• Kora Behavioral Health: Month One! 🚀

    I can’t believe it’s been a little over a month since we got our first patient at Kora!

    Ayan Said, nurse entrepreneur and co-founder of Kora Behavioral Health a group home in Phoenix Arizona, is standing in teal scrubs , holding her red stethoscope and smiling, inside her residential facility during her first month of operations

    Wooooo.. blows mind how quick that time flew by!!

    I’ve been meaning to update my blog and thought this would be a great come back post.

    I recently posted something similar on my LinkedIn titled “4 things I learned my first week running a behavioral health company” and I want to keep it as an ongoing series because it was SO fun to put together! Plus I’m trying to document my journey as much as possible this time around! 😁

    LFGOOOOOOO

    5 (surprising) things I learned my first month running a behavioral health startup:

    1. Be confident AF! Confidence isn’t automatic for me – I remind myself every single day that I do belong here. That unshakeable self-belief allowed me to tap into my abilities, show up, stay motivated, keep at it regardless of what’s going on externally and has directly impacted my company. We’re only a month in and Kora already has happy patients and staff – hell yeah 🙌🏾
    2. Action > overthinking + researching. I spent waaaaay too many hours planning, perfecting, overanalyzing. All I really need is an MVP (minimum viable plan) and to take that first step. And honestly, even if that MVP took me in the ‘wrong’ direction, I quickly adjusted and still learned something, still came away with a new idea/insight which was still incredibly valuable.
    3. Don’t stop marketing/networking even if the day to day gets crazy busy. I’ve made it a rule to schedule at least 6 hours of networking every week whether it’s a local meetup, conference, in-person visits to facilities/referral partners, posting on socials, outreach, lots and lots of outreach.
    4. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel – forms, templates, policies/procedures… Use what’s already there and tweak it with an LLM.
    5. What worked in my last 2 companies didn’t always work for this one… and what didn’t work at my last 2 startups might actually work now 😅 This one threw me for a loop because I’m still in the healthcare sector and I was sure (almost) everything would map 1:1 but it didn’t. I learned that instead of trying to force my previous experience/beliefs/frameworks into this company, I need to focus on building for my current company – what’s actually happening now and for it’s future. 


    What an awesome month filled with learnings and growth!!

    I honestly can’t wait to check in again in a few weeks!

  • A Simple 3-Step Framework to Boost Impact in Healthcare: Environment x Skills

    The most important lesson I learned this year can be summed up with a simple equation:

    Impact = Environment x Skills

    This concept, introduced by Bangaly Kaba on Lenny’s podcast, highlights how the interplay between your environment and skills directly affects your ability to do great work in healthcare.

    While originally aimed at tech professionals, this framework is incredibly relevant to healthcare settings. It helps nurses and healthcare leaders assess key factors, make informed decisions, and create data driven plans. Nurses can determine whether to stay in their current roles or seek new opportunities, while healthcare leaders can apply the framework to improve nurse retention, ensure patient safety, and reduce costs.

    Understanding the Equation: Environment x Skills

    To use this equation effectively, start by identifying and defining the key factors within both Environment and Skills. Customize these variables according to your specific role, team, and organization to focus on what’s most important to you.

    Key Factors in Environment

    • Manager: Is your manager supportive and invested in your professional growth, or are they unsupportive?
    • Resources: Do you have access to the necessary tools, equipment, and adequate staffing to provide safe and effective patient care?
    • Scope: Did you experience a solid orientation, or were you asked to be a charge nurse after only 6 months as a nurse?
    • Team: Does your team collaborate well, or is there high turnover in your unit?
    • Culture: Is the workplace culture collaborative and supportive, or is there a tolerance for bullying and toxic behavior?
    • Processes: Are hospital workflows efficient, or do they cause unnecessary delays and frustrations?
    • Compensation: Are you paid fairly, or does your hospital pay the CEO $23 million/year while claiming there’s no budget to hire more staff?

    Key Skills to Develop

    • Communication: Master clear and accurate communication, from detailed documentation to mastering effective handoff, and develop active listening skills to advocate for your patients.
    • Personal Influence: If you have ideas for improving patient care, do you take the initiative to share them? Are you a supportive preceptor for nursing students?
    • Execution: Demonstrate reliability in executing tasks, from timely medication administration to adapting to new workflow changes like a new EHR (Electronic Health Record).

