126, What Intuition Means for Entrepreneurs to Achieve Soulful Success with Melissa Hughes

Sabrina 0:00

Hi, my name is Sabrina Gephardt and I'm a member of Kate Kordsmeier's Incubator, I have loved being a part of this program and I want to share three of my favorite reasons why. So first and foremost is the community. Being surrounded by people who are going through the exact same thing has been absolutely incredible. The incubator is a group of women entrepreneurs, a lot of them are moms, some of us are in different seasons of life. And just understanding the struggles between work life balance, and balancing motherhood and balancing a career has been so wonderful. This is a community where we are able to share our wins and losses and be vulnerable and ask questions and I have loved that so much. I also love the ideas that come out of the incubator, not only ideas that come from Kate and her team, but also again, being surrounded by those like minded entrepreneurs, being surrounded by women in different industries with different levels of experience brings different ideas to the table. And that has been invaluable. And the last thing I want to share is having access to so many people who are experts in their field, tech experts, SEO experts, copywriting experts, money, mindset experts, and so many more. So a lot of masterminds or programs focus on one specific thing and that's great and you learn that thing, but the incubator offers insight and access to information about so many different areas. And that is awesome.

Kate Kordsmeier 1:28

You're listening to the Success with Soul podcast where we believe empowering women is the key to creating a brighter future for us all. Whether you're an entrepreneur, employee or stay at home mom, this podcast is for you. I'm your host Kate Kordsmeier and ICF life and business coach who has made over 2.2 million while working less than 25 hours a week, raising two toddlers and quitting social media. I'm here to transparently share my expertise and help you create a life and business you love. Together with my diverse team of passionate women many of whom you'll hear from on this podcast. We empower 1000s With holistic strategies, personal development resources and mindset tools to find freedom, flexibility and fulfillment and business and beyond. Every week we offer life coaching for Busy Women who want to improve their relationships, self care and overall well being and business coaching for coaches, course creators and consultants who want to make money sustainably. We believe personal growth and entrepreneurship are powerful tools for creating social change. And the world is a better place When more women find their voice and create their own money, power and freedom. Expect candid conversations and insightful interviews with experts that will inspire and support you on your path to intentional whole living and Success with Soul on your terms. It's time to ditch the hustle and find inner peace. Here we go

Indira 2:57

Welcome back to the Success with Soul podcast. I'm your guest host Indira with Team KK and I am so excited I mean beyond for today's episode. With us today is Melissa Hughes. She's the founder of Live Rich, Spread Wealth of business and movement. That's all about helping people live richer lives as a result of becoming their best selves. Melissa is a best selling author, speaker and master business coach that became a self made millionaire by the age of 31. Known as the guru of implementation, Melissa's success and that of her clients is a result of her practical proven systems for business and life success. In today's episode, Melissa shares how listening to her intuition helped her become a successful business owner for over 20 years with a business that's consistently earned seven figures for several years, how she left a lucrative corporate job to become a consultant. But realizing she was still trading time for money. She eventually set an intention to have her coaching buy her out of consulting with what she dubbed her six figure Fridays, how she makes powerful choices in times of uncertainty with grace and ease and how she helps her clients do the same. And we discussed the her implementation process, which is not just the steps but also understanding who you need to be in the journey to get to the other side. Y'all. You have no idea how much I enjoyed this episode. I know you will too. Let's dive in. Melissa, I am so excited to have you on this episode of the Success with Soul podcast. Thank you so much for coming on the show.

Melissa Hughes 4:57

I'm excited to be here with you Indira. I've been looking forward to this moment. I love who you're serving. And I love what you guys are all about.

Indira 5:05

Yay. So, Melissa, tell us a little bit about yourself and your business and your entrepreneurial journey.

