Nicola Harris (00:01.592)
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of The Economy of Soul. I am so excited to have today's guest on the show. Gaia Broda is a keynote speaker, podcast host, and advisor focused on self-leadership, sustainable performance, and human potential. She draws from five plus years of coaching high performers with fast, nonlinear minds alongside her own experience, thriving with ADHD medication free.
Gaia challenges conventional approaches to productivity and performance. And her work explores what happens when we stop trying to manage ourselves into someone we're not, and instead learn to understand and work with the way we're actually wired. Thank you so much for being here, Gaia. I'm so excited to have this conversation. So there's so much just in that little bio to really unpack that aligns with the work that I do and
what I see in high performing women and just like there's so much out there right now. So let's just start first because I've got a million questions, but let's just start first with how is it that you really got into this work in the first place?
Gaia (01:16.491)
First off, thank you for the warm welcome. I'm also very excited for this conversation as we were talking about before we started rec har started to record. yeah, we have not caught up in a long time. We haven't talked in a long time, so this would be a great catch-up for us as well. So, how I got into the work I do, I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021. So it was about five years ago. So I was in my early 30s, and it came from a place of me just sitting in front of my computer one
Sunday afternoon, and I was working on my side business. the what is you know now, but at the time it was a side business, and I was just crying, crying, like the biggest tears. Tears where you've done everything you possibly could and you still haven't moved forward. Like these tears of what's wrong with me, tears of hopelessness, tears of like what else do I do? So in that moment, you know, I was excited.
To work on my business that afternoon. But when and well, I guess anytime in that time I open up my computer to do work and it's like this brain fog. Or I would chase the next shiny object. Or I would replan my entire week, even though I had just made that plan yesterday. And it's like I didn't trust it or I didn't remember, and I have to replan everything again. It's like I was constantly spinning my wheels and never making any traction forwards. And
Up into that point, like I tried to work in a corporate environment, but I couldn't hold a job there either. Because to sit at my computer all day and do work, it's like I don't I didn't know how people did it. Like I couldn't. I'd be up walking, I couldn't focus, I would want to jump around to the next activity or the next task. So in that moment, I was like, I don't like what's wrong with me? I can't adult. Like I can't hold a job. I can't run in my own business. Like, what else is there for me?
And I had remembered a conversation with a friend like a week prior and she had ADHD and she suggested I go get checked out. She's like, I'm pretty sure you have it because just on everything I know about myself and what I see in you. So booked the appointment, saw the doctor, and it was a hundred percent clear. Like there was no question in their mind, like you definitely have ADHD, perfect candidate for medication as well. So that was
Gaia (03:36.96)
like this permission slip. It was like the biggest relief 'cause for once in my life I felt like I finally understood who I was. And I thought I was this anomaly my entire life. It's like everyone operated in a certain way and I didn't. And I was always trying to figure out like, okay, well why why not? Like wh why am I so different? Yet I'm
know I'm not excelling at anything. Like I'm struggling. So what's what's wrong? Or what's that, what's that thing? So when it was this ADHD diagnosis, like this explains, you know, everything. And I mean that's a n one kind of turning point in my story. But at that moment I was like, okay, well, let's just rework my business. Because at the time I was doing fitness coaching and personal training online. It's like let's just help people with ADHD. I understand myself. I understand my brain better now. Why don't I support those?
So that was the first step in moving towards supporting those with fast nonlinear minds. And how it got to where it is today is I dove into the ADHD world. And that means that yes, I also went on TikTok and would follow all the ADHD memes and fall down the rabbit hole for hours on end. And it was it was wonderful at the time because you finally, I mean, I finally had a community. This whole time I felt like an anomaly in my life. I just wanted to fit in, I wanted to understand myself.
And now I did. I had this label, this title of ADHD, and I had a community to yeah to to associate with and to commiserate with because ADHD is a struggle, right? As as we're told. So there is this feeling of okay, I know who I am, I'm ADHD, I know that I'll struggle, and I can you know stake
Nicola Harris (05:13.943)
Mm-hmm.
Gaia (05:28.941)
refuge with this community in the toughness of this. And that left me very stuck. Cause I just created this really thick glass ceiling for myself, this very thick victim mindset, limiting belief, if you will, that I would always struggle, that things would always be really hard for me, that no matter how hard I tried, ADHD would get in my way. And that was the second turning point, 'cause
Nicola Harris (05:33.325)
Mm-hmm.
