also have to start filtering out the people in our lives that are not giving us that. I had to do that, and I had to do that with family members too. And that’s not easy to do. Imagine having, you know, having to do that with your immediate family. Right. But if you need to do that to protect yourself, maybe even for some time, some people can be out forever. Some people can be out for a season, right? Whatever you need is to. You know, this is really to honor yourself.
Seema Giri:
So is it. Do you need five minutes to have your coffee alone, right, with your kids? I used to tell my kids, mommy’s taking time out.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah, because I love it.
Seema Giri:
Right? It’s like, oh, mom’s in trouble. Even though she’s putting herself in timeout.
Amy Vaughan:
You know, it’s so funny. That just took me back to a moment when I think it was my daughter. At one point, we were. She was like 4 or 5 years old, and she was wanting something and we were bickering about it, and I couldn’t negotiate out of it. I couldn’t distract her to something else. And finally she’s like, “Well, I’m gonna do this, and then you’re gonna go to jail.” I was like, “Oh, please send me to jail. All I have to do is lay around, read books.”
Amy Vaughan:
People will give me food. I don’t have to clean up after anybody. I was like, yes, please send me to jail. Might be a sign you need some rest if jail sounds good. But yeah, I. I so agree. I love your advice on the cycle. We.
Amy Vaughan:
I don’t think we have this as a podcast episode. I think it was a webinar episode during the pandemic where we had a guest on who was a specialist with women’s cycles and productivity. And it was like such a good unlock. So those of you who are listening, please take Seema’s advice. Start doing some reading on your cycle and how. How productive or unproductive you might be or unproductive you might be during those moments of times in the month. It is such a cool unlock to be able to know your body and your cycle and your system that well, to be able to leverage it in your favor. And I 100% agree with you.
Amy Vaughan:
Boundaries are really more that chance of what is it that I need to say no to so I can have more of right? So I always think about it, I’m saying no to this because I need more of this, right? I got a request from the school to do some volunteer work. I have volunteered for the last seven, eight years. Like, it’s like sometimes you have to say no because I want more time, quality time with my family, quality time with myself. You know, less sense of responsibility, accountability on weeknights because I’m running a business. You know, think about what you want more of to help you validate the reason why you’re saying no. And I think it will give you a little bit more courage when it comes to it. And like, what are the other doors that you’re opening by saying no? Yes isn’t always the opportunity. Sometimes no is the opportunity.
Seema Giri:
Exactly. And I say make a list of your non-negotiables. Sometimes we don’t even know that. Some of my clients have been really surprised when they wrote down the non-negotiable, some of the things that were actually there that they were not honoring. So saying no and setting boundaries is more like, how are you going to honor yourself? So then you can be the best version of yourself. So you can give to those people in your community that you want to give to more of where they’ll appreciate you. Yeah, that is, that is the main key thing here.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah. And you’re modeling such a great thing for your family and for your kids and for your partner and for your co-workers. I love that. But there’s one more thing that I think a lot of women do, once they take action, that kind of first step into this is they struggle with the idea of not being good enough or good enough. How do you help those high achieving women who are trying to embrace wellness practices understand that they don’t have to be perfect in order to be sustainable?
Seema Giri:
Well, I’ll show them. I show them their own success that they have forgotten. So why, why do you feel you’re not good enough? These are the things from your life that you actually did. Right. And if you were going to hire someone to do these kinds of things, what kind of people would you hire? Right. And then they start listing. It’s like, “Honey, you already have all of this.”
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
That’s you. And, and beyond that.
Amy Vaughan:
Huh? That reminder’s so good. I love that. It’s okay.
Seema Giri:
So it’s about taking a peek into your own life and realizing because sometimes you don’t see because you’re in the, in the mode of doing all the time, you don’t see all the things you’ve done. I did not realize that healing myself and going against the doctors and listening to my own inner guidance was a huge thing until I started sharing. People started saying that this is extraordinary.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah, right.
Seema Giri:
So just getting that validation that it’s extraordinary and showing things from their own life reminds them that they are good. You’re not good enough as to whose standards.
Amy Vaughan:
Right, right.
