gii magazine Vol 01 | 02 : simplebooklet.com

editor's notes Hello y o u p h e n o menal h u m a n , Are y o u k e e p i n g up? Becau s e I f e e l like I b l i n k e d and he r e w e a r e in Feb r u a r y . I ' ve got t a s a y t h e re has b e e n abit o f m a g i c i n life l a t e l y . T ruthfu l l y , t h e r e is al w a y s m a g i c, but r i g h t n o w as I w r i t e t h i s,I'm s o d e e p l y a ligned a n d t u n e d in. M y m a n i f e station s a r e c o m ing wi t h s p e e d andmomen t u m a n d p izazz. I att r i b u t e t h i s to c r y s t a l c l ear in t e n t i o n s b acked b y d a i l y aligne d a c t i o n . Most o f a l l , b ynot g i v i n g u p o r givi n g i n a n d it co u l d n ' t b e more t i m e l y t o featur e t h e w i l d ly fas c i n a t i n gpeopl e i n t h i s issue. A c r o s s t he blo c k c h a i n , s oaring t h e s k y of pri v a t e a v i a t ion, s m a s h i n ginto h o s p i t a l s and re v o l u t i o n a ry sur g e r i e s o n l y to b e c o m e e v e n more c a p a b l e ofgreat n e s s w i t h execut i v e - l e v e l coach i n g a n d s oaking t h a t a l l in on t h e b e a c h es of S p o r t sIllus t r a t e d S w i m sess i o n s . T h e peopl e I ' v e i n t erview e d h a v e r ocked m y w o r l d as I'velocke d i n t o t h e irs. Read, a b s o r b a n d act o n t h e i r guidan c e . I t w i l l help y o u r t r a nsform a t i o n a n d succes s . See y o u a g a i n s oon, h o p e y o u e njoy t h i s i s s u e of gi i m a g a z i n e, now g o o n a n d unlock y o u r b r i l liance ! With l o v e , G i G i “ I D O N ' T C A R E T H A T T H E Y S T O L E M Y I D E A . . I C A R E T H A TT H E Y D O N ' T H A V E A N Y O F T H E I R O W N ” ― N I K O L A T E S L Awww.gii.media |  04g i i M a g a z i n e

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IT’S A BRISK 6 AM INPALM SPRINGS, MY LASTDAY OF VACATION ANDI'M QUICKLY REALIZINGTHAT THIS INTERVIEWWILL BE WELL WORTHTHE EARLY RISE.Oliv e r lists t h e words h e thinks b e st desc r i be him a n d havingknow n him an o d d 20+ ye a r s, I am s t ill all e ars list e n ing to h i sslow - p aced an d c alculat e d tone, a n indicat i o n of his d eepthin k i ng. Free d o m. Cour a g e . Rebel l i ousness . L ove. Pl a y . Sovere i g nty. Ther e is rare l y a conve r s ation in w hich I' m not surp r i sed –enli g h tened m i g h t be a b e tter wo r d – by hi s percepti o n of lif e . Iask i f he has e v er had a n epiphan y that ha s molded h i sworl d v iew; hi s a nswer i s : “The no n - existen c e of iden t i ty as a nintr i n sic par t o f what i t means t o be.”Perh a p s it’s t h e underp i n ning of c r eative p h ilosophy t hat sha p e sthe i n trigue o f his min d as he ma t c hes tha t with the i ntentio n ofhis i m pact on t h e exter n a l world. A s a mus i c ian, Fin T e chEntr e p reneur, a n d Advis o r , those v a lues ha v e prevail e d throug hthe p u rging o f a ll that w as not h i s missio n while he s tepped m o reconc r e tely in t o what is .  |  10

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Oliv e r is no n e w comer t o blockch a i n having b een in t h e game s i n ce 2013, b uthis l a test st a r t up Pant h e r Proto c o l is a n e w kid on t h e block ( pun int e n d ed).The c o mpany’s v i sion is t o enabl e p rivacy i n Web3. T h e protoc o l iscont r o lled by t h e colle c t or, the c o mmunity d ecides w h e ther to r un with i t ,and e s sential l y it is u n s toppable o nce it' s launched . It is o p e n sourcetech n o logy de d i c ated to t he rest o r a tion of a human r i g ht dimi n i shed in t h erise o f a sur v e i llance s o ciety, a n individ u a l's righ t to priv a c y . “Web 3.0 will bring us a fairer internet by enabling the individual to be asovereign. True sovereignty implies owning and being able to control whoprofits from one’s time and information. Web 3.0’s decentralizedblockchain protocols will enable individuals to connect to an internetwhere they can own and be properly compensated for their time and data,eclipsing an exploitative and unjust web, where giant, centralizedrepositories are the only ones that own and profit from it.” — Forbes Technology Council  |  11

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D E M O C R A C YP R I V A C Y & Oliv e r believ e s that pr i v acy is t h e founda t i on of de m o cracy b e c ause wit h o ut itpeop l e become d i fferent . The not i o n that o b s erved in d i viduals c hange th e i rbeha v i or is w e l l sighte d in Harva r d ’s arti c l e on “Ho w Surveil l a nce Chan g e sPeop l e 's Beha v i o r” and t h e Natio n a l Instit u t e of He a l t h (NIH) r esearch o n“Pri v a cy and h u m an beha v i or in t h e age of i n formatio n ” Most o f us ar e b eing mo n i tored a n d targete d without c o nscious k nowledge . Wehave b ecome i r o n ically n u mb to t h e customi z a tion of a d vertisi n g present e d tous, o r simply h a ve deci s i on fatig u e from t h e amount o f choice b eing cat a p ultedinto o ur cons i d e ration. S urveilla n c e capit a l ism as a n economi c system t h r iveson t h e commod i t i zation a n d often t i m es expl o i tation o f persona l data to g a inprof i t s, so t h e r e truly h as never b een a m o r e urgent t ime to a d dress pr i v acy.  |  13

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Intr o d ucing P a n t her Pro t o col, an e n d-to-en d privacy p r otocol f o r digita l assetswith a team b e h i nd it w h o is bond e d in def e n ding pri v a cy and s o vereignt y ,unit e d in pur p o s e, and d e termine d t o suppo r t the use r ’ s journ e y to uncl u t teredand p r ivate f i n a ncial f r e edom. As s e t shiel d i ng in Pa n t her Vau l t s, priva t e swapsacro s s blockc h a i n and c o m pliance p r oof wit h zero kn o w l edge sh a r e are a f e wpote n t ials of t h e proto c o l. It s o u nds alm o s t too go o d to be t r u e right , a world w h ere com p l iance is a bout tobe s h i fted on i t s head a n d decent r a lized f i n ance (De F i ) is th e thriving f inancesyst e m ? On th e f lip sid e maybe i t w as just t ime for t h is evol u t ionary e x t ensionin t e c h. Mayb e h uman ri g h ts are o n the ris e and the r e volutio n is takin g shape i ninno v a tion. P A N T H E R P R O T O C O LI N T R O D U C I N G |  14

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Acco r d ing to O l i ver, at t he highe s t level a l l of soc i e ty in t h e digital a ge –incl u d ing eve r y o ne that e ngages w i t h the m e t averse, e v eryone t h at engag e s withdigi t a l payme n t s , every o n e that e n g ages wi t h a smar t p h one and d ata – st a n ds togain f rom the t e chnolog y that Pa n t h er has b u ilt. Fund a m ental t o i ts desi g n is adv a n c ed cryp t o graphy a n d the ut i l ity of z e r o-know l e dge pro o f s , a met h o d dated b a ck to t h e 1980s i n which a ‘ prover’ c a nprov e to a ‘v e r i fier’ t h a t a give n stateme n t is true , without c onveying a nyinfo r m ation, a p a rt from t he fact t h at the s t atement i s indeed t rue. Pro o f isneed e d for tr a n s actions b ut this w a y it is a bsent of i nformat i o n leaks. R eal tal k ,I do n ’ t quite g e t how t h i s is acc o m plished , but then a gain I n e ver got t h emech a n ics of m i r acles y e t still b e l ieve th e y occur.  |  15 So w h a t does P a n ther Pr o t ocol ge t u s? It a l l ows DeF i u sers to b e more e f f ective i n negotia t i on in t h e presenc e ofpriv a c y. It a l l o ws us t o leverage o pen sou r c e techno l o gy as a n ultimate f orm oftrus t . It hel p s us take c ontrol o f our per s o nal data . It empo w e rs us to p rotectour l i ves and t h e ambit i o us move s w e make i n them. Y o u end up w ith a te r m thatpeop l e in cry p t o often u s e called t rustles s n ess. The i dea is t h at there i s no ne e dfor t r ust bec a u s e every t h ing is o p e n, appr o v able, an d secure o n the bas i s ofmath . If y o u want t o g o and p u r chase y o u r prescr i p tion usi n g crypto c u rrency, y o u usePant h e r to pr o t e ct your p rivacy. Y o u want t o execute a billio n - dollar t r a de andyou d o n't wan t y our com p e titors g e t ting an e dge on t h a t trade , you use P a ntherto p r o tect yo u r privacy .