Gaia (05:56.0)
The day came and I realized I was two steps behind where I was before the diagnosis. So what at first liberated me then brought me back further behind because I was getting in my own way and and times when I could focus, I would I wouldn't even try to be like I'd just throw out my hands be like, why bother? I have ADHD, it's not gonna work. Or the times that you're a little bit late needing a friend, it's like, well
Why bother trying to be on time? I'm just gonna be like an hour late. Or your host gets disorganized and messy. You're like, why bother me trying to clean it up by AHD? This is gonna be hard for me to do. So I'd just completely given in to this label, this identity, and the struggles of it. And when just kind of woke up one day, I was like, this is not how I wanna continue my life. That was this I wanna say like maybe the the push or the insight to
change how I coached and who I coached and what my business looked like. So I still was coaching at the time and then changed over to a podcast where I looked at personal agency. It's like where are you giving away your self-worth? Where are you giving away your your own personal power to you know maybe to medication, to a diagnosis, to a title, to community and not first looking at yourself and looking how you have
gifts that you know God has given you that you are meant to show up in this world with and use. yeah, and it's completely, yeah, redirected my business to that is the philosophy behind thriving with a fast nonlinear mind is looking at yourself first versus just outsourcing everything to a label or a title.
Nicola Harris (07:43.102)
Hmm, that's so powerful. Like so incredibly powerful because it is and and there is this stigma, I think, still, even though in my world, anyways, I I have witnessed a lot of women who are in my age demographic, which I'm in my forties, now all of a sudden having a diagnosis of ADHD and wondering, like, what do I do with this now? Like
Almost the same journey that you're going through, but unsure, like, what do I do now that I have arrived here? You know, and so what would you say to someone who is just newly on that path of either discovering that they may have ADHD or a nonlinear mind? I love that terminology.
Or have just received an early diagnosis. Like what how how do you how can you help navigate that identity shift, I think, with the stigma that's still attached to it?
Gaia (08:44.989)
Yeah. And I love that you brought up stigma because that's like there's so many different sides to it. When I was diagnosed, I didn't attach the stigma to myself. I was like, I have ADHD, I will tell anyone I don't care. But then there you're gonna encounter folks that that stigma is really is there for them. Like to say they have ADHD is like, Whoa, they're shame that there's something wrong with me. And
you know, it's just two different paths. We all when you receive a diagnosis or you suspect you do, it's you're going through the change cycle, right? There's a grieving of a past identity or your past self, your past life of like, whoa, okay, did I just live a lie, like my entire life? Like, who am I? And what I say to those who've been diagnosed or even searching for a diagnosis is to get clear on why you're looking for a diagnosis.
And if you have received the diagnosis, it's well, what are you making it mean? Because if you're searching for a diagnosis, because you're searching for something that's wrong with you, because it's often why we look for things, right? If we if you have symptoms of like a cold, you're gonna look online, like what's wrong with me? What's we want certainty, we wanna know because first of all, something's wrong with me is like, cool, I can fix it, or I can feel sorry for myself, maybe fall into victim mindset, or
I don't know the exact psychology of it, but it gives us comfort in a way to know that it's like, okay, there's something wrong with me. I I can almost hide behind this or use this in some way. Again, I don't know the psychology on it, but it I just I find we move towards what's wrong with me, so I can either fix it or sit in the suffering of it. So have you been diagnosed? Actually I'm gonna back up, if you are looking for a diagnosis, I would sit with
That question and spend time with that. It's like, what is this diagnosis gonna give me? Why am I searching for this? For a lot of people, it's access to medication, which okay, that's valid. I mean, I was needed medication or I thought I did, and I I don't use medication to this day, but that can bring you relief, but you still need to do your due due diligence of okay, am I giving my power away? Am I still owning?
Gaia (11:03.337)
my worth and my skills, you know that I have something beautiful to share with this world in my own unique way. And am I still gonna also take care of my body by eating well and and exercising and sleeping well and doing all those things that even with medication you still need to do. So that would be the first, you know, first group who's looking for a diagnosis. And if you've been diagnosed, you're questioning everything, your life isn't a lie. You lived a beautiful life and I think not having a label
is can be really powerful in a good way, right? 'Cause you're not I was just writing about this the other day, so let me see if I can pull up the verbiage I was using. You're not you're not a attaching a certain identity to yourself that isn't yours. Like if I for example, I used to be vegetarian and I was vegetarian when I moved out of
Nicola Harris (11:37.143)
Mm-hmm.