Seema Giri:
Whose standards? Your own. Right. So we’re always setting up higher standards for ourselves. Right. So it’s a reminder from glimpses of their own life that they are good enough to have. Right, Right. And this was a surprise to me. Perfection is actually a low standard.
Seema Giri:
That is you’re trying to set a bar of something that you’re never going to achieve. Right. So it’s really actually a lower standard because you’re just hiding in that mode, saying that I want to be the best. No.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
It is in the action and in the doing that you are the best if you’re getting certain recognition. I show them the recognition that they’ve received.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
The comments that they get. Right. Sometimes even the salary that they’re getting. If you were not good enough, you would not be having these things. Showing them where they are today.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
It is a great reminder that, okay, I am good. Who’s. Who knows what good enough is on what metrics are you looking at? Right.
Amy Vaughan:
Right. Yeah.
Seema Giri:
What’s that measurement?
Amy Vaughan:
Exactly. Exactly.
Seema Giri:
You are good. That’s why you have the things you have now. You are good if you’re an entrepreneur. That’s why you have the clients that you have.
Amy Vaughan:
Right. What you’re speaking about too is just that practice of gratitude. Right. And staying aware of what you have accomplished. It’s. It’s celebrating having those small wins and celebrating those. It’s spying and giving yourself flowers. One other thing I think too, that kind of thing does a lot of this.
Amy Vaughan:
Well, outside of just social conditioning, right. Women are conditioned to. Basically, we are the doers. We take care of everyone. We take care of everything. We nurture and you know, and even in the workplace, you know, doing for women is sort of how they think that they have to climb. Right. Like they have to be seen as productive and doing.
Amy Vaughan:
And then they get dinged for not leading because they’re so busy in the weeds and doing. And we never get out of the weeds. So I would say that’s one little trap that’s easy to fall into outside of the perfectionism trap, but then also the comparison trap. Do you come across that a lot? A lot of that when you’re dealing and talking with their women that you mentor and coach?
Seema Giri:
Yes, yes, they do like to compare. But you know, you. When we’re looking at any statistics and data, especially at work, this is from my project management side. Right. You. We always say you can’t compare apples and oranges.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
You have to compare apples to apples.
Amy Vaughan:
Apple.
Seema Giri:
Right. Or orange to orange. So if you’re comparing someone, you have to make sure that they’ve come from the same exact background.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
And the same exact life. But that’s impossible. Even siblings have the same set of parents, but they are so different.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah, right. Because even twins, you know, identical twins, they can even look alike, sound alike. Yeah, totally different.
Seema Giri:
But their whole life is different because of the kind of perspective they’ve taken. Right.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
So you can, I, you can look up to women you admire, strive to be similar to them. Right. But you can’t really compare. It has to be apples to apples. Right. So that’s another way of hiding, right?
Amy Vaughan:
Oh, yeah. Way to call that out, Seema.
Seema Giri:
Yeah, yeah. It’s a perfectionism comparison. It’s another way of hiding. Okay, what are you comparing to? Why you’re not like that or. She has this part that’s really great. I love to, I strive for, to speak the way Michelle Obama speaks. I like the way she speaks. Right.
Seema Giri:
She’s to the point. She’s, she comes across very elegant and polished and she’s speaking the truth.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
But I’m never going to speak just like her. Right. But that’s healthy. Right? Yeah. If I start comparing myself with Michelle Obama.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
I’m gonna drive myself crazy.
Amy Vaughan:
Absolutely. Well, and I agree. I love that it’s such a good call. It’s what you’re hiding behind. But I also tell myself often, follow your envy. It’s showing you what you want. Oftentimes when we see things in others that we don’t have, the reason you’re feeling jealous at all is not because you just don’t have it. It’s like, oh, I’m not acknowledging a want that I have.
Amy Vaughan:
Okay, well, I want to speak like Michelle Obama. I want to. That means I want to be a more eloquent speaker. That means I need to do some reading and some research, maybe start to find practices or places I can learn to be a better speaker. You know, and you’re right, you’re never going to be. Exactly. Because it’s not apples to apples. But you can at least then kind of separate yourself from the comparison and the jealousy and say, oh, there’s just something here that I’m wanting that I’m not acknowledging for myself that I.