    Next Steps: How to Use the Framework

    Once you’ve identified and defined these factors, rate each one on a scale from 1 to 5 to pinpoint strengths and areas needing improvement. Lower scores highlight significant challenges, while higher scores indicate strengths.

    Deeply reflect on the relative importance of each factor. For example, having a bladder scanner on every floor doesn’t compensate for toxic leadership. Negative factors can overshadow positives, impact your work and personal life, and even lead to burnout.

    Taking Action: Improve or Move On?

    Based on your ratings and insights, decide whether to improve your current environment or seek new opportunities that better align with your goals and overall well-being. For example, I struggled with handoff as a new grad but knew I would improve this skill over time. Conversely, changing a culture that tolerates bullying is much harder to change as an individual, and may take a longer period of time because it’s systemic. Adjust your decisions based on your influence over these factors and the time required for change.

    Conclusion

    This framework clarifies how your environment and skills interact and affect your overall impact. It’s more flexible than theoretical burnout models, can be customized to your role or team, and provides practical insights to guide your decisions. Whether you’re an RN at a hospital looking for a registered nurse career path change, working in another sector looking to switch to a registered nurse career, in nursing leadership or a healthcare leader aiming to improve your organization, this tool offers a practical insights to guide your decisions!

    Thanks for reading! If you’d like a detailed breakdown in PDF form, click the link below to download.

    References:

    1. Kaba, B. “How to Make Career Decisions.” Reforge. Available at Reforge Blog
    2. Rachitsky, L. (2024). “Frameworks for Growing Your Career: Lessons from Bangaly Kaba.” Lenny’s Podcast. Available at Lenny’s Newsletter
    Simple 3-Step Framework to Do Great Work in HealthcareDownload

  • Mastering Personal Branding: Strategies for Organic Growth and Engaging Content

    I recently watched the interview “55 Minutes of Social Media Content Strategy for Entrepreneurs ft. Carter Cofield” and found it so valuable! Here are the main takeaways from this video.

    Making Yourself More Discoverable through Content Creation

    Instead of trying to convince people to pay attention to you, focus on making yourself more findable through consistent content creation.

    Understanding the Needs of your Audience

    To create the right content, start by identifying your target audience and the challenges they face. Don’t make assumptions. Actually ask your audience directly what they want to know!

    Embracing Transparency and Generosity

    Don’t be selfish. Share all of your valuable information freely. Being an expert isn’t enough anymore, it’s how you communicate your expertise that matters the most. Make your knowledge accessible and understandable to others.

    Building Longterm Relationships Through Personal Branding

    Personal branding is about building an audience, not just acquiring followers. Focus on cultivating sticky, long-term relationships based on transparency and authenticity.

    Consistency without Complexity in Content Creation

    Consistency is crucial, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Repurpose content from others and experiment with different formats to maintain consistency without sacrificing quality.

    Centering your Audience in Content Creation

    Put your audience’s interests first. Create content that resonates with them, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. Utilize features like stitching and remixing to tailor content to their preferences.

    Converting Followers into Buyers

    Ultimately, the goal of personal branding is to turn followers into loyal customers. Nurture relationships and provide value consistently to create conversion opportunities.

    TLDR;

    Mastering personal branding requires understanding your audience, creating valuable content consistently, and building genuine relationships. By focusing on these principles, you can grow your brand organically and turn followers into loyal customers over time.

  • Burnout, Implicit Bias and Quality of Care: A Complex Relationship

    Burnout, Implicit Bias and Quality of Care: A Complex Relationship

    Studies show that up to 70% of nurses and 50% of physicians experience burnout at some point in their careers. The negative consequences of burnout on healthcare workers range from individual effects on mental health such as depression and anxiety that lead to organizational impacts including increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, impaired decision making and so much more.

    Burnout in healthcare, which is chronic workplace stress, not only exacts a toll on the mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals but also significantly impacts the quality of patient care. What makes this issue even more pressing is the intricate relationship between burnout and implicit bias, an unconscious prejudice that can lead to unfair healthcare treatment. When burnout takes hold, it acts as a catalyst, heightening implicit bias and exacerbating disparities in patient care (AMA, 2022). As clinicians and other healthcare workers grapple with burnout in healthcare, their ability to provide unbiased, high quality care diminishes, leading to worse patient outcomes. Understanding this complex interplay is essential to fostering a healthcare environment where both providers and patients thrive.