Melissa Hughes 5:13

Wow. And wow. So myself, I'm Melissa Hughes. I'm a mom, a wife. I'm a business owner of over 20 years, successful business owner. I've been doing coaching and consulting. And also my family owns a performing art s Christian preschool in the suburbs of Atlanta. So that's a little bit about my businesses. And my entrepreneurial journey has been quite phenomenal. A lot of twists and turns. I mean, I think that I'm not unique. Earlier on, I started in corporate America, and I was able to be successful and rising to the ranks of that. However, I felt like there was this one day, and I was in this really nice hotel with a great view. And I was so upset because I was on business calls, I was fighting fires. And I was like, this cannot be my forever after, like, I felt like, I mean, I was told that, like, the more money you make, the more bonuses you get. That's where you get your freedom, right. And the more money I gotten, the more bonuses I got, I felt like I did that titanium handcuffs like, it was suffocating. And the more time that I was rising through the ranks was the less time I had to spend with people that I really cared about my family knew that I loved. It was like that work. And that career was taking a lot out of me. And I wasn't happy, I was overweight, all the above. So my thing is, is that over the course of my career, I heard this little voice and it was like, there is another way, you know, I heard this thing. And I was like, yeah, yeah, but I'm a thorough learner. And I was sticking with the facts. My family's originally from Jamaica, and I was a first generation born here and the facts were like, you go to school, you get a job to get married, get the white picket fence like this is the playbook that I was given. And I was feeling guilty because I wasn't feeling fulfilled. But I also didn't want to feel ungrateful. So but eventually on that day, I was like, You know what, I'm fed up with all this, like, I know what this looks like, because I went to the hilt, fortune 50 company, all that I'm willing to risk it, I'm willing to discover what that other way is. And so that led me on a journey to a lot of introspection, a lot of investing in myself masterminds goal nine. And I found it, I found that other way, I've been a successful business owner for over 20 years now, my business made seven figures for quite a while now. And I am a mom, I have a seven year old daughter, she's already been to like 17 countries. And so I am so happy that I listened to what we now call intuition. I'm so happy that I listened to that yearning in my heart and in my soul, that said, You know what, like, you can make a bigger impact. If whatever you're doing in these companies, you can take it outside of this, these walls, and do better make more of an impact and get rewarded handsomely for it. And my biggest draw was trying to make an impact was trying to leave this world way better than when I arrived just to be that contribution. And I want to say that as a result of my career and my journey. I'm very thankful. And I love being on your show. Because soul with success. That's what it's all about. My life does represent that I did follow my sole purpose. And I haven't looked back, and I'm not gonna say was always easy. Like, that's not what I'm here to advertise or promote. I'm saying that I found a way to do it with grace and ease and do the hard work and navigate the ups and downs. And I picked up a lot of tools. I invested heavily in myself, and I never gave up on me. And as a result I have a life that I could I never even imagined was possible to have. So that's kind of a little bit about what you're asking me. I think I hope I answered the questions. But that's what it is.

Indira 8:34

That was I literally went on the journey with you. That's amazing, Melissa, there's just so much that I want to unpack with that. The first is that you were making good money, and you were willing to risk it. And I feel like as entrepreneurs, I was a former entrepreneur before I decided to become an intrapreneur for this company, that that's the biggest thing, right? We're willing to risk to quit that corporate job. And then right away, we want to make what we were making in the corporate world, like the first year of becoming an entrepreneur. And most of the time that's just not realistic like that you are

