Recounting Life Lessons

"Life doesn't have to be so hard." That's what Kathy Mou learned after struggling with infertility.

In this episode, Sione and Alana sit down with life coach and the creator of The B.S. Life aka The Bliss Soft Life, Kathy Mou. Where she recounts the experiences in her life and her identity as an Asian twin, working in her family's restaurant, and struggling with infertility led her to discover principles to living a life that's more blissful and not so hard.

Highlights from their disccusion include:

• the difference between self-love and self-care
• how do you start putting your needs first
• how do you know if you know what you want?
• why self-love is not selfish
• how to avoid stifling your children's ability to discover their wants and abilities

We don't have to wait until we reach our next goal or phase in our lives to feel happy or bliss. And life really doesn't need to be as hard as we often make it.

Connect with Kathy:

Website: www.kathymou.com/

Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @kathy.mou

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana @alanauyema

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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Communication is one of the most essential soft skills to develop if we want to be effective in our leadership, teaching, coaching, parenting, selling, and relationships.

We speak to influence and to be understood, but if we aren't good at listening before we speak the things we say may seem to go unheard or misunderstood.

In this episode, Alana shares the 7 Ps of listening and ways that you can use them in your conversations and every day life. These 7 practices will make you a better listener and communicator. They are:

1. Priority
2. Patience
3. Persistence
4. Paying attention
5. Patterns
6. Practice
7. Placement

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana @alanauyema

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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When is the best time to start taking action on our goals? When is it too late?

Alana sat down with Sharon Takamori, who at 76 years old, decided to start a YouTube channel, even though she had little to no knowledge about how to get it done. They talk about how she dealt with setbacks and negativity and the driving force behind her desire to jump into a new entrepreneur journey at such a late stage in her life.

Sharon is also the daughter of the late Fujiko Matayashi, the lady who sat on the side of the highway in Waiahole for years, selling her fruits to help provide for her family. Fujiko is also the inspiration behind the iconic song, Sweet Lady of Waiahole, by Gordon Broad.

In this episode, Sharon shares memories of her mother, what she's learned from entrepreneurism, as well as what gardening and farm life have taught her.

Want to connect with Aunty Sharon?

Find her and the rest of the Sweet Lady Legacy familiy on Instagram @sweetladylegacy or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@sweetladylegacy808

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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Making decisions use up energy and bandwidth. And it's the most urgent decisions that end up using up most of our energy. When our energy is low and the time for making those desicions arrives, it is likely that we will end up making a decision we later regret.

Not only that, the bandwidth required to make those decisions also rob us of the energy and time to do more of what we actually love and actually want or feel called to do. In short, decision fatigue can prevent us from doing our best and greatest work.

In this episode, Alana shares the 3 things she did to increase her capacity and minimize the decision fatigue that the everyday obligations brought with them. She calls them the 3 E's of decision making.

The 3 E's of decision-making can help you minimize that decision fatigue for yourself and for those that you lead.

What more would you be able to do or enjoy if you had more time and energy?

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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If we want to avoid wandering aimlessly in our lives and in pursuit of our goals we need 3 things:

1. We need a map or a plan to follow
2. We need to know where we currently are
3. We need to know what our desired destination is or where we want to go

One of the best ways to do identify those first two is by tracking our stats, habits, numbers, and data. It's by keeping good records. As we do this we'll also be able to discover our strengths, our weaknesses, and use that knowledge as a way to take advantage of our positioning to give us an edge.

In this episode, Sione and Alana talk about the lessons and tips they've picked up by being more intentional about tracking their goals and progress to help you discover ways to get or create a map for yourself and then to determine where you are on that map.

For help in determining what you want or where you want to go once you have that map, check out:

Ep. 1: Begin with the End in Mind

Ep. 2: Success as a Whole

Ep. 33: Success is a Feeling

Ep. 57: Success Starts Here

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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Have a life lesson to share with the world?

Apply to be a guest athttps://sioneandalana.com/sharealesson/

If you don't know where you are, in relation to where you want to be, it's difficult to make progress on purpose.

In this episode, Sione and Alana discuss the various fears and reasons we often avoid getting clear about where we are. They also discuss what we can do to manage those fears and courageously push past them.

Fears like:

• fear of failure
• false comfort in the ambiguity
• fear of change
• fear of introspection
• fear and overwhelm by what's next
• fear of what others may think

Whether it be in our health, our finances, or our progress on our journey to reaching a particular goal, having a clear picture and awareness of where we currently are will give us an advantage.

The presence of these fears are normal, but do not let them stop you from taking the actions that allow you to find that clarity and the confidence that will come with it...even if you find out you are not yet where you think you should be.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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As leaders, there is always more to do than we have the capacity for at any given moment. We face the endless pull of projects, responsibilities, and obligations for our attention. As a result, it's easy to feel like there is never enough time to do more of the things we love and feel called to do.

In this episode, Alana shares 3 things that can help you and those you lead, increase your capacity to do and enjoy those things.

When it comes to increasing our capacity to do more, it's not about doing more. It often comes down to knowing how to start doing less.

We'll need to make decisions about what to let go of or change so our energy and attention is spent on the things that will have the greatest impact for good on our results.

In this episode, as Alana shares her experience of what it took for her to increase her capacity to do what she loves and feels called to do, you'll hear about the lessons she learned. These lessons can help you make decisions about how to clear up your mental and physical clutter and increase your own capacity to do more of what you love and feel called to do.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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A few years ago Sione and Alana sat down with Jess and she shared with them a wonderful story about an experience she had while giving donkeys some water during a hot summer day and what it taught her.

The lesson was that the Lord knows what we need and what's best for our growth and ability to reach our potential. Sometimes we get exactly what we need, but we get frustrated and complain because it's not what we expected.

In this episode, Sione and Alana revisit this story and share a few of the lessons that stuck out to them and how it can help us when things don't go the way we expect them to.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Connect with Jess: https://www.jestkeptsecret.com/

God is the Gardner video: https://youtu.be/oDrhvm9EnJ4?si=okL7guZbDfRBx-8E

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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Powerful questions can direct our focus and attention. They can increase our awareness and help us to recognize the value of our experiences. They can also motivate us and increase our abilities to take empowered actions to improve ourselves, our lives, and our circumstances.

In this episode, Alana shares several questions to help you reflect on the value of this past year as she recounts some of her greatest regrets and discoveries from answering these questions herself.

The questions from this episode will have you reflecting on the following:

• your growth or lack of growth this year and what it means to you
• the mistakes you've made and how to get the most out of them
• your financial decisions and what they can teach you about your priorities and values
• how your experiences this year fit into the big picture

To get a pdf version of the questions asked in this episode, go to https://sioneandalana.com/resources

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

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Have a life lesson to share with the world?

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When it comes to achieving success and enjoying a life of fulfillment, there is an important step that is often underestimated.

In this episode, Sione and Alana discuss the importance of discovering, acknowledging, and knowing what you want.

They share some tips and ideas for how to increase your awareness to what you want and what is possible for you to go and get those things so that you can enjoy a life of success and your dreams.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast.

Shop our Empowered Hero Apparel:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EmpoweredHeroApparel

Have a life lesson to share with the world?

Apply to be a guest athttps://sioneandalana.com/sharealesson/