Hey, you guys. Welcome back to the conscious coach podcast and happy 2024! I've kind of taken a few weeks off from almost everything, and it's been amazing. Celebrated Christmas with my family. I actually hosted Christmas this year for the first time, which is fun. Bringing in the new year, and now I'm kind of getting back in the coaching chair, getting ready for, you know, the new year to come. I've had a fun few weeks and I really enjoyed my time off, but I'm also excited to be back with you.
There's new listeners, so welcome to the podcast. And then there's some old timers, welcome back to the podcast. I'm excited to share my lessons from 2023 today with you. There's not a ton, but I think that they were interesting for me to reflect on so I want to share them with you. And kind of reflect on some of the awesomeness that happened and also the lessons, some of the things that I'm gonna work on integrating this year. So let's dive in.
So the first thing I wrote down was inspired action versus imitation. And the best example I have is actually recent, which isn't shocking. The recency effect is very real. The things that are in the front of my mind are the things that have just happened. So I'll give you a specific example.
After I share kind of my thinking behind those words. Inspired action versus imitation. I think that imitation is part of learning. So especially in online business, we learn from our mentors and our coaches and authors and people who create courses and all these things and we imitate what they teach.
I've definitely done this from the beginning of my business where I would imitate the people that I was learning from because that's kind of how they taught, right? Like this is what I did to create this and you imitate them, whether that be funnels or high ticket one on one, starting a podcast, launching a group program or a membership or whatever, right?
We imitate the people who have done it successfully. And I think that's an important piece of our growth and development. But I feel like this year, I really started experimenting beyond imitation. So I've learned true principles, but I stopped imitating the people that I respect and admire and learn from, and I started taking inspired action.
And that difference for me, I'll share the example that I was thinking of, I had this idea. I think it was November. I was in my car pickup line waiting to pick up my five year old from kindergarten, and I had been kind of pondering how I wanted to launch the Matrix. And I thought what I was going to do is kind of what I had done all year, which was like a live event whether that be a master class or workshop or whatever, and then opening the doors a few days or whatever; a traditional launch model and that was something that I imitated, right? I had learned from people how to do a launch and that was kind of what they taught, so I imitated them and their launches and that's not bad like I said and it worked and I’ve had launches where I would do the event, open the doors, and people would join.
I liked it, but I also had goals that I wasn't quite hitting about numbers that I wanted to create in the Matrix. And so I had been kind of pondering and thinking what I wanted to do differently that would feel better to my soul.
I'm always kind of being mindful of like how I feel when I take the action, especially imitation. Like, does this fit me? And it kind of did, but kind of didn't. And so I was exploring like other ways that I could launch the Matrix without doing it the way that I'd always done it, which was an event and opening the cart.
And so I was sitting in this school pickup line, and I just had this like little idea to do a group coaching call for people on the waitlist. And it was so different than what I had experimented with previously. And I just knew it was the next thing for me. And what's interesting is at first I was like, oh, that sounds easy.
It was like the soul knowing, yes, this is what I need to do. And then my mind was like, but you've never done it that way before, but how will new people find you? And do you have enough people on your wait list? And things like that. All these like rational thoughts came to mind, but I use the word inspired action because it wasn't necessarily from my past, right?
It was a new way of thinking about how to conduct my business and how to create the results that I wanted. And so I really love inspired action because it was still action. It's not like I did nothing, but I think I moved beyond imitation. And I had done that in a few different ways in different areas of my business, like one on one and my mastermind and events and things, but I had never broken out this way for the Matrix launch.
And so it felt a little like out of my comfort zone, but I also was like really excited by it. And so I knew it was inspired. And so what's cool is, is this was my best Matrix launch to date. Yay. I've created people that I knew and didn't know from referrals and from people who have heard about me from my podcast and other people and their friends and people have been following me for a long time.
I had more alumni members join this round. Like it was by far my most successful Matrix launch. Congratulations, if you're listening and you're gonna do the Matrix, welcome to the Matrix. So exciting. But I know that that came from inspired action, not imitation. And so I think in the beginning, it's useful to imitate people because you don't know what you don't know, right?
You're just like learning everything there is to know about online business and launching and creating. And this can be true, not just on online business, it can be true about everything, right? Like when you go to the gym, the first thing you're gonna do is imitate your trainer or people who know more than you. And then over time, you learn your own way of doing things and you gain mastery.
That is gonna be my word for 2024 is mastery because that speaks to me a lot, where I think mastery is taking the successful principles you've learned and making them your own. And so principles from online business, principles of health and wellness, principles of relationships, whatever.
I think you move beyond imitation into inspired action. And that's definitely what I'm taking away from 2023 is I want more inspired action because the feeling I even had during the whole month of December. So it was different about this launch in the Matrix is I have historically like opened it for like five days enrollment, and then I close it.