Melissa Hughes 9:19

It's not. And so my journey was this like when I decided I started taking the actions. And so I first went into consulting. And so this was the like this. So I was in corporate America doing my thing, management, all the online work for companies like Microsoft, McKesson, all these different places. And when I decided I actually started doing consulting, so I ended up being an independent consultant. And then I was like, wait a minute, because I was trading hours for time then what like so I was making more money, but I was trading hours for time. And that was I was like, No, this is not the case. That's not the life I want to create, like scratch it off, do it again and do another picture, draw another picture. And so I want to get paid for that. results that I can provide. And that's what I went to coaching. So while I was doing I had my own consulting business at the time, I actually then on Fridays, I would call it my six figure Fridays, because that's when I was consulting my consulting clients. And so I was traveling, doing consulting Monday through Thursday, on Fridays, I would actually do my coaching calls. And then eventually, I was able to just do consult with now. But I set an intention, I wanted my coaching to buy me out of my consulting, I wanted my consulting to buy me out of my full time job. So I actually made those kinds of intentions so that I can bridge the gap. And it was still a lot of risk. I mean, my family, Portuguese Jamaicans, and as I said, I had 50 million jobs. There were times where I felt like I had the million jobs. But you know, I don't have the million jobs anymore. I'm a CEO of my company, and I deal with other companies. And I'm very thankful for the journey, because it made me build my confidence. It may be admit that I actually do have patience, which I would have never told you. I did. It made me It strengthened my perseverance and my persistence. It made me lean into my faith more than ever before. I mean, my spirituality, it was not an everyday living. It was my entrepreneurship journey that really brought me closer to God. The way I didn't know it's real, so. So these are the things that is part of my journey. Now, I've had clients that did quit cold turkey and come to me and say, I'm ready to go. I have had that. And I have supported them with the bridge. And one client in particular, she, we laugh about it now. But she totally quit her job and said, Melissa, I'm ready to do the job. And I was coaching with her before and she didn't ask me, she just told me this is what I did. So she said it. And I think it was in October that she said it and all that I started supporting her with that, in right before the end of that year, I had to call her up and I said, Look, this is not what it looks like. If you keep on this track, then you're gonna get yourself another job. Because to be an entrepreneur, you have to do what it takes to do it. And right now you on that sofa is not what it looks like. So you know, that got her into gear. She got my stuff that I needed from her to get it done. And so she's making healthy seven, six figures now very healthy. She was in the hospitality industry as a GM. And she also did her pay cut, she like decreased that job responsibility started coaching me and working through her business. And what was so great about that is that was October 2019. And 2020 is when COVID hit. Hospitality industry tanked. So I was so thankful that number one, she was like totally living your best life during the pandemic. She had a young son they're like in the kitchen creating these beach scenes like with the with the live recliners, the beach ball like they're like showing me pictures, like having beach day, imaginary beach day in the living room. So she was able to have like, first of all decreased stress, still making money, able to spend time with the people that she really loved. Her son is phenomenal. He actually, when she was coaching me, he was like sitting there at the desk listening to everything. During the pandemic, he decided to open a math tutoring business. And for the grades that were above me hired the girl eighth grader across the street to work for him. That he did not know that he was not, you know, into that math thing yet. So my thing is, is that as a result of me trusting that voice and doing the hard work, my intention was always to make a generational difference, making change not only for my clients, but also seeing the ripple within their children as well. And that's something that I that was like that thing that like she was homies stories, and I've been seeing her growth. And I was like, Oh my gosh, I like had tears because I was like my god, like that's the impact that I always pray that I can make in this world. And having the fruits of that being presented that I would not have gotten advise in corporate, not the things that I was doing in corporate, I got it because I trusted myself enough to honor that intuition on or what I feel like my purpose is and to go full out in it and be unapologetic about it. And then to recognize that, you know, we work for the boss of all bosses. I mean, if you're looking for your sole purpose, and you're looking to live in that realm, then there's that intuition that comes with the manufacturing with your soul comes your intuition that divine guidance or that discernment. In addition to that, I don't have a boss my business, but I do believe I work for the boss of all bosses. You know, some people say universal, I say God doesn't matter. I'm just saying it's bigger than us. Yes. And I feel like if I was working in a corporation, which I haven't I've had a good boss before. As long as the money's coming in and the page in the clients are happy. They're like, what can I do for you, Melissa? You need to say, what can we do like, like they go out of their way to make sure I'm comfortable so I can focus on the job at hand. And I feel like if a human being can do that, then God totally does that. He has way more limitless potential opportunities to provide me that abundance is there. So I just found that I haven't really lost in this journey. I've done nothing but gain I've gained the things that I wanted but then the things that I didn't think was possible to get.

Indira 14:58

Wow. I Love, as there's so many things that you said that I love, one of them is to really trust your intuition. Discernment. I think that one of the biggest things with entrepreneurs, as I'm sure, you know, is mindset. Everyone thinks that I have the skill set, but they don't realize how important the mindset piece is. So it seems like you had that from the get go.