Nicola Harris (11:53.58)
Yeah.
Gaia (11:59.498)
my parents when I was 18 because like honestly the thought of cooking meat was disgusting to me and I was like I don't really love meat so I'm fine. I just won't eat it. So I'd go to like a potluck and I'd be like, I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat and that was really easy for people to understand. They're like, got it. So you're gonna eat XYZ foods, like these salads, you're gonna eat like, you know, dinner roll, whatever. We got it. We understand you.
Nicola Harris (12:15.853)
Yeah.
Gaia (12:22.965)
But then I would go to tea with friends and it's like, actually I would love like some like chicken, like a chicken breast. Like that feels really good to me. But I couldn't order that because it would confuse people. So I pulled on, I you know, I hold held this label that I was a vegetarian and it kept me really trapped because I was like, well, I'm not always vegetarian, but if I say that I am sometimes and not the other times, it confuses people. And it's easier just to say them vegetarian and live that lifestyle even though I don't desire to.
So as soon as we pull on a label or a title for ourselves, we start to fall into that fully. It's like, okay, like for my case, when I said yes, I'm ADHD, I started to pull on ADHD symptoms that weren't mine. For example, I keep a fairly clean tidy house. I live in a tiny home, I'm pretty minimalist, I like it. But my house would get messier at time, or it does get messy at times, but that's okay, I can clean it up before during kind of that dark spiral part.
I would just throw up my hands and be like, I can't do it because I have ADHD. So things that didn't get in my way were starting to get in my way because I was like, Well, ADHD folks struggle with keeping their homes clean and organized, or they're always late. So I always found myself being later and later for appointments, for events. When we associate ourselves with a title, we start to really pull on all attributes of that. And it can be beneficial.
Nicola Harris (13:27.34)
Mm.
Gaia (13:51.126)
But to something that's a disorder, labeled a disorder, I've seen it become more negative than positive in people's lives. So if you've been diagnosed, you've already gone through that and there's this grieving, it's like, what does my life mean? Where do I go from here? It's like your life wasn't a lie. you may be feeling regret because if I would have had medication earlier, if for people would have known things would have been easier. And we can wish our past was different, but that
would make for a different future you have now. Like you went through the struggles you did for a reason and it's made you who you are, which is exactly where you're meant to be. If I wouldn't have struggled through what I did in my life and questioned what's wrong with me and in my anomaly, like why can't I focus? Why can't I get this done, then I wouldn't have my keynote speech that I share with people today. I wouldn't have this business that I felt that is so passionate to me and so and so important to me.
So your life is not a lie. It's just a label has changed your how you view it. And one way you can think of it if you have been diagnosed, you're like, well, this is helpful for me. I need medication. It's helped me understand my brain, like it did for me. Just think of it as a classification. That your brain works non-linear n nonlinearly. I can't even say that.
Nicola Harris (14:57.335)
No.
Gaia (15:12.737)
Works in a nonlinear fashion. Let's go there. That's a word. works in a nonlinear fashion and is very can be very fast. That that that's that's all. It's just different than not a neurotypical mind. And when you can look at it as a classification and start to understand, okay, how does my brain work? What are my patterns? How does my energy work? What are my unique zones of genius? And you learn to work with them, you detach yourself from the label of and
Nicola Harris (15:13.58)
I mean
Gaia (15:41.41)
a identifying with the symptoms, with the struggles, and you start to look at, okay, this is just how my brain is classified. So some people, scientists and whatnot can understand, but I'm still my unique being and this is how I can start to understand and work with my brain and my nervous system to move forward.
Nicola Harris (16:00.91)
Hmm, I love that. I love that. My oldest is both on the spectrum and has ADHD. So he has a dual diagnosis that often can make his brain feel like it's pulling in two different directions. And so we've spent a lot of time just like trying to understand what that looks like. And I do tell him I do believe that ADHD is a superpower. Like I will both, actually, both, both of his diagnoses. I want to talk a little bit about what.
How did you get to really recognizing that this is a superpower and it isn't going to be something that you know is going to hurt you for the remainder of your life, that it can be utilized in a different fashion that will allow you to do amazing, wonderful things in this world? So, what was that journey like between sort of buying into the, my gosh, okay, I can't do this because I have ADHD too, then recognizing that this can become a superpower?
for me.