This time I left it open for almost a full month, and I hosted a small group coaching intensive for people on the waitlist. I encouraged people to get on the waitlist. They came to this group call, I coached, and answered questions. And then I left it open for weeks, kind of very nonchalant. In fact, you might've not even known I was in a launch if you were looking at my social media and this was very intentional.
That was the inspired action that I felt compelled to do. It was just very private. It felt like a very private launch. People on the waitlist came to the call and then I sent them a few emails. I let people know on social media, kind of like a date that it was going to close, which was the 31st. And then it was very brief, but it was by far my best launch to date, which is very interesting given that when I imitated people, it never felt amazing.
And it never created the results that I wanted, but I learned the principles that I needed to apply it in my own way, which was actually not a traditional launch model and it worked really well for me. What I don't want you to do is listen to that and be like, oh, I need to not do the traditional launch model.
Like that's not the message. The message is take inspired action. And so what I think is more important is learn the principles and then find places to be quiet in your life to hear the inspired action that's trying to make itself known to you. Find ways to listen to your own thinking, whether that's journaling or meditating or just being still in your car, like I was. Making room to receive the inspired action is what I want you to take away. I will add, I couldn't have done the inspired action if I hadn't learned principles of success from other teachers. So I'm not dissing imitation by any means.
I think it was a really useful part of my journey. And now I think what I'm looking for from my mentors is principles of success or a different level of consciousness that I can apply to my own process for creating the results that I want. And I will definitely be doing more of that in 2024.
The next thing I wrote down is the journey is the destination. I've had lots of moments this year where I really recognized this is what I want to be doing with my life and in my business. I love how much I work. I love who I work with. I love my business model. I love one on one and I love tight knit group. I love podcasting. I love writing. There's a lot of things that I kind of landed on this year that felt like a destination, but it's actually just part of the journey. I've fallen in love with the process in an even deeper way. And in so many ways, I think that's what we all want. We want the sparkly magical feeling that we get when we're in flow or when we're aligned. And I've experienced a lot of that this year and it's not surprising that it's also my biggest revenue year in my business.
And what's interesting is I didn't even set a revenue goal this year and that might shock some people. I really focused on loving what I do, on creating results that I want. It's not that I never had anything that I wanted. I had clear desires, like for the Matrix launch. Like I just mentioned, where I would like have a goal in mind, I guess you could say it that way, like a desire, a thing that I wanted.
But I didn't even have a revenue goal for the year. I didn't really think about it that way. It was more of my experience day to day, moment to moment, week by week, month by month. Like how I was actually experiencing my business is what made the difference to me. And I had way more joy, way more peace of mind.
I loved the process. I didn't feel like I was delaying my happiness until I got to a result. I genuinely loved what I was doing. To me, and I've said this in different ways before in different episodes, that's being in the miracle. And I think it's what we all actually want.
I can't even tell you how many people I've coached where they just had like their biggest month in business ever, and they feel the same. Like it doesn't change how they feel about themselves because that's the Inner work. Our circumstances don't change how we feel. And so I think for a lot of people, it's disappointing when they reach a milestone in business, and they feel the same because it was never about the milestone, it was about what they're experiencing day to day.
And so if I had one big takeaway for myself, it's like to really fine tune my experience of the journey, of like the day in day out, who I coach, what I teach on, the content I'm creating, what I'm studying, all the things that go into the process, not the result. Because once you achieve a result, you just pick a new one that you want to work towards.
And so I think falling in love with the process and the journey, as cheesy as that sounds, really is the key because ironically, it helps you achieve the results faster than you want. The next lesson that I'm taking away is people and their power, which I've talked about before, but I've really come to learn it this year.
I had a friend that called me, who was in a stressful financial situation and I found myself saying, “I'm not afraid for you" to her, when we talked on the phone, and she kind of got emotional because I don't think a lot of people speak that way. I think people in her life were afraid for her house, for her business, for her marriage, and all these things.
She was afraid, and other people validated that for her, that they were afraid for her. But I saw her in her power, and I see everyone like this as capable of creating the results she wanted. Capable of solving and fixing, but also, I like the word creating the most, right? Creating a different reality for herself, for her family, in her finances, everything.
And so people in their power is a way that I want to approach every part of my life where I see people as capable of creating what they want. So to me, I'm not afraid for myself. I'm not afraid for my clients. And I know how to speak belief and faith into their desires and what they want to create because I see people in their power.
And that was something that really changed me. Not just that conversation with my friend, but like many, many dozens and dozens of conversations I've had with clients, seeing them in their power and seeing what they've created. A lot of my clients are celebrating some of their biggest years and months in business ever, working less, making more, quality of life, soaring.