Melissa Hughes 15:28

Yeah, I mean, I think I'm blessed in that way. And it might have been because my family came from an island and like, we just had that joy thing going on, and the willingness to do hard work. And I feel like society has a very good way of disconnecting us from our souls, has a very good way of making us feel less than not good enough. gotta buy this, because you're not good enough, go buy this because you're not worthy, you got it, because I'm pretty enough. You don't have to lie. They await those kinds of things. And then we have people that are in our sphere that are well intentioned, and they are coming from a place of protection, but it actually kills our ability to trust ourselves. That kills our ability to be really in tune with our feelings to the point where it serves us, as opposed to brings us down because we've already we're crashing and burning, because we're disconnected from our soul disconnected from that intuition, if you will. And that is actually a process. Yeah, it's like abundance. It's a muscle to, to reintroduce yourself to your into yourself. Again. That takes work. Yeah. And so I believe that, yes, we can totally be competent and capable, we can be like I serve giants, giants are highly educated, multitalented. And yet, once you have someone's mind you have them. So it's like, let's get our mind back. Let's get our confidence back. Let's trust ourselves our ability to make decisions. For the last 1520 years, I've been teaching executives and entrepreneurs on how to make make powerful choices in times of uncertainty with grace and ease and not second guessing themselves. We're leading people to lead our families, we're leading teams are leading our businesses. So how do you get back in tune with trust and get the data, but also that intuition, so you get the full solution? Because one plus one doesn't always equal the two that you're looking for?

Indira 17:13

Yes, preach. I love that. It's so real. So with that, I want to segway, I looked at your website, and I love that you're known as the implementation queen. Yes, yes. Yeah. Tell me all the things. What does that mean? What it? Tell me?

Melissa Hughes 17:32

Yeah, you know, I was coined that not by myself, but my clients and my colleagues, because they were like, you just get shit done. Like, you just get it done. Like, you know, and I do. And I do, because, I mean, I, you know, if I have a blueprint, which I provide my clients with, like, I know the importance of like, systems that work, right. And if you have a system that works, if it works for you, then that's like the sexiest thing ever. Like, I feel like, it's amazing. So I do love to understand what does it take to get from here to there, and how to make it happen. And what makes me the queen or whatever the latest, you know, expertise on that is, is that I understand as far as giants are concerned that it's not just the steps, it was just the steps, we can Google that. That's like a Google download. Like that's not a big deal. But it is understanding the texture and the journey. And what are the additional tools you need to pick up along the way to make sure that it is like you are you conquer? So when you conquer yourself, you can conquer the world. So implementation is not just the steps, but also understanding who am I in the journey? Who do I need to be in the journey to get to the other side, and it is the steps, but it's also who you be, not just what you do. And I understand the importance of that and being able to accomplish any goal that we set out to do. And that's I think, what has made me more of a masterful person in not only my life, but also how I support others as well.

Indira 18:55

I love that it's really about building the identity, I feel to becoming the person that takes those steps and really implementing I love implementation clean. That is a wonderful nickname to have.

Kate Kordsmeier 19:15

Hey, I want to tell you about one of my favorite podcasts. So I know that we are all busy women with a lot on our plates, and many of us have stopped prioritizing sleep and rest. Raise your hand. I see you. I am you. If you find yourself waking up several mornings a week and you just can't shake the sleepies off then check out my friend Tanessa shares podcast Becoming Limitless. In episode 54 called How to Get Out of Bed in the Morning, Tanessa share six tips on how to feel more rested and energized busting the myths that tell us that the only way to get better rest is to go to bed earlier Tanessa shares research and her own personal story of realizing that she had her sleeping pattern all wrong and what happened when she made some unexpected tweaks. My own team has started following some of her tips and have felt a world of difference in their energy levels. After you finish this episode, check out the show notes to find a link to Tanessa's episode on becoming limitless.

Indira 20:12

You've spoken so much about intuition and why it's so important to leverage that in business. And I'm wondering, do you have something very specific with a client that you can share with us where they really tapped into that intuition? And it served them? You know? Great.