    1. Decreased empathy and compassion: Burnout in healthcare can reduce empathy and compassion in healthcare workers, making it challenging to provide personalized, high quality patient care. Physicians experiencing burnout report reduced empathy towards patients, amplifying the need for targeted interventions (AMA, 2022). Compromised care has a negative impact on the clinician patient relationship, leading to reduced trust and potentially worsened patient outcomes.
    2. Increased risk of medical errors: Burnout escalates the likelihood of medical errors due to compromised attention from workload overwhelm or other stresses. Nurses facing burnout are particularly vulnerable, leading to an increased likelihood of critical mistakes, negatively impacting the outcome of a patient (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2019).
    3. Reduced patient satisfaction: Patients are less likely to be satisfied with their care when they are treated by a burned out healthcare worker. This is because burned out healthcare workers may struggle to be highly attentive to their patients’ needs leading to less personalized care, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s research that highlights the direct correlation between healthcare worker wellbeing and patient contentment levels (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2023).
    4. The Interplay between Burnout and Implicit Bias: Implicit bias, such as in the form of racial disparities, deeply worsens with burnout. Studies show that burnout in healthcare settings amplifies biases, and can impact healthcare worker decision making, perpetuating disparities and further amplifying biases (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2021; American Psychological Association, 2020).

    What is Implicit Bias?

    Implicit bias is unconscious prejudice or discrimination that can lead to unfair treatment of others and is particularly harmful in the healthcare setting, where it can lead to disparities in care. For example, a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that Black patients were more likely to be misdiagnosed and to receive lower quality care than white patients. The study also found that implicit bias was a factor in these disparities.

    Implicit bias interacts with burnout to create a vicious cycle. When workers face burnout in healthcare, they may be more likely to rely on their implicit biases to make decisions about patient care. This can lead to further disparities in care. A study by the American Psychological Association found that white medical students who experienced burnout were more likely to endorse stereotypes about Black patients. This suggests that burnout may make healthcare workers more likely to stereotype patients and to provide them with lower quality care. To combat the intertwined challenges of burnout and implicit bias, healthcare organizations must:

    Tackling the Issues:

    To combat the intertwined challenges of burnout and implicit bias, healthcare organizations should:

    • Follow the Data: Healthcare organizations must follow the data to understand the complex interplay of burnout, implicit bias and how it correlates to patient outcomes. By partnering with technology companies supporting burnout data collection and analysis, organizations will be able to pinpoint where burnout stems from, allowing them to strategize on how to best promote a better and more supportive work environment for healthcare workers such as adequate staffing, resources, and training, fostering a positive atmosphere that values mental wellbeing, and other action plans to tackle burnout.
    • Integrate Implicit Bias Training: Raise awareness about implicit bias, its connection to burnout in healthcare, and equip the leadership team and healthcare professionals with strategies for providing unbiased patient care (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2021).
    • Support Mental Health: Offer accessible mental health support, including counseling services and financial assistance for these services. Lastly, training the leadership team to recognize and support employees struggling with both burnout and implicit biases is crucial in creating an open and trusting organization that supports employees and puts patients first (American Psychological Association, 2020).

    Recognizing the complex relationship between burnout, implicit bias, and patient care quality is crucial. By addressing these issues strategically and holistically, healthcare organizations can cultivate a compassionate, equitable, and patient centered environment, benefitting both healthcare professionals and those they serve. Addressing implicit bias within the context of burnout is essential to ensuring fair treatment, improved patient outcomes, and a thriving healthcare system.