They just feel fulfilled in their life, and they're making the money that they want to. And of course there's, you know, new levels that they want to breach, but that's the game of life. We invent it for ourselves that we reach for more. And seeing them in their power and seeing myself in my power, even like translating that to my kids or my husband or my parents, you know, just like everyone, seeing people as powerful enough to create their life by their design, gives me a lot of peace.
And I coach a lot of coaches, and one of the things that I've noticed is many of my clients are worried about the results of their clients are getting. And one of the things that we work on together is like seeing their clients and their power. Well, I can only help them see their clients and their power if I also see my clients in their power. And so I feel like the grandma coach, right? Like my clients have clients and those clients, I feel like they're my like grand children clients or something. The ripple effect is so cool to think about when you think about coaching and the power it has to reach generations and connections that I don't even know about, and I trust that.
I trust people and their power and their ability to change their life. I believe in transformation. And that was really solidified this year that when I choose faith, and I do. And I would say I have a sense of mastery over that now. Not perfect, but definitely like faith is almost my default.
I don't engage a lot in doubt or worry ever. Partially because of this principle of seeing people in their power, that I trust people to make decisions for themselves you know, that serves their highest potential. And I trust myself to do the same. And I have a lot of evidence that faith works, instead of doubt. I don't find worry useful at all.
I think it's actually having faith in the result that you don't want instead of having faith in the result that you do want. And I also know that faith and thoughts and words are creative, right? It's like the first form of creation. And so I'm super mindful about what I speak and the words that I entertain and the visions that I entertain.
I'm very meticulous about speaking only what I want to experience. The first time I heard that was in that book, “The Four Agreements” and agreement number one is be impeccable with your word, and that's what that means to me. So when I'm impeccable with my word about other people, seeing people in their power, they rise. And I've seen that over and over and over again.
And so I've been meticulous about how I speak about my clients and about my loved ones. It's really been useful to me.
The next thing I wrote down was memento mori, which is remember you must die. And I really like that Latin saying in general. Remember that you must die because I think when we make peace that we are mortal and that we will die, I think it helps us make clear decisions.
For me, that has meant building in more fun and relaxation into my life, with my kids and doing things more for the fun of it. If you're like me, I tend to take myself and my business and my work very seriously sometimes, like in a way that does not serve me. And so I think memento mori has helped me loosen up a little bit. It's like the paradox, right? Take things seriously and don't take things so seriously at the same time.
And so more play, more fun, more relaxation has been built into my calendar for 2024 already. And I'm really excited about that. Even just the amount of time I work or don't work, I think it's allowed me to have better boundaries with, like Voxer and tools that I use in my business so that I'm fully present in my life, which has been my message from the beginning is holistic success.
If I could rename my podcast anything, that's probably what I would call it is like holistic success or holistic living. To me holistic is like the parts that play into the whole system of the whole are equal, right? So like, I don't consider myself successful if my business is successful, but like, I don't have a relationship with my kids or my business success is successful, but like, I don't take care of my body, right?
Like I want holistic success where it's like all parts of my life are successful. Other words for that are like high performance, mastery, things like that really speak to me. And so memento mori, remember you must die, helps inform my decision making, not just for business. And many of my clients, it's interesting, I asked them for some feedback a few months ago about our work together and a lot of them, you know, they're like, yeah, I'm making more money, but that's not what the most important part of my work is with Amber. And I thought that was really interesting to read because that's what most people come to me for is they want to make more money in their business.
But I think what we work on together is that holistic approach to success where it's like, they have peace of mind, they have the presence with their kids that they've always wanted. They have the passion, the romance in their marriage. They have time for themselves. They travel if they want to, they have a better relationship with money and their clients, they love their business.
It goes beyond so much more than just like traditional business monetary success. And that really speaks to me as a person for myself, right? Like as the work that I do for myself. So of course that transfers over into my clients. And so I want to share it here as well.
Memento mori, remember that you must die. So what does that mean to you? In fact, I really first heard this from a man named Ed Milet, who I've referenced on this podcast before. He was like one of the first podcasts that I really got into. And he talks about how he thinks about his death in not a morbid way, but as like an informative way of how do I really want to live my life?
What really matters? Am I going for it? Am I living my fullest potential in this moment? And that awareness can really change everything. And his language that came from that introspection was max out. I think my language that comes from that awareness is be in the miracle, because it can all change overnight.
In fact, one of the things that happened in 2023, which has been interesting for me is I lost both of my grandpas. I talked a little bit about that a few episodes ago, and it was interesting just to think about their lives. And of course, when you attend a funeral, it makes you think about your own life and your inevitable end and how you want it to be.
And what you want people to speak about, what you hope your life was filled with has been helpful for me on a day to day basis, it's helped me. It's funny, but like thinking about my own death has helped me feel more alive and that's not an accident. And so I think spending time with your own death, I know that sounds morbid, but like thinking about the inevitability that you will leave this life onto the next one day will help you.