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WAIT, NO D OWNSI DE? The b e auty of t h e innov a t ive tech n o logy th a t is bloc k c hain is t hat a us e r contro l sthei r own dat a , and whe n it come s t o Panth e r , nothin g is stor e d by the p r otocol. I nall b l ockchai n s , there’ s the risk o f econo m i c captur e , which i s the ris k that an ybusi n e ss, any e c onomy, a n y ventu r e or set o f people a c cumulat e too much p ower.Beca u s e of th i s , Oliver ’ s team is d oing a l o t of res e a rch int o n ew ways o f doinggove r n ance al o n g side ma n y others i n the bl o c kchain a r e na. The y view gov e r nance a sa pi l l ar of t h e future o r ganizati o n s that w i ll run t h e world e c o nomy. H e believe sther e are man y i nterest i n g ways t o normali z e the dis p a rity be t w een the r i ch and t h epoor a nd give e v eryone a more eq u a l vote, b u t still h a ve the b e nefit of a liquiddemo c r acy, wh i c h is imp o r tant. So w h i le Pant h e r is und e r way, I g e t the fe e l ing it’s j ust the b e ginning f or Olii ( hismusi c i an name ) . When it c omes to l i fe miss i o n, purpo s e , visio n and his t i me here ,well i t’s bes t l eft cap t u red in h i s own wo r d s. THE ONLY THING WE’REOBLIGED TO DO IS DIE.EVERYTHING ELSE IS A CHOICE.  |  16

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FROM TECH TO PRIVATE AVIATION, ANISRAELI FEMALE CEO SPILLS HERSECRET SKILLS.Gal Ozery speaks on pivoting industries, rare strategies to mitigate risk,and overcoming the setback of negotiating in your mother tongue. Gal, t he Co-F o u n der and C EO of p r i v ate avi a t ioncomp a n y Coope r Hues, p a u s es with a slight s m irk. “H o whone s t and ra w a re we g o i ng to b e ? ” she as k s .“As d e ep as y o u ' re will i n g to go? ” I answe r .She t a kes a p u l l of her v ape and c o ntinues . “ Fulldisc l o sure an d t his is b e cause it ' s me tal k i ng to yo u , Iknew s omethin g w as wron g with me w h en I co n s istentl ysele c t ed all t h e wrong r o mantic p a r tners. N o t justattr a c ted the m i nto my l i fe, but w a s attra c t ed toreli v i ng the s a m e hurtf u l story o v e r and o v e r again w i thdiff e r ent peo p l e . My la s t toxic r e l ationsh i p was the b igwake - u p call - - the beg i n ning of t h e journ e y for see k i ngwhat e v er it i s I 'm supp o s ed to fi n d . I als o didn't k n o wwhat t hat was " |  19

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"As a rguments c ontinued and emot i o nal brea k downs be c a me an ev e ryday th i n g for mypart n er, I co n t inued to choose he r over my s elf. Negl e cted my o wn feelin g s, intui t ion, andself - worth ju s t to "hel p " someone who plac e d all the i r indivi d ual turmo i l on me. For twoyear s , I didn ' t see any t hing incr e dibly wr o ng with i t . I felt like crap but thou g ht that's whatlove looks li k e , relati o nships ar e meant t o be "hard " , meant t o be "wor k ed for". I remembe rduri n g the la s t six mon t hs of the relation s hip, I wa s battlin g myself m o stly. Do I like th i s?Do I hate it? D oes life really ne e d to fee l like thi s ? The co m bination o f a new c areer whe r e Iheld a high-r a n king pos i tion and t he posit i ve relati o nships I was build i ng at th e office m a deme s t art to l o o k at thi n gs at hom e with a d ifferent l ens. I b e gan to se e myself m ore clear l yand d islike t h e way I w a s treated , but not brave eno u gh to le a ve, yet. T he bigge s t lightbu l bturn e d on the d ay I bec a me a sta t i stic and brought o n a sharp pivot in m y desire s -- witho u tusin g too man y words, y o u can im a g ine what occurred , and how I felt, wh e n I foun d myselfon t h e receiv i n g end of the wrath of someo n e having a psychot i c episode . A full- b lown 5150, h ospital g o wn and a l l. The be g inning o f the end o f the ol d me. The o ld me th a t wasacce p ting all s orts of s hit that n obody sh o uld ever e xperienc e in the n a me of lo v e." |  20

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B R E A K I N G T H EB A R R I E R O FB E C O M I N G Now l et's mak e one thin g clear fr o mthe g et-go, t h i s is a p o werhousewoma n who is t o day far f rom the g i rlshe w as in th a t story, b ut it was her atthe s tart. An d I had th e privileg e ofpeek i ng behin d the curt a in of wh a tmade this pro f o undly im p ressivepers o n who sh e is today . She r eveals, “ I 'm 32. I n the gene r ation th a t I come f rom, it w as always about pa r entstell i ng you w h o to be. T hat’s ver y restric t ive and e s pecially so coming from Isr a el. Therest r ictions w e re for m y protect i o n, right ? But ther e were al s o persona l ity rest r ictionsplac e d on me. F reedom o f speech r e strictio n s were pl a ced on m e . Don't s a y that. I t’s notokay to say t h i s. Then t here are t he more d ramatic t h ings tha t seem sub t le, but t hey’rereal l y actual l y traumat i c. Like, ‘ Why are y ou crying ? ’ ”She r epeats ' W h y are yo u crying? ’ a few ti m es, a tel l tale sig n that thi s is a fr u stratingmome n t in the m emory of her beco m i ng. “I’l l never fo r get this . And I’ll never fo r get my mo m saying, under her own stre s s and lac kof e n lightenm e n t, that m ost peop l e our age get to fi n d themse l f because now it i s the coolthin g to do. B a ck then t hey didn’ t care fo r that. Th e y didn’t have time for that . It was a b outsurv i val mode . She woul d say stu f f like, ‘ W hy are yo u doing t h is to me? ’ if I wa s crying,why w as I doi n g that to her? And t hat tran s lates int o career c hoices, l o ve choic e s andmore . It’s al l the same choices o f me putt i ng other p eople ah e ad of mys e lf becau s e I didn’ tknow who I wa s .  |  21Gal g ot comfo r t able qui c kly, some t hingthat I cheris h when bui l ding cand o rwith those I i n terview. We have k n owneach other fo r about a y ear and a halfyet n ever act u a lly met i n person, so Itake this as a win.

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 |  22“There is an evolving theme that I can see when I look at it from the10,000 foot view and look into where I’m at right now versus thelast time we were chatting in May 2020. So all in all, I think thetheme is to be oneself, and I think that’s my skill. I think that for themost part, my story was years in the making. But it’s just about howto be one’s own self. That’s it. That’s the only thing I’m good atafter years and years and years, that’s my only skill. “For a long time in my life, working in tech, like, very deep in tech,I was told not to be myself, and I was told that I didn’t know what Iwas talking about because I was not an engineer or I didn’t knowhow to stand up in a meeting and have the conversations that needto be had because I was not a man. And I was always either shieldedfrom an opportunity for my own sake or shielded within theunfolding of an opportunity because they wanted to protect me. Idon’t like people to say the whole ‘as a woman’ thing, I don't likethat crap. I don’t believe in it. I think that if you feel unequal tosomebody else, that’s your problem, right? “There were little moments of enlightenment throughout my careerthat I didn’t realize all revolved around the same exact goal. Thatwas never a goal on my to-do list. It was never a goal on mymanifestation list. But the common goal in the theme of my life is adichotomy, a contrast, and literally a battle between be yourself and just be. “Be you or you won't have anything.”

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I c annot hel p but laug h whe n Ga l say s she woul dbuy a bu ildi ng be fore she c hang e d he r pho nenum ber. I lo ved k eepin g my 808 l ong after leav ingHaw aii a nd h onest ly, I only los t my LA 31 0 due tomy phon e bei ng st olen in a home inva sion, so I getthe love of those mobi le pr efix e s. F or he r, I knowshe is a llud ing t o som ethin g el s e. “I have alwa ys be en po ached fro m one comp any t oano ther , eve n tho ugh t he co mpan y the y wer epoa chin g me from had a comp lete l y di ffere ntpro duct than the one t hat t hey w ere build ing. Andwhy did they do t hat? It wa sn’t beca use t hey w eretak ing m e fo r my tech skill s. T h ey w ere t aking mefor me. They want ed me to l ead t he p rojec t. Th eywan ted m e to be t he on e rep rese n ting thei rpro duct glob ally, maki ng de als o n th eir b ehalfand mak i ng t heir engin eers work such thattim eline s an d bud gets were effe c tive ly no tsho cked .B E IN G G A L O Z E R Y |  23“You might be s itting a c ross from me at th e boardroo m table t e lling me t hat I’m w rong, butI’ve done it s o many di f ferent ti m es in so many diff e rent way s , so many differen t contexts ,with so many d i fferent p eople th a t I know f or a fact that wha t I’m tell i ng you r i ght now i s therigh t thing t o do.“My m om, who a l ways wan t ed me to b e a doct o r or a l a w yer or a n account a n t, said t o mewhen my time a t one com p any was e n ding whi l e the pa n d emic sho o k our li v e s, ‘I ne v er wantto h e ar that y o u filled out anoth e r resume again.’. S o I neve r filled o u t anothe r resume. Istar t ed my ow n company t wo days l a ter in p r ivate avi a tion, an industry I ’ve neve r hadanyt h ing to d o with. Tw o weeks a f t er Coope r Hues wa s formed w e started t o get bu s iness andnow w e win hu g e account s . My bus i n ess part n er worke d in the s a me compa n y for ove r 17year s in priv a t e aviati o n, and wa s motivat e d enough b y my vis i on and my convicti o n and myown a bilities , regardle s s of expe r ience, r e gardless o f indust r y.”