    References:

    • American Medical Association. (2022). Burnout and well being among physicians: A report from the AMA.
    • Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023). Patient satisfaction with care received from hospitals and doctors.
    • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). The future of nursing, health, and care for older adults: Investing in a stronger workforce.
    • American Psychological Association. (2020). Racism and discrimination in healthcare: Impact on medical students and residents.
    • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2019). The state of the US healthcare workforce: Chartbook.
  • From Bedside Nurse to Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur

    From Bedside Nurse to Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur

    Where is started:

    I’m Ayan – a mom, registered nurse, entrepreneur, innovator, artist, philanthropist and my dedication and passion for nursing, healthcare, startups and innovation began while working at Mayo Clinic as a bedside registered nurse in 2017. It was in 2019 where my nurse colleague invited me to cofounded Navi Nurses, an on-demand private duty nursing service that provides compassionate care to patients for in home care.

    As a nurse, I witnessed firsthand the challenges and limitations of traditional healthcare systems. Nurses face so many obstacles when trying to provide the best care possible and patients become overwhelmed at the thought of going home – there must be a better way. With Navi Nurses, we set out to solve just that problem by creating a more holistic, individualized, patient centered approach that allowed patients and their loved ones to hire a nurse on demand, for any healthcare needs like post surgery or in-home care for seniors.

    Resources that Helped Me in my Entrepreneurial Journey:

    Before my nursing career, I’ve maintained an entrepreneurial spirit and immersed myself in the business world. I’ve read countless books on mindset, personal development, business, technology, attended startup conferences and meetups like Phoenix Startup Week, and participated in hackathons like ones led by SONSIEL – Society of Nurse Scientists Innovators Entrepreneurs and Leaders. Events like these have empowered me and allowed me to combine my passion for healthcare, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

    Giving Back is in my DNA:

    While working at Navi as Chief Operating Officer, my team and I created and funded a $25,000 nursing scholarship at Arizona State University’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation, a grant that supports nursing students who aspire to become nurses. This is a cause that is very close to my heart, and it’s an honor to be able to support the next generation of nurses and healthcare leaders.

    I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished at Navi Nurses, and I’m grateful that our efforts have been recognized by the American Nurses Foundation, who honored me as a Nurse Innovator for my work with Navi. Another highlight of my career is being interviewed by journalists from Johnson & Johnson, where I discussed entrepreneurship, nurse innovation, the power of community, and more.

    Getting my Street MBA:

    During my time at Navi, I participated in two major accelerators in Arizona: the Arizona Technology Council’s Venture Ready program and the Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program. These programs provided our team with grant funding and mentorship instrumental in my and my company’s growth.

    My Mission:

    My work is driven by my dedication to using my skills and expertise to create positive change in the healthcare industry through fostering relationships, innovation, entrepreneurship, building community, and more. With my unique background in nursing, passionate advocate for meaningful the healthcare industry, and entrepreneurial spirit, I hope to make a deep impact on healthcare and my community.

    I invite you to join me on this journey. Whether you’re a fellow nurse entrepreneur, a founder, parent, or simply someone who cares about the future of healthcare, I believe that we can work together to create a better, more equitable, and more accessible healthcare system for all. Let’s empower nurses, innovate in healthcare, and build powerful and thriving communities.

  • Notes on “Content Creation Is A SPORT | How to Grow As A Creative” by Notes on Mario Devon

    I watched a wonderful YouTube video today by Mario Devon that discussed approaching content creation like a sport and how this mindset can help creators improve their craft and grow as artists. And if we want to be creators, artists, entrepreneurs – anything truly, you must be willing to create. To share with the world because it’s a privilege to take our talents, our gifts, to express ourselves and to share it with the world.

    Highlights from the video

    Treat content creation like a sport: Just like athletes who train and practice to get better, creators need to be just as dedicated in their craft and consistent in their practice. In order to do this, develop a solid a routine that helps you improve consistently

    “There’s no right or wrong way to create content, so find what makes you unique and authentic.”

    Mario Devon

    Example: Michael Jordan and Tom Brady prioritize consistent training and practice to maintain their performance at a peak level. Creators need to have the same mindset as athletes. Artists must dedicate time and effort to honing their craft through consistent creation.

    Develop your play style: There are many different editing styles and approaches to content creation. Create the content, find out your style and what works best for you, then refine it over time to develop your own distinct and personal style. [02:11]

    Example: YouTubers Peter McKinnon (known for his cinematic and educational editing style) and Josh Yoh (known for his fast-paced and energetic edits) and how they’ve created their own, distinct, and well-known style.