Gaia (16:58.567)
Yeah. I'll back up a little bit on that story. So I always knew, and I I don't know if it was just like my upbringing, I'm sure like that's a huge part in it, but I it's like we know when there's something in us and we just know. Like I always knew that I was meant to do great things. And that doesn't mean like world-changing things, I just knew that I was like, no, I was meant to do the work that you know I've meant to do in the world. Like I always had aspirations and ambitions.
and and a very imaginative mind. So pair that with the hard work that my and discipline that my parents taught me growing up. It's like, okay, well I know that I won't be successful in the things that I want to do. And I was very studious. yes I had ADHD symptoms growing up, but because of how I was raised, I think they were very directed in the right place. That I succeeded very well in school and I had a very
Childhood, which was fantastic for my energy and my imagination. So coming into you know adulthood and then starting my own business, like it, I was just such a dreamer and I had such an optimism. Like, this is gonna work, I'm gonna help people in the coaching field and the fitness field. So the struggles I was facing was just me not understanding how my brain worked and just trying to follow all these formulas that you
you know, I hired coaches and took courses on where it's like, this is how you run a business. And they were sharing how they run their business, which is a different how I run my business to this day. When I was diagnosed, it gave me like the understanding, right, okay, I have an ADG. This makes sense why things haven't worked for me in a certain way, but we can start to work with this. And I'm gonna say at that part I felt I'm gonna like devil's advocate, I fell into this like ADG is a superpower.
In a negative connotation. Whereas like I'm better than neurotypicals because I have something I can do that they can't. Why don't people recognize that I'm special and really amazing? Like this really egotistical direction. And it was coming from a place of still low self-worth. Because I feel like for inner ego, it's a place of like, there's some, there's some other stuff kind of brewing behind that. When I followed that path, I was like,
Gaia (19:22.173)
Okay, I have ADHD, I just really want to fit in, I really want to belong, like this low self-worth of like I still feel so broken. But it was masked by this: I have a superpower, I'm amazing, I'm gonna do great things because that's what you're hearing on one side, but then on the other side, you're hearing the struggles of it. And it's like consciously, I didn't fig know that. You're just like, okay, I'm pulled in two directions, I don't realize this, but this is this is my path forward right now. So when I was diagnosed in
fell into this this trap of community commiseration of how hard ADHD was. I started to see my life take a spiral of I was always complaining. I was always seeing how hard things were. I things that didn't bother me like that I didn't struggle with before were now really bothering me. And it because I'm such a curious self-aware, self-inquisitive person, I was like, I have I've gotten through like 30 some years of my life and now this is tripping that
tripping me up now and if anything I actually have more information to be able to better manage this. Like what's else has changed here? And I realized, the label I've taken on was a thing that's changed. Nothing else has. If anything I'm more equipped to handle this. And it was really just one day I'm standing in my living room. was like, wait a second. I'm literally complaining and looking at the negative of everything and looking at how my hard how hard if I can speak English, how hard my life is.
And that's not me. And that was when everything changed. I was like, whoa, okay, we need to drop the label completely. So I did. I dropped the ADHD label. I was like, I'm no longer gonna call myself ADHD. If people ask, I'll say as diagnosed, but I'm not ADHD. That's why I love the term fast, non-linear mind, for anyone who doesn't want to attach them their their worth or their identity to a label. And so with regards to superpower and how I see it now, it's
Nicola Harris (20:53.528)
Mm.
Nicola Harris (21:11.502)
Mm-hmm.
Gaia (21:21.567)
I don't want to fall into the trap of, I've I can do something better than a neurotypical mind. I just have my unique skills that only I can do in the way that I can do them. Cause even across folks with ADHD, we all have our unique sons of genius, right? It's the way that we can do something that combines our personality, that combines our energy, that combines just the the the you know the the zest that we show up with it as. And no one else can replicate that.
So understanding that and going all in on that, I feel we could call that your superpower.
Nicola Harris (21:56.599)
Mm-hmm. Well, and it it removes being able to see the strength in it, being able to, and I love how you differentiated that this isn't coming from your better than a neurotypical, but that you have your own personal sense set of strengths that get to show up in this realm that may not look like you fit into a neurotypical box, but that allow you to flourish in your own life and thrive.