Melissa Hughes 20:30

Absolutely. Absolutely. So I have a few. But let me get oh, there was there's one in particular, and so I have a client, and she's based in Puerto Rico. And, you know, she had her platform that she told me wanted to do, which was all in alignment with her. She's overcome a lot of things. She's a professional, she has a marketing business as well. And we were talking about like, you know, what's getting in the way of her being able to step into this other revenue stream that she was doing? And intuitively she knew that she's like, you know, what, I know that I need to clean some things up before I go into this realm, right? Yeah. And intuitively, she just knew it. And I understood where she was coming from. And so I supported her and being able to clean those things up. So now she's like a force, she's a force to be reckoned with. And my thing is, sometimes you have to have grace for yourself. To know that Oh, yeah. That's my destiny, for sure. And not never losing sight of that. But you know, sometimes when you make that decision, that that's where you're wanting to go. It's like giving like the universe permission to tell you okay, this is the closet you need to clean up like this is this is the person need to get rid of because they're going to be like, yeah, there are things that need to happen in our lives for us to get to that great golden bridge goal. Took a long time to go to build a bridge, right? So it's like, be open to that. It doesn't mean it's not for you, it's not going to be worthy of you being able to go there. But you've never been there before. And there's things that can get in the way of you getting there with intuition. You can navigate that with grace and ease. You can navigate that says, oh, yeah, this is me. Okay, I am. Alright, I'm pausing right now. I'm expanding here. Okay, let me do this. And now what's that next step? Intuition has a way of giving you what's that next step? What's that next step? For me, intuitively, there was a time where I was given the message, okay, we need to teach people, I took my clients to Bali. And I said, How to Leverage intuition, your business and your life. And I did the retreat in Bali. Well, that year that I said, I do it. Oh, all hell broke out. Like, my business started crashing left and right, like stuff that wasn't I mean, like stuff that should not have been happening. I felt like I literally went to the devil 1000, like, like paper roll did or something. And I'm like, getting paid back or whatever, right? So much resistance, there was so much. It's not like, you know what, I don't care, hell or high water, I'm gonna do this retreat, I don't care. You can bring whatever you want to my door, it's going to happen. And after it happened, like the week that I came back, the Sunday I came back, I landed a $300,000 deal.

Indira 22:50

That's amazing.

Melissa Hughes 22:51

Totally amazing. And so this is what I'm saying. Like, when you're up to big things, you will be given opportunities to grow and expand and to learn. Without leveraging your intuition. You could just be like, Oh, here's my stop sign, I need to turn back. Or you can be like, Oh, this situation is defining me. I can't go any further. Or who do I think I am, I really thought I was going to be able to do this. But look at what I have in my bank account. I'm not even worthy. I'm so far apart from that. No, it's not, that's not the case. If you're able to leverage your intuition, able to navigate what's really going on. And the data is always important. But you also want to combine it. So you don't hire the wrong person. You know, you don't bring on the wrong team member, you don't you don't trust the wrong partner. Because their resume the data was so clean cut. But that intuitively, you're like, This is not a fit, there's something up I don't know what it is. I don't feel comfortable with this. And I mean, I've helped my clients, like, not make wrong business deals because the person was so shiny. But intuitively, they're like, oh, and that's why they brought to me like I'm not there's something about that. They were like choosing. They're like, I know I need to do this. But there's something about it. But by us talking about and I got I gave them through an exercise, that's how to walk through to get the answer intuitively, then they're able to settle in their car, their decision and choose powerful like No, even though this looks amazing, I need that partner. But this is not the right one. And then the right one came. And we're like celebrating. Intuitively I helped a client make a million dollars because she did this pilot for a bank. And you know, she put a lot of her investment in it. And then she they were going to renegotiate for another year, multi year deal. And they presented her as like what they presented to her was like awful. Like it made her feel bad energetically, which just wasn't a fit. And she felt like she'd have to accept it. And I was like, no, let's pause here. Let's pause. Let's go through this. And from an intuitive perspective, is this the deal that's going to make the most sense? And we said no. And I said, well as their coach. I said, Okay, well you know what, since that's No, let's take a different approach. Let's create a way of presenting this so that it would cost them to not do business with you. Love that, whatever. Yeah, total reframe. And she did it. She said she did we did the work I did I support and doing the work we got that provide the proposal now, it was delayed but not denied. Right? Because she'd stuck to her guns with her teeth chattering in her knees knocking. She's like, No, I'm not going to set this came back with no thing. No, it's not gonna accept this, they eventually did Checkmate 750,000 as opposed to a million, but what they were offering her before was like, like beans, like it was like nothing. So I feel like, you know, those are opportunities that we have to just dial it back, and not be caught up in the anxiety and the fear and the lack, and to be able to trust the process to get to the other side. Because she's super happy, she sent me the picture of her shaking hands with the banker, and like, she's, like, totally happy. And she like, you know, and that this is another thing that banker had told her, you know, we're not gonna be able to accept your deal. I just want to let you know in person, and I'm going to send you the email. So it's formal. A week later, she's like, I didn't get that she took it as Okay, that's it, I lost the deal. It's all good. A week later, the banker called her and said, You know what, every time I tried to send that email, I couldn't. And the banker end up going to her higher ups, and getting permission to get the deal done and get the money funding the project. So I'm just saying like, it's bigger than us. And we have our responsibility as human beings to do with what we can with the information that we have to always do our best to strive for excellence. But then know that there's another aspect of being a soul oriented person, that you're not here on accident, you're here on purpose. And it's happened to not only the purpose, but the other like benefits that come with you tapping into that purpose. And to know like, I can call for backup.