    “Just like any athlete trains their body, you need to train your creative mind.” –

    Mario Devon

    Healthy competition is good: Learning from and being inspired by other creators can push you to improve your own skills. [03:41]

    Example: Devon mentioned that when sees other creators he admires doing something well like an editing technique or style of photography, it motivates him to learn from them and improve his own content.

    Quote: “Surround yourself with people who are better than you, and you’ll constantly be growing.”

    – Anonymous

    Embrace failure: Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things because failing is part of the learning process. You’re not your failures, failures are just a part of your journey – learn from them and come back stronger next time. [06:21]

    Example: Devon talks about learning from his own mistakes, such as a video concept that didn’t resonate with his audience. He emphasizes that failure is a natural part of the learning process in content creation.

    “Love the game, appreciate the game, and respect the game.”

    -Anonymous

    Remember your “why” and that initial spark: It’s easy to get bogged down in the business side of things. Don’t forget the passion and joy that initially drove you to create content – remember that special moment. Do things creatively that you enjoy because client work can sometimes be boring so do things that give you a spark in between, things that made you fall in love with the process. This will help keep you close to the art [13:31]

    Example: Devon reflected on his early days taking photos with friends – just because he enjoyed the process, and the lightness of the activity. It’s important to reconnect with that initial passion that drives creativity, and to be close to that joy.

    “Do it for the love of it – love it and it will love you back.”

    -Mario Devon

    Create space to make the content you want to make: Carve out a spot somewhere for a dedicated space to create – this space primes you for content development.

    Disconnect to reconnect: Disconnecting from social media from time to time is equally as important – this the recovery portion of the sport. Recovery (removing the distractions) will help you focus on your work and will the reduce the need for constant comparison

    Create a positive environment: Surround yourself with positive and supportive people – these special people should challenge you to be your best and help you stay motivated along with cheering you on.

  • A Roadmap to Combating Burnout: Embracing Transformation with a Purpose-Driven Approach

    Understanding the Burnout Challenge

    As a registered nurse, I’ve witnessed and experienced the profound impact of burnout within our system. The pandemic revealed vulnerabilities in our healthcare infrastructure and pushed our healthcare professionals to the brink. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Burnout paints a stark picture: it affects a staggering 60–80% of healthcare workers and extends its reach beyond our field, making it a universal concern.

    Burnout isn’t just feeling tired after a grueling shift; it’s the outcome of prolonged exposure to the relentless stressors of the healthcare profession. This multifaceted issue leads to serious health consequences, including cardiovascular diseases, mental health disorders, and substance abuse (US Surgeon General Advisory, 2022). Moreover, it imposes an immense economic burden, costing the healthcare system billions annually, and compromising patient safety with a 19% increase in errors and adverse outcomes. 

    It’s not just a buzzword; it’s a workforce risk that demands immediate attention and it’s time to embrace a transformative approach to address the complex issue of burnout – one that safeguards healthcare workers’ well-being and reshapes our healthcare landscape.

    Section 2: Purpose-Driven Transformation

    In today’s rapidly changing healthcare landscape, healthcare leaders and organizations find themselves at a pivotal juncture. This moment offers a unique opportunity for sweeping change and this transformative approach is not just about addressing the symptoms but tackling the root causes of burnout. It emphasizes the need for healthcare systems to be compassionate, holistic, and empowering. It challenges healthcare organizations to become nurturing environments where healthcare professionals thrive, rather than merely survive. It’s a call to action, a proactive stance against burnout.

    Section 3: Actionable Solutions for a Resilient Healthcare System

    Actionable Solution 1: Transformational Leadership

    In healthcare, leadership extends far beyond making decisions; it’s about shaping the ethos of the entire organization. It’s disheartening to note that less than half of healthcare workers trust their organizational leadership to prioritize patient and worker well-being, with only 23% having faith in these leaders (US Surgeon General Advisory, 2022).

    Effective leadership transcends financial outcomes; it hinges on the genuine concern for the well-being of healthcare professionals. This commitment, when embraced by leadership, has a cascading effect, benefiting not only healthcare workers but also patients and the entire healthcare system. It’s noteworthy that healthcare professionals under supportive leadership experience significantly lower burnout rates.