And I think that's the narrative that is so important because again, there is a lot of like, okay, well, if I cannot hold a job, if I cannot work in a typical fashion, if school is is challenging or you know, XYZ, there can be a lot of buildup of shame or like, why am I different? Why can't I figure this piece out? Right. So I love, I love that. And I think that for any human,
We all have the opportunity to be able to anchor more deeply into our strengths as individuals and really ask the question like, where is it that I thrive? Where is it that I get to show up in my full potential and make the impact that I came here to make? So how I I mean, obviously you were you were doing your business and and you were you were already sort of on the trajectory, but how did this become now the way in which you
desire to impact the world and how do you really invite people into that to work with you to to help them really pave the way so that they too can also really identify where that sort of zone of genius exists within them.
Gaia (23:35.942)
Mm, yeah. It's something that I I mean, if you're a business owner and listening to this, I feel we're no strangers to the pivot in our business. Constantly the pivot, the pivot. yeah. and I think it's it's needed, right? We follow the breadcrumbs until we get to this part, and maybe we never get to the part, but I'm like, this feels good. this feels really good. this feels even better. And we just continually follow that.
Nicola Harris (23:45.194)
No never. Never Yeah.
Gaia (24:04.705)
So when I started in the coaching industry, before I was I was personal training and when COVID ch changed a lot of things for us, as we know, I moved into online fitness coaching, which then moved into A PhD coaching. And that was the trend. Like everyone was an online coach. And I say that with a lot of laugh, like that was really where a lot of people were moving because it was a smart business model where you could share your expertise, share what you love, your passion in a way that made sense, especially in a time when, you know, the world shut down. you could connect with
of people from all over, you could make you know, do programs or courses, connect with a lot of people or just one on one. So I felt fell I shouldn't say fell. I went in that direction. And I liked coaching, but it burnt me out. And I didn't understand why until you know, until after the fact. I love helping, but my energy and resour resources are best done through
speaking through a podcast through keynote speaking. So I to this day I still do some coachings actually in a beta pro launch right now where I have an integrated team of practitioners crossing over from a clinical counselor, hypnotherapist, hosting nutritionist, personal trainer, we want to bring in a sleep doctor as well. So all these different modalities coming together to support those with
fast nonlinear minds, perhaps ADHD minds, depending if you're diagnosed or resonate with the label or not. And I can be part of that and support in the ADHD context and hold this group of practitioners, which is wonderful and makes me is incredibly fulfilled because I can still help people in a integrated, holistic way. but moving over to the podcast and keynote speaking, it's being able now to connect with people in person, having a podcast which was
Originally a YouTube channel, it's it's fantastic. It's fantastic to have that medium, but I want to see the people. Like I can see people when I'm speaking. I can't see their reaction. I can't connect with them in that more intimate capacity. So moving towards keynote speaking was really a direction from God. It's just you need to be on stages. This is where you're best heard and best felt and can best lead. And moving that direction, I was like, I don't want to just speak to ADHD audiences because
Gaia (26:27.689)
my message is really for anyone on how like neurotyp goals and neurodivergence on how we can tap into our zones of genius, how we can understand how our energy rhythms work, how we can understand that when we drop labels and titles, when we can align with how we're naturally wired and how we can show up in a radically authentic auth authentic way, how things really change for us because we're no longer
running on this treadmill trying to find fulfillment and feeling like we're constantly burning out, doing all the things or, you know, putting or just feeling even just throwing spaghetti at the wall, yeah, I to do this, I need to do this, I should do this, I should this, and really focusing in on our gifts and how we're meant to use them, life starts to feel a lot more fulfilling and feel a bit more easeful or with or more ease. I guess easeful's not a word, but yeah. So that's has led to the keynote speaking to connect with.
A more diverse audience that is not just ADHD and to connect in person and have that intimate connection.
Nicola Harris (27:29.962)
Mm-hmm. And don't you think that that's just what we all really desire is to be able to show up in our lives connected into a place of ease but also truth, of like this is this is where I'm really meant to be. This is where I how I'm meant to serve. This is the impact that I've always really desired to make. And I think that a lot of women have
sort of they they get bits and pieces of that. They'll take like little bites out of that idea. But I think a lot of them are still really afraid to like fully believe that. And they are burnt out. And they do feel like, when is that going to happen for me? How how do I even begin? So again, speaking to someone who maybe might be in that space of like, I'm burnt out. I don't even know what I want. You know
How do you help them to really remember those parts of themselves and utilize and love utilizing the energy piece of like what really lights you up, what really drains you? Like sometimes it's just as simple as like asking those questions, but how do you really lead women in that discussion to be able to start uncovering that for themselves?