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For G al it’s s i mple: id e ntify opp o rtunitie s , identif y the rig h t talent a nd then s how themhow m uch they c an do un d er the r i g ht guida n ce and h o w much fr e edom the y ’ ll have.She d reams, e n v isions, a nd plugs i n the ri g ht people fueled b y her supe r power,conf i d ence in w h at they c an do t o g e ther. O f ten sele c ted over c ompetito r s due to t heirhigh energy a n d recepti v ity, they have a b i t of a sp i ritual a p proach to the Coop e r Huescomp a ny cultu r e with a c ommitmen t to vibra t e on a h i g h freque n cy consis t ently so thatthe w rong ene r g y can’t t ouch the m . “I v e ntured i n t o quite a few othe r things t hat I had no exper i ence in, e xcept fo r thetran s ferable s k ills of f inding th e right p e ople, get t ing fund i ng, or pi t ching an idea tobig n ames who w ant to b e involve d because o f the ene r gy that’ s behind i t . Instea d ofgoin g through t he motio n s, we’re g oing wit h passion. We’re le a ding with passion. Andsome of them a r e in eme r ging mar k e ts. Thes e are ver y interest i ng places to be in .Nobo d y looks a t me and s ays, ‘Yo u don’t ha v e any exp e rience’, because n o body els e has.You j ust have t o be sma r t enough t o see op p ortunitie s and fin d the righ t people t o pluginto the agen d a of what this busi n ess or i d ea would n eed to s e e the lig h t of day and tomake money fo r everyone involved . ” |  44

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This self-pro c l aimed ad r enalinejunk i e likes t o test ho w far she c anactu a lly go, b u t she se e s that asimpo r tant as t h e willin g ness to s a y ifit d o esn’t ma k e sense – I’m walki n gout.One o f her fa v o rite tac t ics innego t iations i s to go f u ll-on int osome t hing if i t feels r i ght. But, if shehas a reason n o t to, we l l then sh e isfull - on out a n d will ne v er look a t itagai n . In her t erms, if it’s off, it’s off . Ga l ge ts cheeky wit h a he althy prese nc e of e go (the g oo d ki nd that’s inch ec k) . “I’m goin g to t el l you why f or ei gn ers in any co un tr y have theab so lu te upper hand w he n it comes to n eg ot ia tions. As s om eo ne who’s not ana ti ve s peaker, my mo m do es research o n Na tu ral Languag e Pr oc es sing(N LP ). I f someone w as g oi ng to make a de al w ith me in H eb re w, my motherto ng ue , their words f ee l different. It ’s t he language t ha t yo u learned w he nyo ur p ar ents were r oc ki ng you to sle ep w he n you were a ba by , so preciousbu t us el ess. If y ou a re d oing busine ss w it h someone w ho s pe ak s English a ndth ey d on ’t speak yo ur l an guage, anyt hi ng t ha t they sa y yo u ca n look atsu pe r ob jectively b ec au se it does no t hi t the emotion al r ec ep tors in you rbr ai n li ke your m ot he r to ngue will.” |  25

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Ther e was an e v olution o f percep t i on and r i sk assess m ent that needed to take pla c e in thedigi t al world b efore th e unfoldin g s of 202 0 . An intu i tive ris k assessme n t won’t m ake senseto m o st peopl e but it’s one of he r go-to’s . Really u n derstand i ng the st r ategic d i stinctionbetw e en emoti o n /intuiti o n and ac t i on. Gal e xplains t h e intere s ting face t s of int u ition, fr o ma bi o logical p r imitive a nimalisti c perspec t ive. “Let ’ s just sa y , I’m a d og and yo u ’re a ca t . Okay? M y intuiti o n serves a purpose that isspec i fic to m e that is n ot specif i c to you . Dogs mig h t be sca r ed of car s or cats , and theintu i tion mig h t be like , oh, don’ t go next to that c a t. That’ s an angry cat. You r intuitio n isgoin g to be f o r somethi n g comple t e ly diffe r ent. So w h at you h a ve to dec i de first andfore m ost to d e v elop you r intuitio n is, wha t do I wan t , becaus e intuitio n is a fl a g on thedisc r epancy b e t ween wha t it is y o u want – w hether it ’ s subtle or extrem e – and t h e actualpres e ntation o f reality right in f ront of y ou. Mind a nd gut c o nnection i s going t o tell yo uwhat the othe r person i s thinking and what their int u ition is saying. A n d it’s n o t somethi n gyou w ill see, a nd it wo n ’t smell a ny diffe r ent, and i t won’t l ook any d i fferent, per se. B u tyou’ r e consta n t ly picki n g up wha t e ver it i s you have set your intuition to be in tune with .You h ave to s e t the par a meters a n d you hav e to set t h e thresh o ld and yo u have to make thedeci s ion befo r e your in t uition is ever goi n g to serv e you.”Ev erythin g i s alway s g oing to wo rk out for yo u. N oth ing that h app ens to you is eve r alo ss, eve r. It’s a com pletely di ffe rent wa y o f lo oki ng at the wor ld that wi ll enha nce yo urli fe. Th e conte xt of intu iti on is l ike tr aini ng an AI a lgo rit hm – gi ve it enou gh sce nari os, gi ve i tmi llions of scenari os, and it ’s alw ays goi ng to k now wh at to p red ict and it ’s goin g t o t ellyo u what’ s c oming n ext . Devel op you r in tui tio n.Th e numbe r o ne thin g t hat you ca n d o fo r b oth you r S elf and yo ur company is to hav eab solute con fidence . Y ou’re n eve r g oing to ha ve a ll the answer s, ever. N obo dy will .Co nfidenc e b uilds t he bridge bet wee n pr obl em and sol uti on, uns olv ed ques tio n a ndan swer. C onf idence giv es your te am what th ey need to co me to c onc lusions on th eir own . Re lax. Li ter ally. I t s hould b e y our fir st res pons e t o e verythi ng. First, re lax . Ev ery thi ng i sgo ing to be fine. Y ou know th at bec ause yo u’v e se en it happen ten other tim es. Eve ryti me. It was fine. Gi ve good en ergy, a lwa ys. It sim pli fies co mpl ex h uma n d ynamics th at erup t i n t hebu siness set ting, e spe cially whe n y ou’r e t alk ing abo ut having com panies whe re anav erage t ran saction is $30,00 0.And t o neatly w rap this u p, I wan t e d to sha r e a few w i se mindse t tips fro m Gal tha twere hiding am i dst the t o pics at h a nd durin g the inte r view. The y struck m e asbene f icial, an d hopefull y , you wi l l gain so m e value f r om them t o o. “ You hav e t o trust yo ur intu iti on and you ha ve t o r esp ect you r i ntuitio n,” sa ys G al, fi nall y.“B ecause onc e you s top respec tin g w hat you ’re fee lin g, you’re bac k at sq uar e o ne w ith yo urmu m askin g, ‘Why ar e y ou cryi ng? ’ ” |  26

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I t ' s t h e f i r s t t i m e i n y e a r s I ’ v e s e e nR i c h i e , m i n d y o u , w e a r e o n z o o m .W e h a p p i l y r e u n i t e a m i d s t t h ed i g i t a l s h o r t c o m i n g s o f a w e a ki n t e r n e t c o n n e c t i o n a n di m m e d i a t e l y g e t i n t o s o m e d o p er e f l e c t i o n s o f a l i f e l i v e d s o b o l d l y .R i c h i e r e c o u n t s h i s w i n es u b m e r s i o n e v e n t i n N e w c a s t l e ,2 0 1 3 . H e h a d j u s t r e t u r n e d f r o mK e n y a a n d w a s a l r e a d y o n t h e n e x ta d v e n t u r e , b u r y i n g w i n e i n t o t h eA u s t r a l i a n o c e a n t o s e e h o w s u n k e nv s u n s u n k e n w o u l d t a s t e . O n t h es c u b a d i v e d o w n i n t h e d e p t h s o ft h e s e a , h e r e c a l l s o n e p a r t i c u l a rd i v e r w i t h a p r o s t h e t i c l e g . “ I r e m e m b e r t h i n k i n g t h a t w o u l dl i t e r a l l y b e t h e w o r s t t h i n g t h a tc o u l d h a p p e n t o m e i n m y l i f e . A s aw i n e m a k e r , a s a b a s k e t b a l l p l a y e r ,a s a p e r s o n . M y i d e n t i t y r e v o l v e da r o u n d b e i n g v e r y p h y s i c a l , g o i n gt o t h e g y m , b e i n g s t r o n g . ”T H E N O N - L I N E A RN A T U R E O F S U F F E R I N G& S U C C E S SR i c h i e H a r k a m , F o u n d e r o f H a r k A n g e l a n d R e t u r n o n R e s i l i e n c e ,s h a r e s h i s g r u e s o m e n e a r - d e a t h e x p e r i e n c e o f b e i n g T - b o n e d o n am o t o r b i k e , t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y k n e e t r a n s p l a n t t h a t s a v e d h i s l i f e ,a n d h o w h e i s s c a l i n g h i s p h i l a n t h r o p i c g o a l s T E N t i m e s o v e r . |  28

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To g i ve some b a ckground , Richie i s a motiv a tional sp e aker and entrepren e ur who h a s co-foun d ed sever a l success f ul busin e s ses such as Energy Alliance , the Aust r alian Co l lege ofPhys i cal Educ a t ion, and Harkham W i nes. It w a s merely a year la t er that h e found h i mself fac i ng the v e ry same f u ture as t hat diver . T H E A C C I D E N TI wi l l never f o rget hea r ing this s tory fir s thand fro m Richie j ust month s after t h e acciden t . HisPTSD was clea r l y in att e ndance. W e sat hav i ng gold- p lated egg n og, his h ome was s c atteredwith books li k e “The Po w er of No w ” by Eckh a rt Tolle a nd he st i ll looked frustrat e d, albeitacce p ting of h i s much-n e eded can e . His Pom e ranian N a h la learn e d to navi gate arou n d it wit hthe c utest de m e anour. He r e vealed w i t h empowe r ing vuln e r ability t he momen t s after h e had been T-boned b y astat i on wagon . It was o n the nigh t of the 1 6th April 2014. The s creams, t h e cringi n g pain t h a t held a n d squashe d him met a l to bone , and the devastati n gfigh t to surv i v e that b e came his l ife. Tha t was back in Chris t mas 2014 w hen thin g s werefres h , and si n c e then h e has had e ight rec o veries.  |  29

