How to Become the Pilot of Your Own Life and Turn Your Dreams into Reality with Natalie Sisson

0:02Who's ready to rock today, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire. brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like inclusion and marketing. Today, we'll be breaking down how to become the pilot of your own life and turn your dreams into reality. To drop these value bombs, I am brought to Natalie Sisson into EO Fire Studios. Natalie is a holistic life and business coach for women entrepreneurs, a proud mom, founder of the Life Pilot Methodology, three-time number one best-selling author, and she will show you how to design your own freedom plan by focusing on what matters and creating a vision for your life and business you love.

0:40And today, our foundation will talk about the power of visualization. We'll talk about intentions versus goals, a life audit, and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Natalie and our sponsors. The Next Wave, your chief AI officer, hosted by Matt Wolfe and Nathan Lance, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. AI technology is transforming the way we do business, and the media landscape is fragmented. The Next Wave strives to be the leading podcast on AI technology and how you can apply it to growing your business.

1:12Listen to The Next Wave wherever you get your podcasts. If you've ever considered launching a show on YouTube, I may have the solution for you after launching a very successful show on YouTube in 2024, MicroStrategy Today. I've learned a lot on what it takes to create a successful show and have launched a one-on-one mentorship program called YouTube 100. If you wanna jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email. john at eofire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go. Natalie, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:51You don't need to work that hard to become successful, but you do need to show up for yourself every single day. I'm pretty tired of the hustle culture and the patriarchal kind of societal aspects that a lot of people think You need to work really, really, really hard to become successful. I think if you define success on your own terms, then you get to reverse engineer what that's going to look like for you. And it will involve strategic work. And yes, sometimes it may be hard, but it can also be in flow and it can be fun and it can be full of joy. Fire Nation, I might be prejudiced, but this is going to be a fantastic episode with Natalie Sisson.

2:28And I am prejudiced because we're friends. We go way back. We were hanging out in Cebu, Philippines back in 2014. We've been on the podcasting circuit, the speaking circuit. We've known each other for a long time. She's a lovely, lovely human being. And we're going to talk today about how to become the pilot of your own life and turn your dreams into reality. And Natalie, one thing I've always admired about you is just you live your life by design and you prioritize what matters. So tell my audience, tell Fire Nation how you accomplish this. Thank you. Yeah, I think it's just been a lifelong mission to figure out what really matters to me.

3:06And then, as you said, live my life according to those principles and my values. So I'm sure a lot of your listeners have done their values exercise before, but there's doing an exercise and then there's actually living by your values. And one of my highest values for the longest time, and you know this, John, because you've got it too, is freedom and freedom and integrity. So if I can't show up for myself and role model what I really want out of my life, I I can't expect others to do it, any of my clients or my beautiful team or my family and my friends. And I think too many people go through life not actually really figuring out what does matter to them.

3:40And it's a journey, right? Like you and I now are both parents and things have changed dramatically for us and our priorities have shifted. But as long as we keep understanding what's really important, then you actually make that the most important thing. and you make time for that and you shift your life around that and your schedule around that so that you're doing the things that light you up most, not what other people expect of you. And that's one thing that we were talking about pre-interview was, man, remember the days, Natalie, when it was pre-kids? I mean, we were free. We had freedom to do anything and we could travel to Sabu in the Philippines and have fun and go here and go there.

4:17And I mean, you were the suitcase entrepreneur. I mean, that was just what you did. And I loved going to Europe for 90 days every single year with Kate. We would just do Airbnbs. Every three days we'd bop into a new one, a different country, a different place. And I mean, those are amazing times and amazing years. But like you mentioned, we have both now shifted into another stage of our life. You know, we took our time to get there, but we did eventually shift there. I was 43 years old when I finally became a father. And it's now as different, like things are different. I mean, right before actually you and I jumped on a call, my son, Beau, he woke up and I I got to go have a little snuggle with him.

4:52And I mean, just like the energy and happiness that it had. And it was just like a 30 second thing, but it's so amazing. And that just leads me into what you believe, which is in the power of visualization, because that can make our dreams come true. I mean, you and I both visualized freedom for a big part of our life. We had that. Then we visualized the family. Now we have this. Tell us more about the power of visualization to make our dreams come true. Yeah. Isn't it fascinating what the brain doesn't necessarily know? And so what I mean by that is that your subconscious only understands what you feed it.

5:28So if you are feeding it negative thoughts every day, that's what it's going to focus on, right? But if you feed it a different reality, one that you haven't even experienced yet, like a life that you want to live or upgrades or improvements that you want to experience in life, you can actually think those thoughts and be really feeling into what that would feel like to have, you know, the dream travel agenda or the beautiful house or the gorgeous family and think about that every day, really feel into it and feed your subconscious with that reality, even if it's not yours right now. And your mind actually starts to think that that is real.