Amy Vaughan:
Again, it comes back to you. Right. You have to be the accountable, responsible one to then take action. Because just me sitting around being jealous of somebody is not going to move the needle for me personally.
Seema Giri:
Right. And you make a good point. Ask yourself, why am I comparing myself to this person? What does she have that I don’t? Right. What is that trigger? What is it triggering within me? So maybe it is something that’s a door that you have that you’re not acknowledging, that’s dormant and that’s ready to come out.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Are there different aspects of us that are ready to come out at different times?
Amy Vaughan:
Oh, absolutely.
Seema Giri:
When we are ready.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah, I agree with that wholeheartedly, for sure. So, you know, we’ve talked a little bit about perfectionism and this idea of, like, being good enough or am I doing this? All right. You know, ritual is kind of a big part of wellness, right? It’s a practice. We say it’s a practice because you’re not showing up to win the game. You’re just showing up to, you know, get a little bit better each time. How should our listeners approach or how has. How should our approach to wellness evolve? Seeing as how you’re just. What you just said evolved.
Amy Vaughan:
As our careers and life circumstances change. Because inevitably, everything, right. The one thing that’s inevitable is change. So how do we work through that and continue with our rituals?
Seema Giri:
Ritual, it can be very simple, right? We don’t have to be very complex, complicated, you know, like in the morning, what I do, I. When I wake up in the morning, before I even get out of bed, I think of three things that I am really excited about or the three things I’m grateful for. Grateful words don’t really work for me. So I say appreciate it.
Amy Vaughan:
I like it. Yeah, right.
Seema Giri:
So what are the three things I appreciate? And then I. I make this tea. I have tea, and then I do some kind of exercise. I like variety. So I’ll go for a walk, or I’ll do tai chi, or I will do yoga, whatever the mood. I ask my body, okay, body, what do you want to do today?
Amy Vaughan:
What do you need? Right?
Seema Giri:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughan:
100.
Seema Giri:
So as I’m doing these things, I meditate at the same time on the floor. I’m like, very present, right? Very present in the moment. There are times that I will sit and do meditation separately. I meditate quite a bit, too. Or sometimes I just turn on my favorite song. It could be what, a spiritual song. It could be something from my faith, or it could be, you know, something that I want to dance to. My favorite song, right?
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
And I allow that time, the first hour of the day, just to be for myself. And then I also have, like, a nighttime routine the same way. You know, I’ll turn off the TV, turn off everything, get off social media. An hour or two hours before, I might have tea. If I feel like it, I go into the bedroom, dim the lights, and spend time there before I actually go to bed. It. Sometimes I do bedtime yoga, and sometimes I meditate before I go to bed. Sometimes if I need to.
Seema Giri:
Sometimes I do it especially when I have a Podcast too. So in between the meetings, in between my clients and before the podcast, I just center myself on how to breathe, two minute meditation.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Before my next thing. And I’m able to be 100% present. Yeah. So it doesn’t have to be. It can be just one thing. Maybe you just have tea by yourself. Maybe have tea out in nature. Out in nature, yeah.
Seema Giri:
So these are things that bring you peace, that bring you joy. It can be. I also like to have tea with my husband every morning. We had that conversation. Sometimes it’s naughty, sometimes it’s just a very long hug. Yeah. Right. So think of the things that you want to do that bring you joy, that bring you peace, it gives you energy.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
To, you know, start, start your day or end your day or anywhere in between. But it’s something that you would do on a regular basis.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah. I love that idea of listening because you become more in tune. I’ve done this even when I’m working out because I’m over 40 now. And you know, last weekend I was gardening and we have, like, a dug-in driveway that’s on a hillside and it’s got walls on either side. And I thought I would be all stealth like and just jump off the wall onto the ground after pulling a bunch of weeds. And like my knee did not agree with that move at all. And so it’s one of those things, I’m like, okay, well tomorrow I’m gonna ice it, I’m gonna elevate, I’m gonna do the things I’m supposed to do, take some Tylenol, get some rest. Because clearly jumping off of little three, four foot walls is not a thing anymore after 40.