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“Eight g oing back to ze ro. M y hop es, i n the begi nning ,were so high befor e an opera tion. Then you go th roughthe pits of h ell; the s crewi ng, h ammer ing, sawin g,knocking. You bare ly fe el al ive a nd ca n't p ee on yourown. Six weeks, so metim es tw o mon ths o f rec overypass and you still have hope . But then six month s lat er, y ou fi nd ou t tha t it didn' twork. I've see n the dept hs of huma n suf ferin g. I' ve be enthere. I 've b een i n a r oom w here peopl e hav e die d orwere dying. I 've b een a wake when there are needl es th esize of my ha nd in my l eg. I 've i nject ed my self 365days with the ster oids that cause canc er, w hich givesyou depression, an xiety and sleep issu es. M y vei ns inmy arms collapsed, lite rally , bec ause I had that manyneedles put i nside of i t. During those four years I un derwe nt a handf ul ofoperations, a gold en st aph i nfect ion,w as to rment ed bychronic pain and w as st uck i n hos pital beds for month sat a tim e. I start ed to lose my s ense of id entit y. Then, after t he se venth fail ed op erati on, t heysuggested amputation.”  |  30

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T H E A N G E L T H A T S A V E D H I MIt w a s a world - class pr o cedure do n e this re v olutiona r y way, pe r haps even the firs t inthe w orld. Thr o ughout h i s tory, su r geons had tried an d failed a t knee tra n splants, b utwhen the lucky stars al i g ned for R ichie the y managed t o use a g raft of a kneetran s plant fro m a young b oy. For a nother ti m e, he fi l l ed his h e art with h ope. DrChri s tian Kret t ek in Ha n o ver Germ a ny used o n ly a gra f t with li v ing cells rather th a n thewhol e joint wi t h a live m eniscus a nd cartil a ge.“I r e member be i ng out f o r 20 hour s and actu a lly stop p e d breath i ng and wa srein t ubated. I felt suf f o cated. I ' ve gone t h rough th e worst of the worst of the wo r st nowrigh t ? I can't even tel l you what I’ve felt in terms o f suffer i ng. Every step of r e coverywas a punch to the face . I would g et to my c ar in th e morning a nd I woul d leave my keyupst a irs and I would ju s t burst o u t crying b ecause I k new the p ain that I was goin g tohave to get if I walk u p s tairs ag a in. You u n derstand r eally to the core, what suff e ringis w h en you go through t h at and i f you're a b le to co m e out the other sid e of that, thenyou' r e able to see life i n perspe c tive.”The journe y to R e silie n ce Rich i e became a new ver s ion of h i m self. Pr e -accident Richie w a s a beaco n of athl e ticismand o ne of my f ondest m o ments wa s of him r e counting h is time l iving wit h the Mas s aipeop l e in Afr i c a. They a dored him so much t hat they g ave him s pecial wr i stbands. Theheig h t a man c o uld jump was symb o l ic of hi s strength and Rich i e had som e game fr o mbein g on the b a sketball court. I st i ll marve l at that c ontrast. R ich went from the e pitome o f using hi s body to using a c a ne,crut c hes, and a wheelch a ir from 3 4 to 38 y e ars old.  |  31

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“I t a lk about a lot of s e lf-inqui r y , visual i zation, a n d going w i thin your s elf duri n gchro n ic pain. I t was act u ally the M aasai wa r riors who taught me about not feelingpain or not ac k nowledgin g it and s w itching y our mind o ff from i t . I did h a ve thattrai n ing withi n me, but I didn't e v er need t o access i t or use i t until y e ars late r . Itdefi n itely hel p ed me. But I really d i dn't know the stre n g th or re s ilience t h at I had u ntil I ha d used it . ”As a n entrepre n eur Richi e explain s that som e times you end up go i ng back t o zero,you h ave to un d erstand h o w to reb u i ld, and f or him re s ilience i s at the v e ry coreof t h at. |  32“E v e r y thing i n y our li f e i s there a s a vehi c l e f oryo u r t ransfo r m a t ion. U s e i t .” — R a m D a s s

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Once Richie re a lized tha t life wa s not happ e ning to h i m but for him to ga i n experi e n ce andwisd o m he knew that his f uture wa s forever c hanged. “You w ant to b e a Ninja w h ere you d o n't get t o o excit e d and you n ever get t oo sad. Y o u wantto g e t to a po i n t where y o u can j u s t try yo u r best in e very sit u a tion. Al m o st wher e t hings j u s troll o ff you. T h ere's go i n g to be a n opport u n i ty to g o through w i th minim a l damage a l l thepart s of survi v a l pain. Y o u adjus t t o the s w i n gs. Lik e when you i nvest mo n e y, you d o n 't wantto s e e the swi n g s. You j u s t want t o see the s t raight- l i ne corre l a tion thr o u gh the t i m eline. I ca l l it bank i n g resili e n ce. The m o re you g o through, t he more y o u have i n your re s i lience b a n k that y o u can ca l l uponthe n e xt time. N ot much g e ts to m e r ight no w . Of cour s e , it get s to me, b u t not mu c h becauseI've b een to t h e pits of h ell. I' v e banked r e s ilience . I died, I ' ve come b a ck to l i f e .” |  33T H E N O N - L I N E A RN A T U R E O F R E C O V E R YT h e r e i s a n a t u r a l i m p e r f e c t i o n t h a t c o m e s w h e n w o r k i n g t h r o u g h t h e s t r u g g l eb e f o r e y o u g e t t o t h e g r o w t h s t a g e . A n i m p o r t a n t d i s t i n c t i o n t o m a k e i s w h e r e y o ut a k e c o n t r o l . Y o u h a v e a n a c c o u n t a b i l i t y t o h o w y o u s h o w u p f o r h e a l i n g , h o w y o ur e c o v e r a n d r e b u i l d w h i l e s t i l l a l l o w i n g y o u r s e l f t o b e w h e r e y o u ' r e g e n u i n e l y a t . “ M y r e c o v e r y , a n y o n e ' s r e c o v e r y , a n y o n e ' s t r a u m a , i s n e v e r l i n e a r . L e t m e t e l ly o u , I g o t r i g h t t o t h e p o i n t w h e r e I w a s g o i n g t o k e e p m y l e g o r l o s e m y l e g . N o tt h a t I w o u l d e v e r h a v e d o n e i t , b u t I d i d t h i n k t h a t i t w o u l d b e e a s i e r f o r m e t o b ed e a d a n d s u i c i d e o f c o u r s e c a m e t o m y m i n d . I a m h u m a n a f t e r a l l . S o w h a t I ' ms a y i n g i s w h e n y o u ' r e g o i n g t h r o u g h s h i t , t h i n k a b o u t a l l t h e s e s t e p s . T h e b i g g e s tt h i n g i s t o a d o p t a p o s i t i v e m i n d s e t a n d p u s h t h r o u g h . T h a t i s a r e a l t e s t o f a t r u ee n t r e p r e n e u r . H o w m u c h c a n y o u k e e p p u s h i n g w h e n t h e r e ' s n o l i g h t i n t h e t u n n e l ?B e c a u s e 9 9 % o f p e o p l e g i v e u p a n d t h a t 1 % o r l e s s , t h a n 1 % t h a t c a n k e e p p u s h i n ga n d g o i n g , t h e y r e a c h t h e H o l y L a n d ”

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P R I N C I P L E S O FR E S I L I E N C E & E G OS T R E N G T H Rich i e describ e s ego str e ngth as a n individ u al's abil i ty tomain t ain their identity a nd their s ense of s elf in th e face ofpain , distress , and conf l ict. He h a s found m ost benef i t incons c iously ra i sing the t olerance f or frust r ation and stressby p o sitively r eframing s cenarios a nd banki n g resilie n ceusin g these st e ps; 1. I d e n tity ex p lores how trauma a l t ers our i dentity a n d howthe c hoices we make to f i nd hope d e fine our post-trau m aiden t ity. 2. I n t e gration demonstra t es how a p erson's p ost-traum aiden t ity is in t egrated i n to the n e w reality through a d aptiveeven t processi n g.3. I n n e r Influ e n c e descr i bes find i n g the ab i lity and s trengthwith i n yoursel f to uncov e r opport u n ities in hardship a ndcoll e ct 'Retur n on Resil i ence'. M i n dfulness , self-comp a ssion, an d self-inq u iry are k e y concep t s in Inne rInfl u ence.4. I n s p ire is a bout goin g beyond o v ercoming adversity andfind i ng the br o ader mean i ng and p u r pose tha t derives f romthe c risis.  |  34

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 |  35P O S T T R A U M A T I C G R O W T H “I w o uld neve r be able t o be the p erson I a m today w i thout go i ng throug h that, a n d that'sthe o verwhelm i n g theme o f eterna l resilien c e. We nee d strengt h to grow. We need t raumato g r ow. We n e e d to go t hrough t h e hardshi p of life. To adapt , to becom e better.How c razy is t h e world r ight now ; 50% of p e ople go t h rough a d ivorce, o n e in fiv e peopleexpe r iences d e p ression i n their l i fe, one i n four pe o ple suff e r from an x iety, on e in tenhave serious d o ubts abo u t a rela t i onship t h at they'r e in righ t now. One in ten p e ople willuse s leeping t a blets an d can't sl e ep. One- t hird of p e ople hav e body ima g e issues , peopleself - harm. On e in ten p e ople say t hey won' t have a d r ink toni g ht and th e y just c a n't helpthem s elves. A l m ost ever y one is g o i ng throu g h struggl e s in lif e . So the q uestion b ecomes;how c a n I dig i n to my s t r uggle to e xperien c e growth, w here is m y streng t h ?For m e to be a b le to do that I ne e ded to f i rst go th r ough a l o t of sadn e ss befor e I couldfind my stren g t h”