6:02And when you start acting from a place where your mind thinks it's real and what's possible for you, then it is actually totally possible for you. And just by way of example of that, like when I set an intention years ago, way back when you knew me. I wanted to become a bestselling author. I wanted to be a TEDx speaker. And at that point, I literally had none of that on my radar at all. I wasn't even really speaking much. I certainly hadn't written a book, but I had built, you know, the suitcase entrepreneur community. And I remember creating a three-year life canvas for myself, this beautiful picture of where I'd be in three years from now, but written in the present tense.

6:36And I looked at it every single week. So it was quite bizarre to like go, I am a bestselling author and I am standing on stage. And it all sounded a bit like far-fetched, but I leaned into how that would actually feel. And I looked at it every single week and I read it out to myself. And I really envisaged myself doing those things, like visualize myself on stage, visualize myself holding that book, speaking to people. And honestly, within the first year, 60 % of that life canvas that I put together around what I wanted out of life and work had come true, which blew my mind. And I've continued to use the life canvas kind of theory and philosophy and template that I give to anybody who does life pilot because it works.

7:17It's like the minute you get clear on what you really, really want and you put it out there and you think about it and you act from that place, everything just starts to click into place. I always say it's like the universe just wants you to give it some clarity. And when you do, it's like, cool, I got you. Now, this is a little bit off topic, but it just came up to me while you were talking because I was remembering, you know, when you were really just all in as a suitcase entrepreneur and just traveling the world and doing your thing. What was a moment? Like what moment comes up when I'm asking you this question of when you were sitting there somewhere in the world and you're like, you know what?

7:50I'm doing it. I'm traveling the world. I'm thriving. This is amazing. I'm loving this. What moment comes up there? Oh, great question. I think it might've actually been in Borneo of all places because that's where I started writing my book. And I was like, man, I get the opportunity to write a book from anywhere in the world. And right now I'm in the middle of this tropical rainforest. And just yesterday I saw some orangutans and some little mini elephants. So it was pretty incredible. And I was like, and I've been sustaining myself like in my business since 2009. So this was 2012, 13. And I was like, man, I'm like earning six figures.

8:24I'm traveling the world. I live out of a suitcase. I'm literally have the most freedom that I've ever had. I meet new people every single day, go on new adventures every day, and I don't have to work. You know, like that was, I think the point at that point I had got to this place where I had more than enough abundance and I was all about experiences and people and relationships versus, you know, trying to make my way and save enough money to do things, which had been my reality, you know, well into the lead up of having my business. So I think that was probably one of those aha moments where I was like, wow, I am so grateful for what I have and what I've experienced and who I've become.

9:01And I can tell you that you are inspiring so many people to do the same because you are living that life and you are inspiring that abundance and that just mindset that freedom was attainable and that you didn't just have to, you know, get in the same rat race that so many people thought they were destined to do and just get out of that and really have the experiences that, you know, now you and I can both look back and wow, how we have had these amazing experiences, you know, during these certain years of our life. And now we're having new and different experiences. And actually, you know, you and I are talking right now, like we may be, you know, within a year's time trekking Everest together because, you know, we're going to be going to an event in Nepal potentially and having a great time.

9:42So the adventures don't end. They just sometimes are a little bit different or a little bit of an adjustment for various reasons. And we're going to really be talking about that and more Fire Nation when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Ever feel like your job description just keeps getting bigger? But we all know there's only 24 hours in a day causing marketers everywhere to feel spread thin. Between creating content, launching campaigns, generating leads, and more, you barely have a moment to take a breath, let alone do your best marketing. What if there was a better, easier way? That's where HubSpot and Breeze, HubSpot's new built-in AI, come in.

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11:04I may have the solution for you. After focusing on audio for 13 years, I launched my first YouTube show in late 2024 and have seen fantastic results. over 12 ,000 subscribers, every show getting well over 10 ,000 views, all 100 % organic, zero dollar spent on promotion or advertising. That is the beauty of YouTube. If you create the right content with the right cadence, YouTube will make sure it gets in front of the right people. My show is called MicroStrategy today and I'm having a blast creating content on a daily basis because it's on a topic I love about a company that I truly admire. What excites you?

11:42What fires you up? If you want to launch a show around that passion or improve your current one, I'm launching an exclusive coaching program called YouTube 100, where in 100 days, I will mentor you one-on-one, and together we will create a show that you love and that's successful. I hired the best mentors when I first started and have learned so much along the way. I'm ready to help you ignite your show and let YouTube do the heavy lifting of building a meaningful audience that will allow you to grow and monetize your show in ways you might not currently think possible. If you want to jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email, john at eofire.com.