Gaia (28:51.899)
Yeah, I wanna give some practical t tips and and suggestions here. But before I do, I wanna share a story that came to me just like a month ago and I was experiencing this and I was so aware of it. I was like, whoa, I'm aware of what's happening and this is still so uncomfortable to change. So when I like this year I knew I was like I'm going all in on the keynote speaking, I know how my brain works, or well at least I have a good idea how it works, that I can do one thing and go deep in it.
really well. I love it. I don't get bored of it. I love the nuances. I wasn't meant to be the typical solopreneur managing all these different aspects of business. It's not does not work for me. Does not work for my energy. I'm not good at it. I want to go deep on one thing. So knowing this and knowing the work I do, I'm very like, you know, always being very inquisitive in my life. It's like, okay, I'm I'm doing this. Is this is taking up too much time and out of my zone of genius, you know, drop it. Like I'm
very, you know, what's the word? Ain't all about it. So I was looking at my week, I was like, okay, I need to show these things, but all I really wanna do is read these books and learn about stagecraft for my keynote s speaking and I wanna practice my speech and I want to y you know, make some send out some proposals. Like all I wanna do is work on my keynote speaking because that is my dream and that would feel so good. Like that feels
So fun to me. Yet I need to, you know, record a podcast. I need to post on LinkedIn. I need to go to these networking events. I need to have these meetings. And I was like, wait a second. I literally have my dream career right in front of me. And I'm saying no to it because of the conditioning of what I think I need to be doing. And it was terrifying to go all in on my dream because it's like, it can't be that good.
Nicola Harris (30:39.734)
Mm.
Gaia (30:47.049)
Like it can't be it's like your dessert is sitting there and they're like, You can now eat your dessert. You're like Should I have some more veggies though? Because I feel like I should do that. And we keep delaying our dream even though it's right in front of us because we don't think it can be I don't want to say easy, but like feels easy because you're enjoying it, but it can be that good that you can have that. So it was surprisingly terrifying to the next morning be like, Okay, I'm
only gonna work on any like my keynote speech or anything like directly associated with it. It was so scary to turn down all those other things. So if you are feeling I don't even know what I want to do, I'm burnt out, like I don't have time to even think about my next direction or I don't even have time to take steps in it. Know that all the things you're that are burning you out right now are just noise and they're not the
I shouldn't they're not all the right direction, but they're noise and they're blocking you from moving in the right direction, as it was for me. So the first thing we need to have is some space to even understand where where do I want to move forward? You know, how what is the thing that's calling me? Space comes from a few different things. It can come from a nervous system that is in a restful state, so a parasympathetic state. It can come from just
having some boredom in your day, which can then of course move into a more restful nervous system, it can come from just dropping everything and taking a really long break from what you're doing right now. practically, if you are say working a career or working a business that's actively bringing in money and bringing in clients and perhaps you're managing a household. As I say, focus on these four core pillars.
Just choose one because these are the ones that are gonna help you create that capacity is movement. So daily movement. It doesn't have to be hard exercise. It can be anything that brings you back to your body. It can be a walk in nature, it can be Pilates, it can be running hill sprints, like whatever feels good for you to move your body in a way that you can come back to the body and get out of your head for at least a moment. and the science supports us, it supports our brain, it supports our health, our overall overall well being.
Gaia (33:04.773)
nourishment or food. Like what are you putting into your body and how are you eating it? Like are you focusing on your whole foods, lim limiting inflammatory foods, and are you eating without multitasking? And just eating and allowing your body to digest and absorb those nutrients. That was a big pitfall that I fell into. Because again, that's gonna also support that brain gut connection. our third thing, mindfulness. Does not need to be meditation, but doing this daily is
Nicola Harris (33:17.708)
Yeah.
Gaia (33:34.706)
is crucial. So mindfulness can look like again a walk in nature or a workout. For me, it's really just being focused in a workout where I'm focused on moving my body, using the muscles I need to use. It can be, you know, a meditation that's guided or just your own type of meditation. I another way I like to do this is just listening to music where I'm just listening to the music and really listening to the music.
Anything where your mind isn't wandering or you're noticing when it's starting to wander, where your attention is fixed deeply on one thing. So mindfulness. The fourth one is sleep. Seven to nine hours. This is so funny, like 'cause it's a thing we know we don't often do. Seven to nine hours of sleep every night, like non-negotiable, absolute minimum. The science backs it up widespread. This is this is what you need. So if you're not getting enough sleep, you're not gonna have the mental capacity, the foresight even even think, okay, what should I be doing?