Indira 26:49

That was amazing, especially because you touched on something where I feel like as entrepreneurs, sometimes when things are not going our way, or you were presented with a deal, and we think we're going to lose it, that we can come from the energy of scarcity. Yes. And when that takes place, then we're making decisions from a place of lack a place of fear. So I really love that you're using that intuition to come from a place of abundance. And just knowing that you say, God, I say universe, the universe has your back.

Melissa Hughes 27:30

Absolutely, absolutely, then you know, and that's absolutely the biggest takeaway that I would love for us to really be able to lean into. Because being able to choose powerfully in times of uncertainty is the biggest gift you can give yourself, your legacy and your employees. Because, you know, you have to be able to understand like, if I was to settle for this deal, she was a solid for the deal, she would basically be paying them. She'd be paying them, you know, that would impact her health. Obviously, her wealth, our mental capacity would impact a lot. And so sometimes, you know, the wrong kind of customers or the wrong deals, will you're going to pay a lot more for that. Sometimes being in that career that's sucking the life out of you. You're paying way more than the days that you are like not the cool girl, not the cool guy. Because you're so stressed out overtired, and you cannot give your best to your the people that you truly love. They get the last of you, not the best of you. And that's expensive. So sometimes we have to look at what are we really paying to live in this life? What's the price that we're paying?

Indira 28:37

Feel like I needed to hear that. That's amazing. You're absolutely right. And as entrepreneurs, it's so important, you know, entrepreneurship can be an isolating. Yeah, so you know, something that we're so proud of with us here with the Incubator is really we have built a community. And a lot of our clients, what they say is like, that's what's really helped them to have female entrepreneurs that are in it just like they are. It's so important. There is one last thing that I want to talk about because I loved it. And it's you saying the power of being versus doing? Yes. Tell me what that means.

Melissa Hughes 29:20

Yes. Because you know, oftentimes, especially the go getters, the action takers were so good at doing, we'll do the heck out of things, right? Like, if you need it done, it's done. We bring the solutions were there for everybody. And we actually identifying with the fact that we're we're doers. And I'm wanting to provide another consideration that if you only rely on what you do, you lose what you're really bringing to the table. And you could do so much that you lose sight of yourself. You are like disconnected with who you are. And like when we face our problems like we'll just do more of it. We'll just do more we like keep on now hitting against our head against the wall. I want you to be mindful of Will you be like, what's the beating of you because when you bring who you are into what you're doing, and you value both of them, then you actually can do less actually, because it's coming from a grounded and rooted place. And then you're more competitive, because you're more unique. If we're just isolating to what you do in your life, then now you'll become more of a commodity. Even if you do it really well, you're a commodity. But when you bring in who you are, who you are, as a person, the essence of who you are combined with what you do in business or in life, that's what makes you like phenomenal.