12:19Put YouTube 100 in the subject line and we'll schedule a time to chat, j-o-h-n at eofire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go. So Natalie, we're back and there's something I want to dive deep into, which is intentions versus goals. When to use them to get the life that you want out of them. So talk about intentions, talk about goals. Yeah. Well, first off, I just love that you just basically exhibited what an intention is. So you dropped a beautiful one there about maybe we're going to be in Nepal together next year, which is in my mind, a brilliant intention. You were putting it out the universe and now I just have to follow path.

12:58So what I love about this question is for the longest time I was a goal chaser. Like I've always been a goal setter and a go-getter. And goals, as you know, they're really specific. They're often measurable. They provide you with direction and structure to your actions, right? So like I will run a half marathon by this date. I will grow my email list by this many people in this time, whatever it may be for you, right? but intentions are really powerful because they are actually the underlying purpose and motivation behind your actions and by that I mean you can intend to be a kind person you can say I am a runner you can you turn up with that intention every single day it's a very different feeling to I'm just trying to hit this goal and I think the beauty behind when you combine intentions with well-defined goals is that you create this really harmonious and effective approach to actually achieving what you want in life because I see too many people setting these big goals and I've done it before like I competed in a half Ironman several years back before I got pregnant and the actual half Ironman event was freaking I mean it was amazing but it was exhausting I'm not gonna lie like as I was on the run I was like oh god why am I doing this but the training before and turning up every single day to get in the swimming pool get on the bike go for a run that was when I became a half iron woman, as I like to call it, like that was when I was actually creating that version of myself.

14:20And I had something to go for. I, you know, turned up every day with purpose. I was becoming that person. The actual event wasn't that, you know, that was the goal, but that wasn't the thing that drove me. And luckily after it, I didn't feel too, you know, a lot of people feel quite let down after they achieve something. But if you have an intention and a purpose, like I am going to be fit and healthy for the rest of my life, I'm going to be the best, most optimized, healthiest version of myself, I want to be a centenarian, then any event or anything that I'm doing is going to be on that path towards that beautiful outcome.

14:54So I can't be disappointed at the midterm goal of the thing that I maybe missed or hit or whatever. So it's actually really powerful. And I wish more people would be intentional in their lives and their goals, because it actually is the underlying purpose behind why you do everything. So one thing that I love the idea of is a life audit. And this is one area that you just simply thrive. So share how a life audit can help us elevate all areas of our life. Yeah. Well, how often do you actually sit down and assess where am I in life? So I'm talking across what we have in LifePilot, these six areas of life that are really important.

15:32Your personal growth, your relationships, your wealth, your work, and also your lifestyle. And what's the last one that I am totally blanking on? Oh, and your wellness. Oh my God, the most important one for me, your health and your asset is your biggest asset. And every three months or so, I just go and do our own life audit. We've built this really cool little app for it. And you basically assess out of 10, like, where do I feel in that area of my life right now? And it really quickly gives you a visual snapshot of like, oh my God, yeah, I'm doing great on my health. I'm really enjoying my work.

16:05But man, my relationships have been taking a bit of a dive. I haven't been putting a lot of energy or time into my friends and my family. And pretty quickly, it gives you this visual of where you're out of whack. And you can then look at, okay, if I'm doing really well in this area of life, how can I apply that and have a ripple effect in my other areas? Or, you know, this is a seven out of 10, but how do I get it to be a nine out of 10? And I just don't know if enough people pay attention to where are they thriving in life and which bits may be pulling them down, or they could be playing a bigger game, or they could be stepping up and just putting more time and energy into it.

16:40So a little bit like, you know, I think people do this in their work a lot. You know, I'm just going to do an audit of where I'm at and look at my stats and my sales and my goals, but why can't we apply that to life? And we should, because Fire Nation, it's a well-balanced focus that we need to be having. And I love when you said the word centurion, I mean, I just kind of really sat up because I'm like, man, that is such a great intention. That's such a great goal to have. And if you're going to get there, you need to do a full life audit because wellness, you know, which Natalie shared at the end, that's such a huge part of what we're doing here.

17:11If we're going to keep making an impact in the world and living the life that we are intentionally creating. And one area that can really be a struggle for people is the fact they just don't have accountability. I mean, so many people are missing that. So give us an example or exactly how an accountability buddy can be our best co-pilot. Oh my God. I would say that most of the things that I've actually achieved in life have come with accountability. I'm a big fan of it because even though I have a lot of personal discipline and motivation, there are times when I've like not wanted to do something.

17:46So I'm a big fan of putting it out there, the life canvas that I talked to you about when I hit my big goals way back and continue to do so. I've always made those public to people so they can actually see like my three-year vision. And I used to put it up on SlideShare when SlideShare was a thing. And I've had like 60 ,000 views of that because people are like, this is really inspiring. Even though it was my stuff, like for them to go, cool, how can I do this for myself? And it also was big for me because I'm like, if I'm putting this out there, I damn well want to make it happen now because otherwise I'll be a bit embarrassed, right, if I don't follow through on this.