Amy Vaughan:
Right. But listening to my body and the rest of the week I kind of gradually moved into like, I, I don’t even always stick with the same workout. I might wake up one morning and I’m like, I need to go at it. I need to go hard on a spin class and just get all this frustration out. And other times I’m like, you know what, I just need to do some yoga, maybe some yin where I’m going to be in a pose for three minutes. That’s all ground support because my body needs the extra help and support right now because I’m hurting and there’s just something to that. So it’s like there’re so many little ways, even unplanned, that you can kind of bring that attention and awareness and self care. And I think everything you’re talking about with the morning and evening rituals are so helpful for regulating your nervous system.
Amy Vaughan:
And I think the thing that’s really helped me being in a household with a family is sharing those expectations of listening, this is mom’s downtime. Like you said, I’m putting myself on a timeout. I love that sharing those expectations and upholding those boundaries with your family is so important because it’s so easy to let the interruption come in. But what you’re talking about too really gives you that time and ability to be present. And gosh, what a gift to be like. I’ve been sitting sometimes at my kids’ sports events and I used to be on my phone checking work, stressing about work, thinking about work, completely missing the moment. And because of some of these practices you’re talking about and because of wonderful coaches like you Seema, I have been able to just sit and enjoy and be there for my kids and like to be present in the moment and watch all of these amazing little things happen as their lives unfold. And that if you don’t do it for anything else, folks do it for that.
Amy Vaughan:
Being present is just the best gift.
Seema Giri:
We are always living in the future or in the past. Right. You have to start living in the present because the present is what creates your future. Yes. You’re happy right now, your next minute and your future is going to be just like that. That you know. And when things happen, life is going to happen. Right.
Seema Giri:
The people are going to come back and say I’ve been happy every single day but this thing has happened.
Amy Vaughan:
Life is going to life. Absolutely.
Seema Giri:
Life is going to life. But then it’s going to help you. You won’t re. You’ll respond to it versus react to it.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
And that’s very different. Those two things are very different. Right. You’ll be able to be more centered.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Now my family’s world is falling apart around us and I’m still very calm and collected.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Yesterday I was on a phone call with one of my team members and my husband had already gone to bed. But it was something I had said several times and explained very nicely. But he could hear the difference in my tone. I wasn’t upset, but I was firm. Right. But because they’re so used to me being so level headed and you know, calm no matter what happens.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Just that firmness in my voice. He could tell and he asked me about it this morning, what happened. Right. So people start, you know, noticing all of these things too.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
So even journaling. Some people like journaling. Having a practice of. Of journaling.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
At any time of the day. Sometimes people think it’s only in the morning or it’s whatever works for you.
Amy Vaughan:
Yes.
Seema Giri:
Right. Anything we’re talking about. I’ve said something different. Amy said something different to it. It’s all about experimenting. Everyone experiments. Your doctors are experimenting. That’s what I noticed.
Seema Giri:
And that’s why I started an experiment. It’s like it’s my life. Right. Why do they have the right to experiment on me?
Amy Vaughan:
Absolutely.
Seema Giri:
And so it’s about trying different things, exploring different things, and seeing what it is that you like. People think it’s weird talking to your body, but your body knows best, right?
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Your body knows best. It knows what it wants. So if you just start communicating and saying. Sometimes I say, good morning, Seema. Good morning, body. How. How’s today? You know, what do you want to do? What are we going to do today? Right. Even people think this is strange.
Seema Giri:
Even from the outfits I’m going to wear.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
And you know, on those days I always look and feel the best.
Amy Vaughan:
I love it. I mean, talk about decision fatigue there for clothes. Oh, that’s really cool. I’m gonna play around with that too, I think. Yeah. Just stay curious, get playful and know that there’s no one right answer. It’s really about exploring and finding the right answer for you. I have loved this conversation so much, Seema.
Amy Vaughan:
We’re coming close to time though, so I want to just give our live listening audience a little nudge, let them know that they are more than welcome to drop questions into the chat if they have any. As we get ready to do that, I am going to move us into our fun little power round, which will be kind of our fun quick questions to get any more last minute tips and advice to our listeners. All right, so what is your go to five minute wellness ritual when you’re having a chaotic day?