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 |  36Rich i e sums u p the gene r al proce s s of suff e ring as p e r the ‘K u bler-Ross Model' a n d the 5stag e s of gri e f . First, you deny i t until y ou are fo r ced to a c cept it. T hen come s anger wh e nyou a re accep t i ng the s i tuation, a nd with t hat comes bargaini n g with li f e and wa n tingthin g s to hav e been dif f erent. Th i s can le a d to depr e ssion be f ore ultim a tely you find themean i ng, that i s if you are searc h ing for i t. The f irst thi n g is to a c tually ac k nowledge that ther e 's somet h ing that' s going o n in yourlife . And the n another p art is co m passion a nd monito r ing your self-talk . Richie p roudlyhigh l ights hi s Return o n Resilien c e Podcas t intervie w with 10 0 -year-old Holocaus tsurv i vor and a u thor of " The Happ i e st Man o n Earth”, E ddie Jak u . I could hear themonu m ental ad o r ation fo r having h a d the pr i vilege to meet and interview him befo r e hispass i ng. For R i chie, he a ring Eddi e ’s story facing ye a rs of Na z i brutali t y whilst being hel din t h e Auschw i t z concen t ration c a m p weighi n g only 27 k g, survi v ing both C holera a n dTyph o id, was t h e epitom e of resi l i ence. Alon g side set t i ng up Re t urn on Re s ilience w ith the f l agship p o dcast, Ri c hie aske d somedeep question s about wh a t his ne w goals in life were . Ente r Hark An g el. H A R K A N G E L Sinc e the acci d ent it be c ame comm o n for Ric h ie to wan t to do th i ngs ten t i mes bigg e r thanhe d i d before, because h e had a n e w capacit y for achi e vement wi t h his res i lience. “Peo p le always asked me, what do I want to d o in my l i fe? And I always sa i d I want t o helpkids in Africa when I'm o lder. Be f o re my ac c ident, I w as volunt e ering wit h this gu y in aslum called Ki b era, whic h is in N a i robi. It ' s one of t he bigges t per-capi t a slums i n theworl d . Around 2 0% of peo p le have H I V. When y ou walk i n there li t erally is an assau l t onall y our sense s . We w e re going t hrough gi v ing medi c a tion to p eople in t he slum a n d it was s cary. Th e r ewas d isgusting rubbish p i led up, p e ople pee i ng and po o ping on t h e side of the road . Theylive d on top o f each oth e r with n o plumbing , no waste disposal. No other o ption. T h e n wewent through t h is kind o f school. T he kids w ere a lit t le bit si c k, some o f them di d n 't lookvery well. The r e was a l i ttle boy p laying w i th a Coca - Cola can. It was hi s toy. Ot h e r kidswere crying. T h ey had ye l low eyes a nd I lat e r learned they were HIV orpha n s whosepare n ts either died or d u mped the m and left . I wonder e d what wa s going to happen t othos e kids, I w as worrie d that th e i r lives w ere doome d . I reali z ed that n o ne of th o s echil d ren chose that worl d . They d i d n't do a n ything wr o ng in the i r life to be in th a t world. I twasn ' t their f a ult. They were thr o w n into t h at world.

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"Fas t forward t ill afte r my accid e nt, it w a s only wh e n I got t he transp l ant from this youn gboy a nd I was l aying in my hospi t a l bed th a t I felt l ike it w a s my duty to write a letter. Inthe l etter, I e xplained to the b o y 's fathe r that I s e t out to build sch o ols in t h ird worldcoun t ries and t hat I wa n t to buil d a schoo l in his s o n's hono r . I wante d his son ’ s spirit t olive on throu g h all the s e childre n . I thou g ht I can n ever rep a y him but I can ch a nge thelive s of all t h ese chil d ren. I as k ed him f o r his son ' s name o r initials to dedic a te a scho o l inhis h onor, bu t the fath e r never w r ote back . At the t i me, I ha d my winer y Harkham Wines,and t hought, t h e boy is like an a n gel to m e . So I ca l led him t he Hark A n gel. "I i n itially w anted to b uild 10 s chools, b u t instea d with all my banke d resilien c e, I set o ut tobuil d 100.”Rich i e and th e team at H ark Ange l , despite the pande m ic, have completed the eigh t h schoolin t h e Bone K w i n Villag e . I have n o doubt t hat with a ll his r e silience, he will o vercome a n yobst a cle to r e a ch his 1 0 0-school g oal. In t y pical fa s h ion, he c loses the intervie w with hum i lity and a heartfe l t Ram Da s s quote,“We’ r e all ju s t walking e ach othe r home.” |  38

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You know w h e n y o u a r e happy you dig a littl e d e e p e rinto a sto r y b e c a u s e you discover something r e a l l yremarkable ?Yes, well t h a t i s e x actly what happened whe n I w a spreparing t h e i n t e r v iew for Dr Rakish Rana. Using the w o r d L i f e Coach these days can be h i t o rmiss with t h e s u r g e and saturation of this n e wprofession , b u t a s a member of the Internat i o n a lCoach Fede r a t i o n ( I C F), graduate of the Aca d e m y o fExecutive C o a c h i n g w ith a Practitioner's Di p l o m a i nExecutive C o a c h i n g , Dr Rana has earned his s t a t u s .Known for h i s C L E A R Framework, he is cons i s t e n t l yfeatured o n F o r b e s and there are a few une x p e c t e ddetails ab o u t h i s s t ory. CAREER PIVOTS, HOW YOURENVIRONMENT HINDERS YOURGROWTH, AND THE WORDS YOUNEED TO STOP USING.  |  41Dr. R a na will h i nt at t h e appeal o f spendi n g a year i n the Un i t ed State s as a re a s o n tounde r t ake a d e g r ee in c h e mistry b u t truly h e is a sc i e ntist a t heart. W h i le unde r w a y with h i sacad e m ic purs u i t s he fe l t a mast e r ' s degre e just wou l d n't cut i t, so he p ursued a P h.D. inChem i s try. Hi s b ackgrou n d includ e s a speci a l ty in to x i cology, o r as som e would c a l l it the‘Sci e n ce of S a f e ty’. “I'm o n this e x t ensive p r ogram at t he mome n t , so I d o find th a t I'm get t i ng lots o f steps. Iwalk e d about 2 0 , 000 ste p s yester d a y and I u s e my wa t c h tracke r quite di l i gently, ” Dr Ranaadvi s e s durin g o ur smal l talk pre - i ntervie w . I’m cur i o us if h e t hought h e needed h i s addit i o nalqual i f ication i n order t o be comp e t itive i n the mark e t so we j u mped rig h t in.

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He s a y s, “I l o o k back n o w and my u p bringin g was abou t achieve m e nt, gett i n g grade s , and notonly g etting g r a des but g etting A g rades. T h e better e ducatio n you have , the bet t e r job yo uhave . That wa s t he mind s e t. What I do find , especial l y now th a t I've b e e n coachi n g a lot o fentr e p reneurs a n d busin e s s peopl e , is that f ormal ed u c ation d o e sn't com e into it t he sameway i t used t o . Once yo u ' re comm i t t ed to d o i ng some t h i ng, the e xperien c e counts e v en more .And t h e chall e n g e then i s , how do y ou get t h at exper i e nce? So m e of the m o st succ e s sfulpeop l e I know p r obably d r opped o u t of scho o l at 16. T h ere are c ertain p r o fession s you wantto d o in life t h at requ i r e formal e ducatio n for exam p l e in me d i cal fiel d s , law f i e l ds,engi n e ering, e t cetera. B ut when i t comes t o busines s , is an M B A a nece s s ity, I d o n 't thin k so.”To m e that wa s a n indic a t or of a b e lief sy s t em that i s wildly c hanging e s peciall y w ith you n g erup-a n d -coming g e neratio n s . Those b e liefs a r e self-li m i ting an d create h u g e obsta c l es in on e ’ scare e r track. D r Rana e x p lains th a t many o f the clie n t s he wo r k s with a r e not ev e n aware o for u n d erstand w h at limi t i ng beli e f s are. “There’s a story I tell all the time about the baby elephant. When it's tied to a stake with asmall rope, it tries to pull but the baby elephant doesn't have enough strength to break freefrom that rope. As it gets older and bigger, a man goes by, he sees this huge elephant tied toa small stake with a tiny rope and he says to the keeper, “That’s dangerous, it could breakthe rope.” The keeper says, “Well, it doesn't know any better, so he doesn't even try. He's given up trying.”  |  42

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“I'll jus t g ive you my ow n e xample. Ifirmly us e d to believe if I don't havea qualifi c a t ion, I'm not g o o d enoughto do it. I t became a run n i n g jokethat I wo u l d have more le t t e rs in mytitle tha n i n my entire f u l l name. Only when I became a coac h , I thinkmy mindset r eally changed . Irealized t h a t I don't nee d f ormaleducation . A nything I nee d t o learnis freely a v ailable. I ca n b e learningfrom othe r p eople. The ma i n thing isjust doin g i t. It's the i n a c tion thatactually f e e ds the fear. T h e actioneradicate s t he fear.” |  43When w e give u p believi n g in our s e l ves we s t op tryin g , especi a l ly if we h ave fai l e d once a n dwe r e - enforce a mindset c onstruc t e d on lim i t ing beli e f s. The a c complish m e nt of s u c cess ismore p robable w i th repe a t ed effo r t includi n g the fai l e d attem p t s, becau s e you ar e tryingfrom a place o f more ex p e rience, m u ch like a n elepha n t would h a ve more s t rength a s itgrow s . It’s o ne of t h e greates t points t h a t is ad d r essed in m entorsh i p s, confe r e nces, c o a c hing an dthe l i kes, a h u m an’s in h e rent fea r of fail u r e. There i s that b a r rier of e ffort t o t ry, sim p l ybeca u s e we do n ' t want t o experie n c e failur e . Beyond t h at, som e people e x p erience a fear ofsucc e s s and t h e sacrifi c e that co m e s with t h at accou n t ability w hen you s t art to s u cceed.When i t comes t o some o f the pro m i n ent lim i t ing beli e f s that w e need to r eframe, D r Ranaspea k s on the t o pic of q u alificat i o ns. QUALIFIED