    Leaders who prioritize well-being take tangible steps to create an environment where healthcare professionals feel genuinely valued, supported, and empowered. Their actions serve as an inspiration, fostering trust, unwavering commitment, and resilience among their teams.

    Actionable Solution 2: Prioritizing Well-being Initiatives

    Unfortunately, only 10-40% of healthcare professionals seek mental health treatment (US Surgeon General Advisory, 2022) due to the lingering stigma surrounding it. To break down this barrier, it’s imperative to cultivate a culture of well-being that not only welcomes but actively encourages discussions about mental health.

    One effective approach is the implementation of consistent and regular check-ins and surveys to gauge the well-being of employees. This data becomes our compass, guiding us toward a healthier work environment. Well-being initiatives should be viewed as a necessity, not a luxury. It’s essential to invest in mental health resources, counseling, and robust employee assistance programs. The unwavering commitment to prioritize healthcare professionals’ well-being should commence with the creation of a space where seeking help is not only acceptable but wholeheartedly supported.

    Actionable Solution 3: Embrace Technology and Data-Driven Insights

    Technology can be a powerful ally in our battle against burnout – if used correctly and efficiently. We must harness technology and data analytics to predict and prevent burnout by identifying patterns of excessive workload or high-stress periods. By intervening proactively, we can make a significant difference.

    Moreover, it’s essential to encourage the use of wellness apps and platforms that offer self-assessment tools and resources for stress management. In today’s information age, we have the tools at our disposal to make data-driven decisions that benefit both healthcare professionals and patients.

    Conclusion: Building a Resilient Healthcare Future

    These actionable solutions, grounded in transformational leadership, prioritizing mental health, and the wise use of technology, can pave the way for a resilient healthcare system that guards against burnout and ensures the well-being of healthcare professionals, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. It’s time for healthcare to embrace change and build a future where burnout struggles to take root.

    References:

    • U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Burnout
    • “Managing Workforce Risk in an Era of Unpredictability and Disruption”
    • “Workforce Risk Management: A Critical Imperative”
    • Weberg, D., & Lawson, C. (2023). Leading Through Times of Transformation: Purpose, Trust, and Co-Creation. Journal of General Internal Medicine.

  • Hormzi Highlights

    I recently watched Alex Hormozi on Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom and I loved the episode so much I listened to it twice. I’m working on developing my critical thinking, note taking, and actually implementing things that I learn so they don’t go to waste.

    You can check out the notes below, hope you find them helpful!

    1. Choosing Regrets and Self-Improvement

    1. Regret
      • “In life, we must choose our regrets.” – Douglas Williams
      • Choose between the regret of pursuing or not pursuing; use it as a decision-making framework to overcome fear.
    2. Working Hard
      • Evaluate your efforts: Can you confidently say you did your best?
      • Define metrics for success, like being able to say, “There’s nothing else I could’ve done in that situation.”

    2. Pursuit of Excellence and Dedication

    1. Pursuit of Excellence Like an Athlete
      • Approach goals and skills like an athlete.
      • Emulate athletes’ dedication, including performance review, nutrition, sleep, and seeking guidance.
    2. Becoming a Pro – The Art of War
      • Referencing “The Art of War,” distinguish between amateurs and professionals.
      • Professionals commit full-time, master techniques, and persist despite fear.

    3. Preparation and Self-Esteem

    • “The difference between being nervous and being excited about something is the level of preparation.”
    • Your self-esteem is determined by your own judgment, not others’ opinions.

    4. Selective Excellence

    1. Choosing Areas of Excellence
      • Life is short; prioritize areas where you want to excel.
      • Measure progress in hundreds of hours to set the standard for mastery.
      • Emphasize the importance of consistency, e.g., producing 300 pieces of content weekly.
    2. Saying No
      • Time is valuable; learn to say no more often to stay focused.

    5. Pain and Transformation

    • “Heroes and villains have the same backstory – pain. The difference is what they choose to do about it.”
    • Heroes use pain to prevent harm, while villains are consumed by it.
    • Painful instances can lead to disproportionate personal growth.
    • Challenge yourself, endure struggles, and push beyond your limits to build resilience.

    6. Decisions and Stress

    • “The heaviest things in life aren’t iron or gold; they’re decisions.”
    • Stress often arises from procrastinating important decisions.