18:19And it's not actually about shaming or blaming yourself, but it is about like, hey, if I let my friends know about this or my besties or people that I admire or I really respect, they're actually going to check in with me and they're going to go, hey, Natalie, you said you were going to do this thing, like launch that website or write that book or run that, you know, that crazy endurance race. How are you going with that? And suddenly it just gives you that extra firepower, for want of a word on EO Fire. to help you go, yeah, you know what, I'm not just doing this for myself. I've said that I'm a person of my word and I'm going to do this.

18:50And there's all these people who want me to achieve it as well. So lean in on their motivation and their energy on the days when you can't. And again, in LifePilot, we've kind of built in this co-pilot aspect that we always say that if you're somebody you can share your goals with and intentions every week, and they just check in with you midweek and at the end of the week as well, and you do a reflection together, it's way more powerful because you actually learn a lot more about yourself and your behaviors. If somebody's asking you questions like, hey, what went well this week? What didn't? Where did you show up for yourself?

19:20What were you wanting to do? Just actually having somebody to be there with you and check in on what's important to you makes you way more likely to actually commit to it and do more in that space. Accountability partners, Fire Nation are unbelievably critical on so many levels. I mean, I look back at all the biggest accomplishments I've had in my life. It's also because I've had an accountability partner. I've had that co-pilot that was there. And guess what? It was somebody that I knew that I liked, that I trusted because I didn't want to let them down. I didn't want to not live up to my words.

19:54I didn't want to not live up to my intentions. I was going to share with them something that I was going to accomplish. You better believe that I was going to accomplish that by the time that we were having that next meeting because man, it's unfortunately pretty easy to kind of let yourself slack off because you can give yourself a million excuses when it's just you. But when you have somebody else that's saying, hey, I'm going to hold your feet to the fire, it really does matter. And Natalie, we talked about life audits, intentions versus goals, the power of visualization, accountability, life by design.

20:24I mean, we've covered so much today. If you wanted to take a step back right now and really make sure Fire Nation walked away with one thing today, what would that one thing be? Actually, it's just what you alluded to there. we don't always want to show up for ourselves, but every single day that we do, we prove to ourselves that we're the type of person who is there for us. And at the end of the day, honestly, that's the most important thing. Accountability partners make a huge difference, goals and intention, but without you actually believing in yourself, like I can actually do this if I just turn up and do a little bit of work every single day, take a step towards those things that are important to me.

21:03And the more that we actually show up for ourselves every day, like putting on our shoes to go for that run or speaking to that stranger because we're trying to get over our shyness. Every single day that we turn up for ourselves, we're putting something in the bank to say, yes, I am that type of person and this is who I'm becoming. And that breeds confidence and that breeds momentum. So start with you and show up for yourself. Natalie, if Fire Nation's connecting with the words that you're saying, and I'm sure many are, what is the next step for them? How can they connect with you? What is your call to action for our listeners today?

21:34I would so love for them to do that life audit. It takes honestly just a couple of minutes and we've made it really fun. So if they want to head across to lifepilot.co forward slash audit, it's free. You don't even need to opt in and it'll actually show you visually on the screen as you're putting in kind of your life ratings. And it just gives you a really powerful visual, as I said. So I would love for people to give themselves that gift. Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with NS and JLD today. So keep up that heat. For links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com, type Natalie in the search bar, and the show notes page will pop right up.

22:10And by the way, I've done two other episodes with Natalie over the past 12 years, one super early on, and then one back in 2017. So listen to both. They're legendary. I mean, I need to go back and listen to that early one, Natalie. Oh, they're pretty awesome, aren't they? They're pretty awesome. But listen, Natalie, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you so much. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Natalie for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, successful entrepreneurs are great at three things, productivity, discipline, and focus.

22:47That's why I created the Mastery Journal so that you can master these three things in 100 days. And we're talking step-by-step. Visit themasteryjournal.com. And I'll catch you there or on the flipity-flip side. The next wave. Your chief AI officer, hosted by Matt Wolf and Nathan Lanz, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. AI technology is transforming the way we do business, and the media landscape is fragmented. The Next Wave strives to be the leading podcast on AI technology and how you can apply it to growing your business. Listen to The Next Wave wherever you get your podcasts.

23:22If you've ever considered launching a show on YouTube, I may have the solution for you. after launching a very successful show on YouTube in 2024, MicroStrategy Today. I've learned a lot on what it takes to create a successful show and have launched a one-on-one mentorship program called YouTube 100. If you want to jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email, john at eofire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go.