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A tr u t h many o f us know s o well. O n cewe s t a rt, we r e a lize ou r wholeperc e p tion of a goal ch a n ges. On c eyou' r e actual l y doing i t , you'reimpr o v ing. As a n author , we have t h iswhol e thing. Y o u can't e d it a bla n k page.So y o u ’ve got t o put so m e thing do w n . Itis b e t ter to w o r d purge , even if i t isn'tgrea t because t h en you h a ve some t h i ngto i m p rove on . T hinking a bout so m e t hingand d o ing it a r e so dif f e rent. Dr R a n a chime s i n, “Soc i a l media i sprev a l ent wit h q uotes, a c tion quo t e swhic h people r e c ite bac k to me. A n dwhat I always s a y is, l o o k, it's g r eatread i n g these q u otes an d you fee linsp i r ed, but w h at acti o n have yo uactu a l ly take n ? This is t he demis e , theyread s tuff bu t t hey don ' t act upo n it. What I get pe o p l e to do i s to try t o ident i f y areas i n their o w n life w h e re they f o undsome t h ing ver y d aunting i nitially , then on c e they di d it and t h ey becam e good at i t cameseco n d nature . I t's a l o t like le a r ning to d rive. You c o uld be t h e most t a l ented, m o s t intel l i gent, mo s t clever p erson th e r e is, w h o onpape r seems t o b e the m o s t succe s s f ul pers o n . But ac t u ally, i f you look a round, t h eyare p r obably t h e people w ith less e r talent . The ones w ho get r e ally far a re the o n e s thathave t he cour a g e to go o u t and t a k e action . ”  |  44

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―Fo r h is po dca st, D r R anain ter vie we d a se ri es ofsu cce ssf ul en tre pr ene ursan d l ook ed ba ck at th eirst ori es. W hat he f oun dwa s t hat t hey fe ll in totw o c ate go rie s. Th eybe cam e s uc ces sfu l out ofne ces sit y bec aus e of ali fe the y wan ted t o l eav ebe hin d o r the y b ec amesu cce ssf ul be cau se ofwh at was d ril led i ntoth em fro m a y oun g age .Fo r h im sp ort s d ef ini tel ydo es pla y a k ey pa rt andhe th ink s if you 'reco mpe tit iv e, you h aveth at win ni ng men ta lit y.Pe opl e t ha t h ave a gr eatat tit ude , tha t h ave c an-do at tit ud es are th e one sth at can o ver com ech all eng es .So ma ny of us ha ve be engo ing th ro ugh ch an ges ,es pec ial ly th e o ns et ofth e p and em ic whi ch ha sfo rce d u s to ada pt . B ut,ho w d o w e kno w t he ri ghtti me to ma ke a p iv ot inyo ur lif e? Wh at ab out th etr enc h h ol es? We of te n t hin k t he gr assis gr een er on th e oth ersi de rat he r t han g ree nerwh ere yo u wat er it .So met ime s we do no tev en rea li ze tha t weco uld be i n a n e sc ala tedco mmi tme nt to fa il urebe cau se we ar e s tu ck inou r c omf or t z one s. Ho w d o we nav iga te th is? |  45“W e al way s d isc o unt ou r g ut, our gu t f eel i ngso m eti mes is so rig ht. I mea n , t oo oft en p eop le thi nkwi t h t hei r h ead and th at' s m e . I wa s c alc u lat ing an dst r ate giz ing , b e ing qu ite a r isk -av ers e p e rso n. I t hin kre a lly li ste nin g to th e g ut a nd ask ing if it fee ls rig h tis imp ort ant . W h at are yo u f e eli ng? Ar e y o u e xci tedto car ry on wit h wh at you 're doi ng? "

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 |  47 He c o n tinues, " A gain, I ' m going t o spotlig h tsoci a l media, w h ich is o f t en prom o t ing tha tlife i s about f i nding y o u r passio n . If you ' r enot e n joying y o u r job, b a i lout, g o and fin dsome t h ing tha t y ou love . B ut, I t h i nk that ' stoo e a sy to d o . And I'v e p robably m ade thi smist a k e mysel f . If you' r e in a ro l e , you g o tinto t h at rol e f or some r e ason. Y o u mayhave f allen o u t of love w i th it, a s you ma ydo i n a relat i o n ship wi t h a perso n . But th a tdoes n ' t mean t h a t they' r e the wro n g personor i t w as the w r ong job . ""It j u s t mean s t hat the r e ' s somet h i ng miss i n g , and m a y be it's s o mething y oujust n eed to i d e ntify. T h e re is s o m e self- w o r k that n e eds to b e done be f o reyou b a il. We l i v e in a s o c iety wh e r e it's q u i ck to c h a nge. Pe o p l e live i n a worl dof i m m ediacy. T h ings ta k e time, i t takes y e a r s to bu i l d somet h i n g, year s tomake s omethin g . So for m e , befor e p ivoting , d oing so m e of tha t s elf-wor k isimpe r a tive." "Ask, w h y am I goi n g ? Am I ru n n ing to som e thingor am I r unning aw a y from some t hing andmaking s u re it's t h e former.”

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Two b o oks tha t D r Rana w o uldreco m m end on t h e topic o f habitsand h i gh-achi e v i ng envi r o nmentsare " A tomic H a b i ts" by J a mes Cle a r ,and " W illpowe r D oesn't W o rk" byBenj a m in Hard y .He e x p lains t h a t when y o u 've don ea fu l l day's w o r k, you a r e going t obe t i r ed. You ' v e used t h a t braincapa c i ty and y o u r willp o w er is n o tgoin g to get y o u anywhe r e . So th e nit b e c omes ab o u t creati n g theenvi r o nment t h a t helps y o u toachi e v e. Crea t i n g an en v i ronmentsuch t hat the d i fficult d ecisions ,the c h allengi n g decisio n s becomeeasi e r . You n e e d to cre a t e a goodhabi t by stop p i n g the b a t tle offigh t i ng a ba d o ne. AN ENVIRONMENT OFGOOD HABITS  |  48

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“R ep lace a ba d h ab it with a g ood h ab it by m ak in g w ha t was a n ea sy de ci si on fo r a bad h ab it in to amo re chal le ng ing o ne . And , yo u mak e a cha ll en gi ng de ci sion th at woul d re lat e a good ha bi t int o anea si er on e. T hat a ll beco me s about t he en vi ro nm ent . Ag ain, I' ll us e a perso na l examp le . If I wa nt edto l ose w ei gh t t he e nviro nm en t is th e kit ch en . The b ad habi t wa s t ha t I cou ld g o dow n to th eki tc hen, op en cu pb oa rd s a nd f ind j un k. So w he n I d o th e foo d sh opp in g I nee d to r epl ac e that. T heco ns cious d ec isi on I made w as that I w oul d no l ong er b uy sw ee t cho co la te s, fi zz y dri nk s, an dju ic es. T he p hys ic al envi ro nm ent t he re for e go t cre at ed that m ad e t he b ad ha bi t more ch al lengi ngan d the g oo d hab it e asier . An d bel ie ve me , to this d ay , I w il l sti ll g o dow n to th e ki tc hen , op en upcu pb oards t o try a nd find s om ethin g. B ut gu es s wha t? I t's n ot t her e. ”Wh en we a re t aki ng a wa y s om et hing th at gi ve s us a do pa mine re wa rd or n eu rot ra ns mi tte r su rge o fpl ea sure, w e hav e to subs ti tu te wh er e we ge t th at pl ea sure. W he n w e ju st ta ke s ometh in g away, w eha ve to p ut s ome th in g in as a subs ti tu te an d on e o f th e thi ng s tha t re al ly he lp ed me w as th at Ire al ized th at we n ee d to al so prep ar e for t he disc om fo rt. H ab it s a re e as y b ec au se th e ne uro lo gi ca lpa th way f ro m the r ep et iti on h as ma de t hem t he d omi na nt , mor e cl ear p at h to ta ke . So ob vi ously ,wh en we w an t to go a nd do s om ethin g th at go es a gai ns t that cl ea r, co mf or tab le p ath, we f eelre si stanc e. S o m uc h resis ta nc e. It 's th e pe op le th at feel t ha t d is co mf ort a nd are re ad y for i t tha t wi ll ge t th e m os t ou t o f li fe.Di sc omfor t is th e ke y to co nf idenc e an d u lt im at ely t he n suc ce ss . Dr . Rana fu rt her a dd s to th is , “As a c oac hi ng prac ti ti oner, c li ent s al ways sa y that wh en I' mco nf ident , I wil l do this . Sc ien ce h as di sp ro ved t ha t. You ne ed to f ir st do s om ethin g to ge t th eco nf idenc e. T ry th in gs on t he side , do lo ts o f thi ng s, meet l ot s o f pe ople, e du cate yo ur sel f br oaderby m eetin g, n etw or ki ng , w at ch ing Y ou Tu be vi de os , r ea di ng mo re b ooks, f ic tio n an d non fi ct ion. Bydo in g all o f tha t, y ou're e xp andin g yo ur ho ri zons. A nd thro ug h tha t, y ou st ar t getti ng a be tt erwo rl d per sp ec tiv e so you st ar t to un de rst an d yo urs el f bette r. T hat 's w he n y ou s tart re al lydi sc overi ng w hat 's i mport an t to yo u. ”Fo r me pe rs on all y, I lean i nt o the c on tra st . You k no w what yo u wan t by f ind in g out w ha t you d ono t want. Y ou kn ow w ha t m ak es you pr ou d by so me tim es d oi ng th in gs th at b rin g yo u sha me . It's okto e volve t hr oug h ex perie nc e and t ha t inc lu de s hav in g bad o ne s. Th at 's t he jo ur ney o fco ns cious ne ss ex pa nd in g. Th ro ugh t ha t, yo u ca n fee l wh ich i s en erg iz in g or dr ai ning. T he n youkn ow when S pi rit i s invol ve d. When t he So ul i s act iv at ed. Y ou f eel o n fire wi th insp ir at ion a ndwi ll ingne ss t o t ak e actio n. |  49

