We recently connected with Ellie Shoja and have shared our conversation below.
Ellie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?
“This wouldn’t exist without you,” is a sentence I hear often from my clients. I help them tell their stories. More specifically, I help them write their books and speeches. For many, what we write together is their first book or their first speech, and it launches their careers as authors and speakers.
My most recent, and perhaps most notable book consulting client, is the writing/directing trio responsible for the comedy classic Airplane! I worked closely with David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker to bring to life their first book Surely You Can’t Be Serious, The True Story of Airplane! (St. Martin’s Press. Release date: Oct 3, 2023).
To say that working on this book was a blast is an understatement. Every day, and every one of the hundreds of hours I spent working on it was a joy. What a gift to have spent the past few years with three of the most hilarious people on the planet, telling one of the greatest stories about the making of one of the funniest movies of all time!
And then to be told at the end that without me this book would not have existed is just mind blowing. I got a text today from Jim Abrahams saying, “I will forever be grateful.” It was like he reached into my chest and gave my heart a hug. I feel blessed beyond words to be able to do the work that I do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a motivational speaker, writer, and story consultant. As a consultant, I help my clients write their books and speeches. I also provide media and speech coaching when needed. As a motivational speaker, I speak on topics of creativity, resilience, human potential, and turning adversity into advantage. I love inspiring my audiences to see setbacks as opportunities, and to discover and unleash their personal power.
My childhood was very unconventional. I grew up the daughter of an international con man, moved over 30 times, and lived in refugee camps in Germany — all before moving to the United States at the age of 15. I went from being angry and suicidal with severe nervous tics to creating and living my dream life. Today, I’m passionate about sharing the stories, studies, and mindset strategies that have helped me become one of the most optimistic and at-peace people.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Society will tell you to work hard in order to achieve your dreams. If this was true then we’d be surrounded by people who are living their dreams. But instead, we’re surrounded by people who are burning themselves out — people who are stressed, overworked, and barely surviving.
I had to unlearn the idea that hard work equals success. As an introverted Capricorn who loves working, this was a bit of hard lesson for me to learn. But like millions of other people, I was on track to burning myself out without having much to show for it.
If hard work does not lead to success, then what does?
The answer is deceptively simple: alignment and joy.
By alignment I mean alignment with yourself — your own needs, ideals, values, desire, and comforts. Alignment with what makes you feel safe and whole.
Most people try to achieve success from a place of inadequacy and unworthiness. They feel a void within them that they try to fill with money and accomplishments. No amount of wealth or achievement will be enough for them, because the not-enoughness they feel is coming from them.
In order to align with yourself, you have to first look inward, examine your inner state and find your center. This means you have to know who you are, what you value, what makes you feel whole. You have to heal what makes you feel unworthy and unlovable, and release the beliefs that limit you. When you do this, success naturally finds you no matter what you’re doing, because you’re pursing your work from a place of wholeness.
The second thing you need for success is joy, which you start to experience more of as you live in alignment with yourself. The path to your dreams is paved with lanterns of joy. Joy is different from happiness in that its source is within you, not outside of you. Nothing has to change in your external life for you to feel joy, because it’s an internal state.
The more your life expands, the more it will expand. It’s positive feedback loop that will never stop, and because you feel aligned with yourself, you enjoy every step of the journey.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In business and in life, it’s essential to pivot readily and as frequently as needed.
I pivot on a daily basis with my writing. Whether I’m writing a speech, a book, or an article, I’m constantly re-evaluating my choices, editing, deleting, changing, and shifting. With my clients, I’ll pivot as I work with them. If one work flow, process, or strategy isn’t producing the results we need, I’ll come up with a new one. With my business, I’m constantly looking for new ways to connect with clients and audiences. Not being married to one methodology and being open to adjusting and changing my strategy is vital in staying competitive and fresh.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellieshoja.com
- Instagram: @braveellie
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoja/
- Twitter: @braveellie
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/peaceunleashed