How can I prioritize my life to drop some things and move it in this direction? Like we need to be getting that sleep. Focusing on those four things throughout your life, keeping them on balance is really the foundation of this all to even be able to make a change or a pivot and feel supported that you can continue to move forward. I would say pick one, pick one pillar and pick the tiniest step forward in it, like this tiniest little habit and it'll just start to
snowballing from there, you know, little habits will just build onto it. But that will sort of give you the capacity and the space to be like, okay, what do I want to do? Or if you have an idea what you want to do, like, okay, I wanna, you know, from you move to keynote speaking, but right now my life is really full. Great. At least I have some mental capacity right now to make a small change to move in that direction. So four pillars, pick one, tiny as
Nicola Harris (35:24.823)
Mm-hmm.
Gaia (35:25.617)
change in just one of them just to start support supporting yourself to create capacity. from there I'll also turn the part but it's knowing your zone of genius. And when I talk about zone of genius, it doesn't have to be a big journaling expedition. It doesn't have to be a big year and year like multi year long journey. Because I feel our zone of genius slowly reveals itself over time and slowly the the
Nicola Harris (35:37.965)
Yeah.
Gaia (35:53.728)
direction it takes also changes. Your zone of genius is anything that gives you energy when you do it. So if you like for me, if I'm speaking, that gives me energy. Like I could keep doing it. And when I end it, I was like, whoa, that felt really good. I'm tired, but I could keep going. Same with working out. Like doing such different types of movement for me gives me energy. And not just the science behind it, but I've always been a fitness person. Like I love it so much I get lost in it.
So, what is the thing that gives you energy? And it can even be like you're very analytical. You're like, I could just analyze an insurance policy for hours and I have so much energy. Fantastic. I love that for you. Like, that was me when I worked in insurance. So it totally. And then look at the things that dream you that you're like, I literally zone out during this, or I fall asleep. It's not because you need another coffee, it's literally because it's not your zone of genius. Like, get
Nicola Harris (36:36.856)
We need those people. We need them.
Gaia (36:52.565)
rid of it. Knowing your zone of genius or having an idea of what gives you energy, start following that. Do more of that. The things that make you fall asleep, cut them out, delegate them, minimize them, or find a way to like wrap it into your zone of genius. For example, for me sending out proposals, not really in my zone of genius. What makes it my zone of genius? What if I sent a recording of me speaking through proposal versus typing it? Right? I'm putting it through my zone of genius.
Getting clear in that, it's gonna give you the energy to move forward in that direction, right? So we're creating capacity, getting more energy, and then it's just a process of slowly taking away the things that aren't aligned with what gives you energy and make it a process of what's like for me for keynote speaking, I'm just gonna use my example, posting to social media every day, not my zone of genius at all. To cut that out completely in one day, terrifying.
But to be like, okay, I'm gonna post just three days a week. Now I'm gonna post maybe two days a week. Or okay, I'm gonna create long form content using my zone of genius, my voice, and then I'm gonna get AI to cut those into clips to post to social media. Wow, that felt really good, and I'm only seeing my zone of genius for it. So that was a long winded way to say to give you some strategies. Create the capacity, create the energy.
And then slowly start to move towards that by cutting out the things that take you away from zona genius.
Nicola Harris (38:22.796)
Yeah, I love that. I love that. Because I talk a lot about in my work also like micro moves. Like it's not about you overnight shifting your entire life. It is about these small little commitments that you make to walking yourself towards, in my case, where it is that you desire to be. So your expansion and and really leaning into that. And I just, you know, I I don't think we could talk enough about it to be honest, because it's
Gaia (38:29.323)
Yes.
Nicola Harris (38:51.818)
Again, societally and I think conditionally, we've been told that like this overnight success sensation is the thing that we're supposed to be chasing. And it's like, no, move, move, you know, get moving, eat well, right? Like, like do these simple things, and all of a sudden your life is going to start feeling so much more aligned to who it is that you are. And I think that's such a key.
Gaia (39:02.579)
It's not.
Nicola Harris (39:20.694)
important piece in all of this, regardless if if your mind is is linear or nonlinear, it is that this is a human a human understanding that we get the privilege of learning is that oftentimes it's about really remembering, remembering and subtracting instead of constantly adding more and more and more. Like I love that. I think that's so beautiful. Yeah.