Seema Giri:
I exercise on the when. When. Especially when it’s a chaotic day. Yeah. Because I know I’m going to be a little extra stressed. So I will exercise. Either I’ll do like a, like a hit kind of exercise or I’ll go for a walk. I have a beach near me.
Seema Giri:
I’ll walk to the beach and I’ll breathe in that sea air and then come back. So that is my best thing to do. We didn’t talk about this as much, but what you eat is also going to impact how you 100%. Right. So I am a hundred percent all about healthy eating, whole food eating.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
And using supplements. To really help balance that. Sometimes, depending on if you’re traveling and working, you’re not always able to feel your body with the best options out there. So having the supplements really, really plan ahead.
Amy Vaughan:
And supplements. I agree.
Seema Giri:
You will notice the kind of food that you put in. You will notice. I can feel that I’m feeling peace.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Or that I’m feeling stressed. So especially junk food, you know, that’s going to add stress to it. Avoid junk food. Try to. It’s summer now. Try to have as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Right. Feel how caffeine is affecting you.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Sometimes it’s affecting you not in a positive way.
Amy Vaughan:
Right.
Seema Giri:
You know, look at all of those things. That is going to be one of the huge things.
Amy Vaughan:
Yeah.
Seema Giri:
Of how you’re going to feel. That’s everything else we talked about that’s going to support you. But if you’re not eating healthy, that may not support you as much. Right. Because you’re. It’s you. It’s coming from within.
Amy Vaughan:
Yep.
Seema Giri:
Also makes a difference. So I noticed that when I eat healthier, especially on days like today, I make sure I have a good protein breakfast because I need to be able to sustain myself longer, especially in the morning. I’m doing interviews, so I wanted to show up perfectly for you guys. So. So make sure that on those days you’re having those kinds of meals. So exercise, meals, meditation for those chaotic days is what I do.
Amy Vaughan:
I love it. Thank you so much, Seema. This has been amazing. This is such a great reminder for all of us that success and wellness aren’t competing priorities. Priorities. They really have to live in conjunction with one another and, you know, they’re really partners in creating a life that’s worth living. So, you know, helping others the way that you’re doing and surviving and thriving without burnout hopefully is going to help. You know, a lot of people, including our listeners, write their own success stories.
Amy Vaughan:
So, you know, again, folks that are listening, please remember that wellness isn’t selfish. It is a strategy. It is a way to move forward. It’s not something that’s going to slow you down or hold you back. It’s something that you have to do. Please, please, especially in the world we’re living in right now, make sure that you are taking care of yourself. And then, then that’ll fuel you to help take care of and show up for others. All of you can check out and connect with Seema on LinkedIn.
Amy Vaughan:
And don’t forget to check out her UpLyft Media website where she continues to help Purpose driven entrepreneurs transform their stories into movements that matter. Seema, thank you so much for joining us today in the Power Lounge. This has all been so fantastic. We really appreciate you and all the work that you’re doing for women.
Seema Giri:
Thank you. Amy, thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk to your community. And I just want to say, you know, if you, if there’s one selfless thing you want to do for your community, that’s to take care of yourself. You have an amazing story. Create what you want. Create the life that you want and share it.
Amy Vaughan:
I love it. I love it. All right everyone, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate you. Speaking of self care, you’re gonna have to go back and listen to some of our classic, most amazing episodes. We have close to 150 amazing stories from women who work in digital marketing, advertising and tech, as well as amazing coaches and women who are just helping us bring a more well rounded view to our world and our personal and professional growth with the Together Digital Power Lounge. I’m on vacation for the next two Fridays so I’ll be spending some time by the beach with my Appreciate all of our amazing team at Hercast Media for being here for us and supporting us for all of you. Until then, we hope you keep listening, check out past episodes, check out Seema’s website, connect with her on LinkedIn.
Amy Vaughan:
Until next time, we’re excited to see you all with us here back in the Power Lounge. Until then, keep asking, keep giving and keep growing. We’ll see you next time. Bye everybody.