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C - Conn e c t i on = build a s t r ongrapport t o c onnect at all l e velsL - Lang u a g e = jargon-fre e ; allowyour mess a g e to be clearl yunderstoo d E - Ener g y & Enthusiasm =adrenalin e , inspiration, m o t ivation,positivit y a nd productivi t y as youlive your l i feA - Awar e n e s s = raise yourconscious n e s s to stimulat e c hange R - Resu l t s = to be proud o f yourachievemen t s and transfor m a t ions |  50Clos i n g the i n t e rview, D r Rana ma k e s a poi n t which I k now wil l stick wi t h me, “T h e r e arecert a i n words t h at we n e e d to re m o v e from o u r vocab u l a ry. Rem o v e the wo r d should . If youever c atch yo u r s elf say i n g I shou l d be doi n g this, i t means y o u 're doin g it for s o m ebody e l s enot f o r yours e l f . Now, r e placing t h at word w ith I wa n t to or I need to i s more e m p o wering.You' l l own it . T his is j u st one e l e ment of t he Clear F ramewor k that gui d e s my Ex e c u tiveCoac h i ng.”CLEARFRAMEWORKWith a perfec t b lend of s cience a n d spirit u a lity he l o ves his j o urney o f coachin g b ecause i t isso r e s ults-fo c u s ed and t h at inclu d e s a cri t i cal part h e ensur e s is exec u t ed upon ;reme m b ering t o c elebrat e . For m o re info r m a tion on T he Clea r F ramewor k , just c h e c k out h i s websit e .

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Q & AW I T H S A R A H F I S KWhy risk drives results and in-person communication willalways win while building a brand. F r o m p l a y f u l D I Y s e w i n g t o a g l o b a l l y r e c o g n i z e d s w i m w e a r b r a n d f e a t u r e ds e v e n c o n s e c u t i v e y e a r s b y S p o r t s I l l u s t r a t e d S w i m , F o u n d e r a n d D e s i g n e r o fS w i m L i k e A M e r m a i d ( S L A M ) , S a r a h F i s k t a l k s a b o u t h e r h u m b l e b e g i n n i n g s a n dw h a t s h e h a s l e a r n e d d u r i n g a d e c a d e o f i n f l u e n c e r m a r k e t i n g . H e r s w i m w e a r h a s b e e n s e e n b y m i l l i o n s o f p e o p l e , w o r n b y t h e l i k e s o f S e r e n aW i l l i a m s , M a d i s o n B e e r , N i n a A g d a l , S a m a n t h a H o o p e s , A l e x i s R e n , J a m e a L y n n ,L o r e n a D u r a n , K a t e A u s t i n a n d t h a t ’ s j u s t f r o m t h e S p o r t s I l l u s t r a t e d S w i mm o d e l s . I n f l u e n c e r s t o t h e s a m e d e g r e e h a v e c h o s e n t o w o r k w i t h S a r a hi n c l u d i n g K i a n a A l e x i s , G i g i P a r i s , R a c h e l S t a r r , A l d e n S t e i m l e , S o f i a J a m o r a ,A q u a P a r i o s a n d A m y R o i l a n d .  | 53C r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d@ k a t e r i d i o n ✨  @ r e a l l y s o r t o f a m a z i n g@ m n d 9 6  @ k a l i y a h n a t i v i d a d@ c e c i l i a b o o o

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T h e t h i n g i s , f o r h e r S L A M i s m o r e t h a n a b i k i n i , i t ' s a b r a n d c u r a t e d t oi m p a c t t h o s e w h o w e a r i t b y e m p o w e r i n g t h e m t o l i v e t h e i r b e s t l i v e s . I ’ v e w a t c h e d t h e e v o l u t i o n o f S L A M a n d o w n e d m a n y o f t h e i r s u i t s . I ’ m as u c k e r f o r s u s t a i n a b l y m a d e , s l o w f a s h i o n a n d s u p p o r t i n g s m a l l b u s i n e s s s of o r m e i t w a s a n o - b r a i n e r . W h a t I r e a l l y w a s w o w ’ d b y w a s t h e n a t u r e o fc o l l a b o r a t i o n s , e v e n t s , n e t w o r k i n g a n d b i g n a m e f e a t u r e s . T h e r e w e r e s om a n y t h i n g s t h a t f e l t o r g a n i c a n d i d e a l , s e a m l e s s a n d j u s t d o w n r i g h t n a t u r a l .O f c o u r s e , I h a d t o f i n d o u t m o r e a b o u t t h e w o n d e r f u l w o m a n t h a t w a s m a k i n gi t a l l p o s s i b l e .  |  54Q :H o w d i d S w i m L i k e A M e r m a i db e g i n a n d d i d y o u a l r e a d yh a v e a c o n c e p t o f t h e b r a n db e h i n d t h e s w i m s u i t s i nm i n d ?W h e n I s t a r t e d i t I w a s 1 9 a n db a c k t h e n i t w a s a l l a b o u t t h el i f e s t y l e . I t w a s n ' t n e c e s s a r i l ya b o u t t h e b r a n d i n g a n d t h e w a y i tl o o k e d . I t w a s a b o u t h a v i n g f u na n d l i v i n g l i f e t o t h e f u l l e s t . A n dt h a t w a s t h e r e a s o n w h y Io r i g i n a l l y s t a r t e d i t . I w a s m a k i n gs w i m s u i t s a n d j u s t g i v i n g t h e m t om y f r i e n d s . W e w o u l d w e a r t h e mt o s c h o o l p a r t i e s a n d g o t of e s t i v a l s . I t r e a l l y w a s j u s t a b o u tc r e a t i n g s o m e t h i n g f u n .C r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d@ s e r e n a w i l l i a m s @ s i _ s w i m s u i t

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"I was contemplating, wondering what my favoritething to wear was. It was a swimsuit. I looked in thebin, found some swimsuit fabric and a friend showed mehow to sew. I went on YouTube and watched DIYvideos. It was not the perfect swimsuit, but it was thefirst one and I still have it."I t ' s f u n n y b e c a u s e s i n c e I w a s a k i d ,I w o u l d a l w a y s m a k e a l l m y d o l l ' sc l o t h e s . M y d a d a n d I l i v e d a b o v e a ni n t e r i o r d e s i g n s h o p . S o w h e n t h e yw e r e g e t t i n g r i d o f a l l t h e s w a t c hb o o k s , h e w o u l d s n a g t h e m f o r m ea n d I w o u l d c u t o u t l i t t l e c l o t h e s f o ra l l m y d o l l s . T h a t w a s t h e f i r s t p a r to f i t . T h e n w h e n I c a m e o u t h e r e t og o t o O t i s C o l l e g e o f A r t a n d D e s i g n ,m y b o y f r i e n d d i d p r o d u c t d e s i g n a n dh a d a s e w i n g m a c h i n e . A t t h e e n d o fe v e r y y e a r , a l l t h e f a s h i o n d e s i g ns t u d e n t s w o u l d b e t h r o w i n g o u t a l lt h e i r f a b r i c s s o h e s t a r t e d c o l l e c t i n ga l l t h e s t u f f t h a t t h e y w e r e t h r o w i n ga w a y a n d p u t i t a l l i n a b i g b i n a t h i ss t u d i o . O n e d a y I w a s l i k e , h e y , w o u l d y o u b ea b l e t o t e a c h m e h o w t o s e w ? S o h ep u l l e d o u t h i s s e w i n g m a c h i n e a n da s k e d , “ W h a t d o y o u w a n t t o s e w ? ” I w a s c o n t e m p l a t i n g , w o n d e r i n g w h a tm y f a v o r i t e t h i n g t o w e a r w a s . I t w a sa s w i m s u i t . I l o o k e d i n t h e b i n , f o u n ds o m e s w i m s u i t f a b r i c a n d h e s h o w e dm e h o w t o s e w . I w e n t o n Y o u T u b e a n dw a t c h e d D I Y v i d e o s . I t w a s n o t t h ep e r f e c t s w i m s u i t , i t w a s t h e f i r s t o n ea n d I s t i l l h a v e i t . I k e p t m a k i n g t h e ma n d m a k i n g t h e m u n t i l I f e l t l i k e t h e yw e r e r e a d y f o r a n o t h e r p e r s o n t o w e a rt h e m . T h e n w h e n I w a s r e a d y , I g o t m yr o o m m a t e t o p u t t h e m o n t o s e e i f t h ed e s i g n w o r k e d . T h a t ' s h o w i t a l ls t a r t e d .H a d y o u b e e n m a k i n g t h i n g s b e f o r e ? W e r ey o u c o m f o r t a b l e o n a s e w i n g m a c h i n e o r h o wd i d t h a t c o m e a b o u t ?Q : |  55

