We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Charles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Taking a risk involves stepping into a position of uncertainty where there is no guarantee of success. It can be daunting. It can be humbling. And if you’re not careful, the risk decision can stand between you and your dreams. This fear factor, which arises from the inability to know the outcome, presents the most significant potential stumbling block. I have faced that stumbling block in my career but have allowed fear to be a great motivator.
Professionally, I have served as a state and federal prosecutor, a singer and actress, and a wellness coach and consultant. I have relied upon my ability to deal with fear effectively during each transition.
After concluding my last case as a federal prosecutor, involving the mafia and police corruption, I decided to walk away from law and pursue my dream of music and acting. I practiced law for 14 years with a steady income and professional opportunities for advancement. Although I enjoyed my courtroom experience, I was ready to enter a profession that ignited another part of who I was from my innermost core.
To leave that security and balance the risk, I took the following six steps:
1. I explored my inner core identifying my loves, passions, talents, and skills.
2. I recognized fear as a state of mind disguised as thoughts.
3. I used brain plasticity to change negative thoughts to positive ones.
4. I thrived in positivity as I designed my new life.
5. I made a success plan with major and minor steps, and
5. I believed in and executed my plan daily.
These steps enabled me to manage the risk associated with change while launching a successful acting and singing career. Although I ultimately had to leave my singing endeavors due to medical challenges, the risk taken led to fantastic opportunities and beautiful adventures.
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 am an award-winning Keynote Speaker and Best-Selling Author of “Yes! Commit Do Live” – a book centered on training people to tap into the Brain-Body connection enabling them to embrace any passion and desire and turn it into tangible results.
I am also the CEO of Embrace Your Fitness, LLC, a wellness consultancy driven to bring innovative, creative, and effective Wellness programs to individuals, corporations, and organizations.
After serving as a federal prosecutor, I left law to pursue singing and acting. I unexpectedly struggled with temporary vocal loss but turned it into personal growth by shedding 77 pounds without dieting. That ignited my zeal for fitness, cemented my understanding of the brain-body connection, and led me to create a life based on passion. That passion led me to become a wellness Coach and Trainer. It allowed me to serve as the Fitness/Wellness Research Coordinator for the Rutgers University Aging & Brain Health Alliance.
As a Brain, Body, and Belief Alignment Specialist, I equip corporate employees with innovative tools to let go of their limiting beliefs, release stress, renew their energy, restore sleep, and gain the mental clarity they need to live the life of their dreams. I specialize in Sleep management and Breathing techniques empowering individuals to break through any age-limiting barriers, allowing them to experience my unique top/down, inside/out approach to wellness.
I have taken that approach to create, alongside my partner, Christine Conti, Reinventing the Woman (RTW) Retreats and Mastermind membership, both dedicated to elevating lives and advancing women’s health globally.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
A Celebration of Life
In my formative family years, I established my spirit of resiliency. If someone called me names, betrayed a friendship, or tried to discourage me from taking an opportunity, they did not affect what’s most important—my character and my faith. Those actions couldn’t alter my values or change my spirit. I learned young that I am greater than whatever challenging circumstances may present themselves.
Loss tested my resilience over the last three years—I lost my younger twin brothers to COVID. I became determined to help many people experience lasting health and wellness from my top-down / inside-out approach.
My brothers were my closest friends, and I miss them every day. I miss their laughter, wisdom, unique take on life, and the support they always showed me during our daily calls. Over the years, John and Edgar were the first people I’d call to celebrate a new opportunity, and they were always there to listen and love me whenever I faced difficult situations. They were true friends in every sense of the word, and I was blessed to have 54 years of brotherly love.
Our love was powerful, and I now live on our shared sweet memories. I also live empowered by the strength of my core and the depth of my faith. Their loss has renewed and refueled my dedication to creating a movement helping people learn the health-related importance of loving their neighbor as they love themselves. I have crafted a presentation in celebration of life entitled, “The Power of Pain to Transform Your Life – Beauty in Brokenness,” which provides a roadmap toward the journey of healing.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The COVID-19 Pandemic Challenge
The Pandemic and its resulting policies have profoundly impacted the world population’s mental and physical health, resulting in higher stress levels, depression, insomnia, PTSD, and anxiety. Stress can activate inflammation in the brain and the body, a common risk factor of 75%–90% of diseases linked to morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, metabolic diseases, i.e., diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and cancer, are rising.
With this backdrop, the mandatory pandemic closures financially impacted businesses, causing the loss of steady revenue streams, and my business was not immune. The Pandemic posed a significant challenge and risk to the long-term viability within specific industries.
For my business (Embrace Your Fitness), the first wave of pandemic restrictions closed much of my in-person business, including my speaking engagements, in-person corporate workshops, and business training. At that time, I didn’t have a significant online presence. However, with challenges, there are opportunities.
Enter the opportunity. The Pandemic required me to explore all the online platforms and assess the best one to present virtual content that engages business leaders and their employees with a creative and unique approach to delivering programs. The keyword was and still is “engagement.” Community and connection were significant advantages my programs bought at a time when loneliness and separation ran rampant. Since people were somewhat disconnected then, advancing creative programming with a strong emphasis on bringing people together again was even more critical.
I would not wish the Pandemic on anyone, but the lesson gained is to know your business well enough to make the necessary pivots to survive and thrive during any downturn.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yescoachlisa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaembracefitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embraceyourfitness.net/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/embraceyourfitness/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/YesCoachLisa
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yescoachlisacharles
- Other: https://calendly.com/yeslisacharles/25min https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Commit-Do-Live-Brain-Body/dp/1952654319/ttp
- Lisa Charles Documentary – a Bayer Mack Production: https://vimeo.com/530120544
- Introduction video: https://vimeo.com/695907710/efb79d7528