Indira 30:36

I love that

Melissa Hughes 30:37

Who you be has expansion, it has growth opportunities, because striving to be the best version of yourself, everybody wins. And a lot of times we lose sight of that, and especially women, because we're like, we try to be this for everybody. Like we do things for everybody. And I'm like martyrdom isn't sexy. Ladies, like gals, martyrdom isn't sexy. Because we offer this up, we train people to just take from us. And we sometimes don't even know how to ask for help. You know, those kinds of things. So when you're being in your honor, who you be coupled with what you do, you have more grace and ease in your navigation in the journey. And when you always value who you are, in addition to what you can provide. You have different results.

Indira 31:19

Yes. Melissa, I love it. Yeah, I love this. So this is my favorite part. And this is called our lightning round. And so I am just going to ask you a few questions, and it's whatever comes to mind. Okay, let's go. Buckle up. Okay, what's your favorite way to make time for self care while running your own business,

Melissa Hughes 31:47

I set the intention, I set the intention. So I make time for myself in the morning before I even like support anyone else in the day. Because I feel like if I my best version of myself, I can really get from an overflow cup as opposed from an empty cup. So I also incented intention, I look at my schedule. And I like this is how I want to feel it's I want my daughter to I feel my husband feel my clients to feel. And I set that intention for the day and then I step into my day. So that's how I parent also,

Indira 32:15

I love that you say this is how I want to feel now.

Melissa Hughes 32:19

Absolutely, yeah, I want them to feel like I want us to create something, I want us to create a collaboration. I want this to be with grace and ease. I want us to serve the people that are listening. And that's what I want to show up and create with you. Yes. And I said that before I get on here, like you know, it was really random. Like I'm like, Okay, this is the intention I set for the day. Now let me step into the day has really helped me a lot it really has. Because before I did that, the day would like do me, I went through the day. Oh my god like frazzled, razzled, you know, and I wouldn't take the time out to take care of myself first. And someone told me that a mentor told me he's like, Look, if you don't take care of yourself first, then you're going to be placed in a situation where all you can do is take care of yourself, because that's what your needs are. Your health can be impacted when your health isn't, you can't take care of other people, you are now have to do it. So why don't you do this first? And then you could serve the world?

Indira 33:15

Yes, that is something that we were huge proponents of, you know, put on your your mask, or you can help someone else. Absolutely. I love that. So what's one tool or strategy that you use to help you with time management?

Melissa Hughes 33:33

Well I do blocking what I do blocking of my time. And not only that, but like when I'm working out I'd say I name and it's snatching my sexy back. If I can, like, if it's revenue producing, I'll say like impact driven, like, what can I do to make an impact today, because the more people that I serve, and I touch, that's where my revenues, like my team are clear. If we're making a difference in the world, that's how we are able to be very profitable. If we're not, you'll see that in the bottom line as well. You know what I mean? And so I blocked the timeout to do the things that I want to do. I always make sure that I block out my family first. And then I block out my business because I did set the intention that I want my life to dictate my business. I don't want my business to dictate my life.

Indira 34:16

Yes.

Melissa Hughes 34:17

So I have to create that schedule to really represent that doesn't mean that I I am with my daughter eight hours a day every day either, you know, but when I'm with her, I'm with her family events. I'm with Family. I'm not worried about anything else. So and then you know, that's building legacy showing love you know, I label it things that make me run to that next block of time, and really allow me to understand what's the why behind it.

Indira 34:44

I really this is the first time that I've heard someone say that, but I really love the idea of labeling it that it makes me run to it. Yeah, I love that. What's the most powerful business mindset or entrepreneurial book that you've ever read, this is the one that like you keep going back to again, and it's made the biggest difference in your life.

Melissa Hughes 35:08

Oh my gosh, well, first of all, I would never be one. It would never be one, but there is one that does stand out, okay? I love Go Giver. Okay, I really do like Go Giver, I love that book. But the other one that I really love is the Art of War by Steven Pressfield. Because there was one thing he had in there that like totally changed directory of part of my mindset. He was like, if you know how to get there, you're not dreaming big enough. And I was like, dammit, I know how to get a lot of places. So I was like, living underneath the radar, I got a lot of credit for the things that I knew. But I really wasn't pushing myself outside my comfort zone. It was uncomfortable for others. That's why I got away with it. But to truly push myself way outside there, I don't even know how to get there. Oh my gosh, that's how I become a founder of a movement, deliberative wealth movement. That's what was like part of the seed that was planted for me to one impact 10 million people to live rich and spread wealth.