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H o w d i d y o u t r a n s i t i o n f r o mp l a y f u l p a s s i o n t o a b i k i n ib u s i n e s s ? F i r s t i t w a s c a s u a l f o r f r i e n d s . T h e n I w a ss p e n d i n g s o m u c h t i m e b u y i n g f a b r i c a n dm a k i n g t h e s e b i k i n i s a n d g i v i n g t h e m a w a y .O n e d a y s o m e o n e s a i d , “ W h y d o n ' t w e s t a r t as m a l l b u s i n e s s ? ” , a n d m y f i r s t t h o u g h t w a s ,I w o u l d n ' t k n o w w h e r e t o s t a r t . I w o u l d n ' te v e n k n o w h o w t o d o t h a t . F r o m 1 9 t o 2 3 , I w a s j u s t f o c u s e d o n m a k i n gs w i m s u i t s . I s t a r t e d t o m a k e o n e o f a k i n dp i e c e s a n d s e l l t h e m . S t o r e s s t a r t e dr e a c h i n g o u t a n d w a n t e d t o s e l l t h e m a n d a l lo f a s u d d e n I n e e d e d t o f i g u r e o u tp r o d u c t i o n a n d w h e r e t h e y w o u l d b em a n u f a c t u r e d .I b u i l t t h e b r a n d o n i n f l u e n c e r m a r k e t i n g .T h e o n e o f a k i n d p i e c e s w e r e p o p u l a r a n d Ih a d i n f l u e n c e r s r e a c h i n g o u t . S o I s e n t t h e mo n e a n d t h e y s t a r t e d p o s t i n g i n t h e m a n dt h e n t h a t ' s w h e n s t o r e s s t a r t e d s e e i n g t h e m .Q : |  56C r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d@ i e v a _ a n d r e j e v a i t e  @ g g p h o t o g r a p h y o f f i c i a l

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H o n e s t l y , I f e e l l i k e w h e n i t l o o k sn a t u r a l a n d o r g a n i c a n d i t d o e s n ' tl o o k l i k e y o u ' r e t r y i n g t o p u s hs o m e t h i n g o r t r y i n g t o g e t s o m e o n et o b u y s o m e t h i n g . I f e e l l i k e w h e ny o u l o o k l i k e i t ' s s o m e t h i n g t h a t y o ug e n u i n e l y l i k e a n d y o u ' r e a c t u a l l yu s i n g , I t h i n k t h a t ' s w h a t p e o p l en o t i c e . A l s o h a v i n g e v e n t s . I t h e l p sc r e a t e a r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h y o u rc u s t o m e r . I r e a l i z e d t h a t w h e n I m e tp e o p l e i n p e r s o n t h e y w a n t e d t os u p p o r t t h e b r a n d .I ' v e m a d e a g r e e m e n t s w i t h s o m e o ft h e i n f l u e n c e r s a n d s e n t t h e m t h ep r o d u c t , a n d I ' v e n e v e r s e e na n y t h i n g c o m e f r o m i t . S a m e t h i n gh a p p e n s w h e n I h a v e a p h o t o g r a p h e ro r s t y l i s t a n d I ' l l n e v e r s e e a n y t h i n g .I w o n ' t s e e t h e p r o d u c t . I w o n ' t s e e i to n a n y o n e . W h a t d o y o u t h i n k s o m e o f t h e b e s t t i p s a r e f o rs o c i a l m e d i a t o g e t e n g a g e m e n t , f o l l o w i n g e t c .W h a t a b o u t t h e d o ’ s a n d d o n ' t s , d o y o u h a v e a n ya d v i c e o n m i s t a k e s t o a v o i d ?Q :"But you're taking that risk when you send it because you couldpotentially get it on a celebrity or an amazing product placement in amagazine. So I feel like I always just say you have to put aside a budgetthat you're going to spend on marketing and you might see somethingfrom it and you might not, but you're taking that risk and you should.If you don't take the risk, you don't get the results." |  57C r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d@ s a m a n t h a h o o p e s @ s i _ s w i m s u i t

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H o w d o y o u f i n d a ni n f l u e n c e r a n d s c r e e n t h e m ? T h e y p o p u p o n t h e I n s t a g r a mE x p l o r e p a g e . I l o o k t h r o u g h t h e i rp r o f i l e s t o s e e i f t h e i r e n g a g e m e n ti s r e a l . H o w m a n y c o m m e n t s t h e yg e t , t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e i r l i k e s a n d i ft h e y a r e c o n s i s t e n t w i t h r e p l y i n gb a c k t o o t h e r p e o p l e c o m m e n t i n g o nt h e i r p r o f i l e . I w a n t t o s e e t h a t t h e yn o t o n l y a r e p o s t i n g b r a n d s t h a tt h e y ' r e c o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h b u tt h e y ' r e p o s t i n g o n t h e i r g r i d a n ds t o r i e s a b o u t t h i n g s t h e y ' r e r e a l l yi n t e r e s t e d i n . I t ' s n o t t h a t t h e y ' r ej u s t d o i n g i t b e c a u s e t h e y w a n tm o n e y b u t t h e y a l s o h a v e a p e r s o n a lb r a n d t h a t f i t s m y b r a n d .Q : |  58C r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d@ s a m a n t h a h o o p e s @ s i _ s w i m s u i t

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D e f i n i t e l y . I w a n t e d p e o p l e t o f e e le m p o w e r e d w h i l e w e a r i n g m ys w i m w e a r . A l s o I c h o s e t o u s er e p u r p o s e d f a b r i c a n d o p e r a t e a s as u s t a i n a b l e b r a n d a s t h e r e i s s om u c h w a s t e . T h i s m a k e s e a c hc o l l e c t i o n f e e l s p e c i a l a n d u n i q u es i n c e i t w o n ' t b e r e s t o c k e d . A l s o , Ia l w a y s g e t p e o p l e e m a i l i n g m es a y i n g t h a t t h e r e a s o n w h y t h e y l o v et h e m i s b e c a u s e , f o r e x a m p l e , i f y o ub u y f r o m a f a s t f a s h i o n b r a n d t h ew a y t h a t t h e y ' r e m a d e t h e e l a s t i c i sr e a l l y t i g h t , t h e y d i g i n t o y o u r b o d ya n d s u c h . A n d , y o u ' r e p r o m o t i n g aM a d e i n C h i n a b r a n d a n d d o n ' t e v e nk n o w h o w m u c h t h a t p e r s o n i sg e t t i n g p a i d . F a s t f a s h i o n m i g h t b el o w c o s t , b u t t h e r e i s a p r i c e t h a t ’ sb e i n g p a i d b y s o m e o n e . T h e p e o p l e m a k i n g s w i m w e a r h e r e i nL A a r e g e t t i n g p a i d t h e h o u r l y w a g e o fC a l i f o r n i a a n d t h e y ' r e a l s o g e t t i n gb e n e f i t s . W h e n y o u ' r e b u y i n g f r o m ab r a n d t h a t ' s m a d e l o c a l l y , y o u ' r es u p p o r t i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y . I n t h ep a n d e m i c s m a l l l o c a l b u s i n e s s e sa p p r e c i a t e t h e i r c u s t o m e r s s o m u c h . Ia c t u a l l y o r g a n i z e a l o t o f b r a n dc o l l a b o r a t i o n s a n d e v e n t s , l i k e S m a l lB u s i n e s s S a t u r d a y , I n d i e O p e n A i rM a r k e t , T h e V e r y V e r y U g l y C h r i s t m a sS w e a t e r D a y P a r t y , V e n i c e F e s t ,S o u n d s o f S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a , a n ds o m e t i m e s j u s t l i v e m u s i c a t o u r s t o r eS h o p M o r p h e u s . I t ’ s g r e a t b e c a u s e i tb r i n g s p e o p l e t o g e t h e r a n d y o u f o r mr e l a t i o n s h i p s , n e t w o r k a n d t h a t a l s ob u i l d s b r a n d c o n n e c t i o n s . D o y o u e v e r t h i n k a b o u t t h e b i g g e r i m p a c t o fS w i m L i k e A M e r m a i d ? Q : |  59C r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d @ g g p h o t o g r a p h y o f f i c i a l

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W h e n y o u d e c i d e t o b e a n e n t r e p r e n e u r o r t a k e c o n t r o l o f y o u r l i f e , b u i l d ab r a n d o r a n y t h i n g , e v e n b u i l d y o u r o w n p r o f i l e , y o u h a v e t o p o w e r t h r o u g h t h eh a r d t i m e s t o g e t t o t h e w i n s . E v e n t h o u g h 2 0 2 1 b r o u g h t a l o t o f c h a l l e n g e s , Il o o k b a c k a n d c a n s e e w e a l s o h a v e d o n e a l o t o f g o o d t h i n g s . T h e C i t y o f L o sA n g e l e s S t a t e o f C a l i f o r n i a a w a r d e d m e a C e r t i f i c a t e o f R e c o g n i t i o n t o f o r m a l l ya c k n o w l e d g e m y c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o w a r d e m p o w e r i n g s m a l l b u s i n e s s e s . I a l s o w a sf e a t u r e d s e v e r a l t i m e s i n S p o r t s I l l u s t r a t e d a g a i n f o r t h e 7 t h y e a r i n a r o w .  |  60M o s t i n d u s t r i e s a r e s a t u r a t e d , i t c a n b eh a r d t o c u t t h r o u g h t h e n o i s e , s o w h e nt h i n g s g e t t o u g h w h a t h e l p s y o u s t i c k i to u t ?Q :I t a k e a d a y o f f , I s t e p b a c k . A n d f o r a v e r yl o n g t i m e n o w I ’ v e j u s t k e p t c o m i n g b a c k t om y f a v o u r i t e q u o t e .Q : W h a t a r e s o m e o f y o u r m o s t c e l e b r a t e d m o m e n t s o f 2 0 2 1 ? “Plant your own garden anddecorate your own soulinstead of waiting forsomeone to bring youflowers.” — Jorge Luis BorgesC r e d i t s ; @ s w i m l i k e a m e r m a i d @ t o r r e y w e s t@ g e m m a v e n c e   @ t o r r e y w e s t @ g g p h o t o g r a p h y o f f i c i a l

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