Cover Interview: You are Your Number One Asset – A Lesson in Divine Self-Care with Elena Lipson

Elena Lipson (Business Heroine Magazine)

{Photo by Candace Allen at Sole Sister Media}

Elena Lipson is the Divine Self-Care Mentor, transformational coach, speaker, retreat leader and creator of the 21 Days of Divine Self-Care online course.

Through her coaching, retreats, and programs, Elena works with women all over the world to become the #1 asset in their life, business and the bedroom so they can reconnect to their purpose and passion.

Elena has lived in Russia, NYC, California and today happily enjoys the green trees and fresh air of the Pacific Northwest with her amazing husband, zen-kiddo and sweet-soul pup Chi-Chi.

Enjoy her exclusive Business Heroine® interview…

BH: How did you end up doing what you do? Tell us your story!

Elena: I’ve always loved and have been naturally good at giving people advice. Even as a teen, all of my friends would come to me asking for various bits of advice. In college I was the go-to resume stylist. Words and communication have always come naturally to me. I’ve kept a journal since I can remember and have always had an interest in exploring my own intuition, spirituality, and human behavior.

It’s not coincidence that I ended up majoring in Organizational Psychology and learning about what makes people and organizations tick. After graduation, I went on to climb the corporate ladder as an executive coach and trainer. I even spent time in executive recruiting and managed a national beauty salon. I’ve always followed my intuition when making career moves and it served me really well.

So when my son was born, I started my first online eCommerce store from scratch. After 4 years working all the time to build my business, and raising our new young son, I found myself chronically exhausted, diagnosed with 2 auto-immune issues and pre-cancerous colon cells I knew that something had to change.

That’s when I decided to get back into what I really loved: coaching. Around this time, synchronicity intervened and I found an online training called B-School where I discovered amazing women doing the coaching work I loved, but they were doing it virtually as an online entrepreneur. I was hooked! This was the exact vision I had years before of being able to work from the beach and a laptop. I had no idea this was exactly what would happen.

But this time, when I was figuring out the brand and message of my coaching by, after years of doing it the expected way, I decided I was going to follow my bliss and teach other women to avoid the pitfalls of “working hard for your money”. I knew there was another way. A way of peace and spaciousness and working in a way that inspired others to make lasting change as well.

During a meditation I heard the words Divine Self-Care, so I wrote it down and felt in my soul that I had found my sweet spot. It still wasn’t an easy journey. As doubt and fear creeped in, I knew I had to keep moving and refining my methods.

I knew I had truly found my “thing” when I was invited to over 30 interviews in the first year. People really wanted to hear what this Divine Self-Care was all about. Everyone I spoke with felt this call for more ease and grace. Clients began to arrive and my group coaching programs were filled with amazing women who wanted to learn this new Self-Care way.

Over the last few years I’ve created the 21 Days of Self-Care Course, my signature offering. I’ve also hosted several group coaching programs and now I have my passion project, The Divine Self-Care Circle Mastermind, a year-long journey. It’s an amazing group of women and each month we dive deep into the mindset of Self-Care. We inspire each other, support each other and build an amazing circle.

This is truly my dream job and each day I get to wake up and do work that truly lights me up. I also get to embody and integrate Self-Care as a lifestyle which includes doing my money dates at the spa. Yes, it’s pretty damn incredible. And that’s exactly the feeling I wish for all of the women I work with.

BH: What is your ‘Wake Up Call for the World?’ In other words, what is most of the world asleep about that you would love to wake up?

Elena: My “Wake Up Call for the World” – the path to living a life of purpose and passion is to begin with seeking wisdom internally. I see so many women asking others and seeking externally for the answers to their life and business questions. I see them going from one thing to the next based on the advice they receive.

My call to action is – grab a pen and journal, go sit out in nature somewhere and write down – “what do I really want?” = and sit there until you’ve emptied out all of your cobwebs, dreams and desires. THEN, from there begin to pull out the ones that make you smile. Simple, powerful, crucial!

BH: What are the biggest challenges or aspirations your clients come to you with, and what does your work make possible for them?

Elena: Most of my clients come to me when they are ready to tap into their own wisdom and build a life, not just business. Many clients are run down physically from working ALL the time, feeling totally disconnected from their body, their partner and can’t remember the last time they took time to just play. They’ve lost that playful side of themselves and they’re ready to invite that part of themselves back again.

When I start working with my clients, one of the first things we do is to create a 12 or 18 month dream calendar that incorporates play, vacation, launches, writing time, collaboration time and NOTHING time :).

Once they can see that there is time and space for everything they want to do … they begin to feel the courage and confidence of claiming what they truly want for their life, not just continue spinning their wheels and waiting for “someday” when everything is ideal.

We also look at creating sacred space, daily practices that connect them back with Divine guidance and their own intuition.

I truly LOVE this work. I help women feel lit-up again and from that space everything looks different.

BH: We’re curious about your breakthrough moment in business. Looking back, what created the breakthrough?

Elena: It was a series of moments where I realized that I have full permission to do it MY WAY. I felt it so deeply in my soul. After purchasing and not actually doing several programs, I realized that I was looking for external answers that didn’t fit ME.

I’ve never been one to follow a template or rules. So why was I trying to build my business that way? Once I gave myself full permission to be ME, as evolving as that can feel sometimes, I realized that this is the way to find my sweet spot and love my work.

Yes … I still have difficult moments, but it’s always MY work, MY lesson and MY path. I trust my intuition and the universe to guide me … always. And that makes all the difference.

BH: What words of wisdom do you have for all the emerging Business Heroines out there who are on the cusp of creating their own purpose-based business?

Elena: Create a business that you love NOW. Think about the type of lifestyle you want to live, the hours you want to work and the way you want to BE in your business. Then do what you can to implement those things now and not wait until someday. I see so many women start living their life fully in their head, walking around ALWAYS thinking of work, unable to be fully present with friends and family because they’re always worrying about the next thing they need to do for work.

My advice, start a daily practice that ignites your body and your mind. The more lit up you feel in your body, the more you’re going to become magnetic at work and in everything you do.

I know how scary it can feel when you’re not where you want to be financially. But the fastest way to reach your business goals is to find joy and energy in your life and ignite that passion and energy in your body.