Gaia (39:44.064)
I I mean success is boring and I lost I I knew that I lost that mentality for a while when so quick story when I was I guess my twenties, mid-20s, it seems like an era ago, I was in bodybuilding, competitive bodybuilding, and I did very well. I earned a professional status, I won like awards through it, and the reason I did good is because I had a very boring life.
Eat healthy, work out, sleep. Like it that was it. And I loved it. It was just those micro decisions every single day and every moment of the day that led towards my goal. So yeah, I had a lot of success because it was a boring life and I just went through the motions of chopping wood and carrying water to get there. And when you find the thing that your zone of genius, it's gonna lead you in the direction you're supposed to use it. So for me, again, keynote speaking.
To just s work on my keynote like all week, to send up proposals, to just like be so down into one thing and to put tons of time and energy and be really disciplined in it that got built through microhabits, it's not glamorous. But it feels really good because of the overarching goal. And that is where the fulfillment comes. It's and we I know we've all probably heard it. It's not in the destination, it really is in the journey. So when I
Nicola Harris (40:56.44)
No.
Gaia (41:09.515)
go I talk about those four pillars, those four foundations of sleep, movement, nutrition, and mindfulness. Like they're the age old things. They're backed by science. And it's not a one and done. It's not like, okay, I'm gonna work out on this twelve week plan and crush that one, check that one off. No, it's a lifelong thing. So choose movement and you're gonna love for your life because
you're stuck doing it for your life. Same with sleep. You kinda need to sleep every night. So get good at it now because you're gonna need that sleep every single night. And it's just constantly going back to those and rebalancing those pillars to make sure, okay, are all those things in check? Am I doing my due diligence to be able to even sustain myself in moving towards my dreams and goals and then chop wood, carry water, and have a boring life that is really fulfilling in the long run.
Nicola Harris (41:46.135)
Mm.
Nicola Harris (42:04.076)
I love that. And and thank you for saying that because you know, I I obviously am in the space a lot with women about really building out the vision that it is that they have for their lives. And very few of them, very few, want these huge, massive, you know, big lives. It's like they want big impact, but they want simple lives. You know, they want a life that
feels like it belongs to them. They want to be able to take time off during the week and go for a walk. You know, they they don't want to be hustling 247 towards something anymore. And I just I love that shift for all of us that we now get the permission to just say, kind of just want a boring, simple, content life. And that gets to be enough, you know?
And I get to show up and feel fulfilled and feel like I am living within my potential each and every day. And I think that's just what we all really want. Yeah.
Gaia (43:12.417)
Yeah, I agree. I agree. And I and I fell into the trap of thinking that life meant I needed to follow what everyone else's strategy was and to be the solopreneur with a s strong personal brand online. And there's nothing wrong with that, 'cause that is meant for some people and their energy and the impact they want to create and how they want to run a business. And this is to say that it doesn't have to be like that for everyone. Like you get to use your skills in the way that feels good for you to use them. Like God
gave you those skills and your experiences and your journey for a reason that y it can look however you want it to look because you're creating a life for you. And I find the one of the greatest gifts I've given to myself is really checking out of social media. As we were talking about before recording this, I don't use Instagram or TikTok or Facebook anymore and it's it's been great. It's great for my of course my mental health but for my business as well where
I don't have to copy another another's business strategy or structure and I can create it from what feels good for me.
Nicola Harris (44:16.566)
Hmm, so much permission in that, just everywhere. I love it. I love it so much. thank you so much, guy, for this beautiful conversation. I hope that it reaches so many women who are in that space of maybe questioning whether or not they have some neurodivergency or whether they're just like, I'm not really working in the way that I I desire to be. And this becomes their permission slip too.
Start to question, get curious, to navigate, to lean into whether there is another option out there for them in the way that they show up in their day-to-day. So thank you so much for spending this time with me and for joining me on The Economy of Soul. I will link where you can find Gaia and all of her beautiful wisdom in the show notes below. But again, thank you so much for being here with us.
Gaia (45:11.169)
Thank you so much for having me, Nicola. This was such a good, great, great conversation. And you bring such a beautiful perspective and so much heart to the work you do and your own story. And it was so powerful. So again, thank you for having me. And I'll add to if anyone has questions about ADHD or related, don't hesitate to send me an email. Happy to connect directly through there.
Nicola Harris (45:22.946)
Thanks for that.
Nicola Harris (45:32.458)
Amazing. Thank you everyone. Have a beautiful week and we will see you next time.