    7. Life/Mindfulness/Self Love

    • True happiness comes from being fully present.
    • Aim to have a certain number of moments of mindful presence each day.
    • Self-love means holding oneself to a higher standard.
    • Take control of self-esteem, self-love, and personal success.
    • Reflect on what makes a day meaningful, such as working hard, spending time with loved ones, and staying active.

    8. Freedom and Assertiveness

    • “What’s the point of having ‘fuck you’ freedom if you never say ‘fuck you’?” – George
    • Enjoy the rewards of your efforts; assert yourself when necessary.

    9. On Haters and Empathy

    • “The cynics get to be right; the optimists get to be rich.”
    • Haters may signify you’re doing something right.
    • “It’s hard to hate from up close.” & “To understand is to forgive.”
    • Try to understand others’ perspectives; it’s challenging to hate when you empathize.

  • Key Lessons from “The Mountain Is You” by Brianna Wiest

    Self-Image and Self-Worth:

    • You evolve as your self-image does.
    • Your own self-concept is much more important than worrying about what others think.
    • It’s time to get out of your own way.
    • Patterns in your life reflect your own behaviors.

    Emotional Mastery and Personal Growth:

    • Mindlessly scrolling on social media is a coping mechanism to avoid discomfort.
    • Master your life by mastering your feelings.
    • Confirmation bias can be rewired to change your perspective.
    • All change, no matter how good, is wholly and completely uncomfortable.
    • Breakthroughs happen through micro shifts and consistency.
    • .01% changes every day lead to significant transformations.
    • Adversity fosters creativity.
    • Releasing the past and grieving are processes that require feeling and letting go.

    Self-Acceptance and Authenticity:

    • You’re stuck with you. You can’t leave yourself even if you leave a place or situation.
    • Your mind can get stuck in the past, like a loop when you don’t deal with how those experiences impacted you.
    • Others are more focused on themselves than on judging you.
    • Seek approval from yourself, not others.
    • Connect with your inner child and listen before rushing in to help.

    Habits, Purpose, and Happiness:

    • Be okay with being disliked and anticipate it while taking action.
    • Inner work is essential for personal growth and understanding triggers.
    • Validate your feelings to become stronger and support others.
    • Problems aren’t solved by positive thinking alone.
    • Principles shift from short-term survival to long-term success.
    • Habits have a compounding effect over time.
    • Discover your purpose and what you’re willing to work and suffer for.
    • Recognize emotions and choose how to respond to them.
    • Sit with discomfort and allow yourself to feel without forcing happiness.
    • True happiness comes from small joys, gratitude, and meaningful relationships.
    • Life requires growth and finding joy in simple and transformative experiences.
    • Schedule time for play and avoid overbooking yourself.

    Meditation examples:

    • Meditate in a quiet peaceful area & invite your highest future self to sit down with you. Imagine what they say to you, how they feel, what they look like, how they behave, what their facial expressions communicate. Don’t go in with a laundry list of things to ask them, just be open and ask for their powerful guidance. The point is to merge yourself with your future self. Listen to their message, it should be uplifting, affirming and helpful, not negative.
    • Imagine your current self talking to a past self 3,5,7 years ago. Should be recent enough that you can relate to this person but far enough that you’ve changed. Imagine sitting down in a place you used to go to a lot or live in, then imagine you’re giving your past self pieces of your current life and all the information they need to go from that person to the person you are now. You can hand them car keys, email, bank account information, an outfit, instructions on what to do for your career, day to day habits, etc.
    • Close your eyes and re-enter a memory. Really feel the experience & find the feeling in your body where you become uncomfortable. Follow the feeling and ask it show you where it started from. Then superimpose a new narrative to your younger self who experienced this memory in order to start the process of letting go. Imagine that you (a wiser older self) is imparting some wisdom to your younger self. Give the specific instructions why that this is absolutely for the best and although they can’t know it yet, there is another experience that is far far better in store for them. Who does this younger self need to call, what do they need to begin doing, and what they need to stop doing? Impart that wisdom to your younger self. Imagine telling yourself that everything is going to be ok. Their fears are largely unfounded and good things are coming, and life will turn out good in the end. You can’t change what happened in the past, by shifting your perspective you can change how you arrive now. You can change the story, and you can change your life.