To me, it helps give me clarity about what really matters and what I really want. That holistic living. So anyway, I wanted to share that in the case that it was helpful for you. The last thing I wanted to do in this episode was share the most impactful books of 2023. One of the biggest pieces of feedback I get from people is that I have really unique book recommendations because I don't read a ton of mainstream books.
And I actually had a client that asked me like, how do you find all these books? And I jokingly, but not jokingly responded: they find me. And I actually really believe that. I pay attention to little pings I get when people reference books or when I see a book. A lot of times I actually get books from other authors.
Like, they'll be referencing a book that they read when they wrote their book, and I just kind of go down the rabbit hole of other people. I also pay attention to when I see it pop up in social media or an ad or anything. Anything that gives me that feeling of expansion, and it's usually micro, it's not this like major feeling, I pay attention to it.
So these book recommendations are probably, some of them you might've heard me say, some of them you might've not heard me talk about, but I wanted to share the four most impactful books that I read in 2023. I read a lot of books, so I wanted to make it short. I didn't want to go on and on. I've actually been thinking about starting a book club, so.
Genuinely, if you would be interested, like, you should let me know. Just DM me on Instagram and say, hey, if you do start a book club, I would love it. Because I've gotten feedback that that would be interesting. So I'd love to hear from you. Something that I'm thinking about.
So without further ado, most impactful books of 2023.
The number one book was Happier Than God by Neil Dong Walsh. I've talked about that book before. I've reread that book a handful of times because it's so impactful for me. I've talked about the law of attraction and like spiritual laws before. That book really helped me consolidate my beliefs about God as well.
The biggest takeaway for me in that book was like law of attraction is a tool with two handles. I have my hand on one side and God has the hand on the other side and that really resonated for me among other things. I think the book is well worth your time. Very good.
The second book is The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. I read that book front to cover the first time I read it. But now I use it almost like an oracle card or something. Like I will flip open to different pages, especially when I'm feeling stuck creatively whether that's in content or programs or whatever.
Amazing, amazing book. He talks mostly about art. He's a music producer. But, I've applied that to other creative acts, like writing, content, creating, podcasting, social media. Like if you are taking something intangible and making it tangible, you're creating something. That book is amazing.
In fact, the tagline, and if you've followed me for a while, you know that this really resonates for me. He says the creative act, a way of being, totally resonated for me. That creating is not just something you do, it's something that you are. And I believe that we are creators. And so I think if you consider yourself a creator, if you are an entrepreneur or a mom, or you know, you have a business, you work for a company.
It doesn't really matter if you're trying to create something in the world, that book I think is well worth your time as well. The next book and the inspiration for my last class that I taught called Inner Engineering 2024, was largely based on the book Inner Engineering by Sadguru. And I've read a lot of books, but I've always been enchanted by yoga philosophy.
And so I really liked this book because he broke down concepts that I've heard other yogis talk about in a way that really resonated with my soul. And so I wanted to share it with you in case that also resonated for you. He talks about oneness and stillness. He talks about response in a way that I've never heard anyone talk about, right?
That you can't do everything, but you can't respond to everything. And at first I was like, what? But like that response is who we are, our chosen response is shaping ourselves. And so when he was talking about it in the book, the first thing I was like, can we respond to everything? And it was like, yes, like I can respond. I can't do anything on the moon, but I can respond to it.
Like my thoughts about it, my feelings about it, that's a response. Anyway, you'll have to read the book to get the full picture. I'm not doing it justice right now, but it was huge for me to see that I can respond to everything in life. And in that response is my agency and is my consciousness.
And so inner engineering is choosing your response. And by elevating your consciousness and choosing your perception of things, that's inner engineering. You can change your life, and I really liked it. The last book I'll share is You Too Can Be Prosperous by Robert Russell, also a book that absolutely changed my life, that I've read like four times, five times, something like that. Because it's so good, and the language he uses about prosperity and God really deeply resonated for me, so I hope it also resonates for you.
I think money mindset work is something I'll do till I die. Because to me, it's not even money mindset, it's prosperity consciousness. And yeah, I love that work. I love teaching it. I love empowering my clients around it. It's so much more than money, although money is a huge part of it. So I think if your goal is to make more money in 2024, definitely check it out.
You Too Can Be Prosperous by Robert Russell. Okay, those four books have changed my life, so I wanted to add them into some of the lessons from 2023. I obviously could keep going, but these were the biggest ones for me and I look forward to a happy 2024. I know there will be miracles. I expect them, I create them, and I hope you do too. And I just want to say thank you for listening. And I'm excited for a year together in the future. All right. Talk to you soon. Bye.