Indira 36:05

Love that. So I mean, I feel like your mindset is like everything that every entrepreneur wants. So tell me, what's your favorite quote, Mantra affirmation for when things get tough? And you feel like giving up?

Melissa Hughes 36:23

All right, well, first of all, I'm not one that's really good for asking for help. So I have a affirmation hack. Okay. So in this, I got this leap in 2019, which I'm so thankful for. So my affirmation hack is, I'm supported above and beyond whatever I can even imagine. I'm supported above and beyond whatever I can imagine. Because that took me off the hook to want to know everything that I needed. Well, we support it all the time. I didn't even need to know how to ask. I just, it just, like pulled me forward. Like during the pandemic, my clients did really well. The economic the health issues that wasn't like that didn't take me out, George Floyd did take me out that whole racial thing that really like, hurt my soul, and I ended up getting counseling, like I was like, Look, I'm supporting all these giants, I give from an overflow cup, I have to make sure that I can continue to have this overflow. And at that time, I was like, I'm a limping die. And I know what that looks like, let me go and take care of myself. But I had a full team during the pandemic, so I can be the best for others, I had to be the best for myself, in order to be the best for others. And that hack, I feel like allowed me to be open to getting the support I needed, not being so worried about the monetary concern, because I was still a one. The money was there, like it came. And if I had actually not gotten support, I would have taken a dip that would have impacted it will be a ripple effect. Ripple Effect. Yes, it would have been a ripple effect. And so this is what really helped me and so that really has supported me.

Indira 37:55

I love that. And finally, you're in the Success with Soul podcast. So what does Success with Soul mean to you?

Melissa Hughes 38:05

Well, I feel like for one thing, you cannot have true success without soul. That's the one thing right and so what Success with Soul means to me is that it's actually not too far from leverage, but well is that you've accepted all of who you are, your soul is very powerful, the richness, the texture, and that you're able to have that groundedness so that you can truly impact the worlds and impact the world without giving up the things that mean the most to you. Like your soul gets interact with other souls, you bring souls into this world, or we like navigate them and they come in their cells, but I mean, we push them out, but they're their own souls. So when you're able to I always see people's souls, I don't really see people like the rapper on the outside, I see the souls because then I can see someone as you're someone's daughter, you're someone's mom, you know, no matter how big they are, even if the president, their someone's child. So no matter what's going on, it allows you to have that humanity connection. That's what the soul offers us. And then it's our responsibility to step into the success of that. But it's also a war, a path of fulfillment. You know, we can just follow the money without the soul, but the fulfillment can be left behind. I feel like Soul success offers you that fulfillment, that alignment, and that connection with humanity. That's what success is to me.

Indira 39:25

I love that. Melissa, it has been such a pleasure, you have no idea I'm gonna I myself am gonna go back and look through the show notes. There were so many quotes. There were so many gold nuggets, there were so many things that I want to implement into my own life. So thank you so much. I guarantee you that our listeners are equally going to feel the way I feel having you on today's show. You're amazing. So tell us where can our audience connect with you? Where can they find you? Are you?

Melissa Hughes 40:00

Yeah, so the best way to find me on social media is I am Melissa Keyes. I do have a documentary that was released last year. So they can go to liverichspreadwealth.com. Everybody has free access to get in there. I always want to make it that way. And if you want to learn more about me, Melissahughes.com. So I really keep it simple melissahughes.com, liverichspreadwealth.com, and I am Melissa Hughes. But I also want to say Indira, I just want to say that thank you so much for you and your team doing what you do, I was able to see what you guys are all about that Incubator is amazing. I want to just encourage you guys to continue to shine your light. We need giants like you gals continually out there, and making this room for the other women to listen to to see what's possible. I want to just continue to encourage you and to celebrate you. And thank you for having me here today to share the space as well.

Indira 40:49

Thank you so much on behalf of Team KK that that means so much Melissa. Thank you, guys. Okay, have a great day.

Kate Kordsmeier 41:03

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