IAM497- Master Yogi Helps Others Rediscover Their Power

Katie B Happyy is a world-renowned Master Yogi. Katie has appeared on NBC, and CBS, featured in Shape Magazine in addition to being an international Lululemon Model / Ambassador, and has taught at festivals including Wanderlust, International Yoga Festival in India, and The One Love Movement. Through her b_inspired courses hosted in India, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Italy, Spain, China, Colombia, and beyond Katie B challenges thousands to awaken a deeper part of their spirit.

Katie’s 501C3 nonprofit, B_Inspired has changed thousands of lives and helps you rediscover your power. From life-changing Self-Venture Int'l Retreats to online classes, the b_inspired team helps you align to your clarity in your calling.

• CEO Hack: Clarity, gratitude and growth
• CEO Nugget: Letting the people working with me be better than me
• CEO Defined: Trusting the transitions

Website: http://binspired.life/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiebhappyy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiebhappyy
https://www.facebook.com/katiebinspired/

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Katie B Happyy of B_Inspired. Katie, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Katie B Happyy 0:37

Thank you so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:39

No problem. So excited to have you on and what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Katie so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Katie is a world-renowned Master Yogi. Katie has appeared on NBC, and CBS, featured in Shape Magazine in addition to being an international Lululemon Model / Ambassador, and has taught at festivals including Wanderlust, International Yoga Festival in India, and The One Love Movement.

Through her B_inspired courses hosted in India, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Italy, Spain, China, Colombia, and beyond Katie B challenges thousands to awaken a deeper part of their spirit. Katie’s 501C3 nonprofit, B_Inspired has changed thousands of lives and helps you rediscover your power. From life-changing Self-Venture Int'l Retreats to online classes, the b_inspired team helps you align to your clarity in your calling. Katie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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Katie B Happyy 1:25

Oh, yeah.

Gresham Harkless 1:26

Awesome. Let's make it happen. I wanted to kick everything off and hear a little bit more about your background your CEO story and what led you to get started with your organization.

Katie B Happyy 1:34

Initially, I always wanted to, but I had a craving to give back. But I didn't know how so I ventured into a major international security in conflict resolution, which I thought I was gonna go into humanitarian aid like working for the UN or some sort of making change on a grander scale. What initiated the spark or initiated my joy or love of intentionally giving back? My mom passed away from breast cancer when I was 14, and I had the unique opportunity and the beautiful opportunity to be with her and her last breath. Something kind of clicked with me, like when you see someone's chest rise and fall, and then the moment that they just exhale. There's nothing after that. I realized that this life is just a game and literally every inhale is a gift.

I've had this fire under my butt to figure out why we get this opportunity to breathe in. Like why do we get an inhale? Every second 1.8 People die, and four people are born, which is promising, but 1.8 pass away from their bodies. I just had the spark like life's too short to not go deeper or figure out why we got the breath. So, I ventured through the giving back to the world. I went into nonprofits after I left school and eventually started to realize the change I was trying to make selfishly. I love the fact that from minute one to minute 60 in a yoga class, I can watch someone come in and leave feeling better after they're done.

I was selling change on a grander scale when I was working in the nonprofits and more political stuff. I was selling a dream, which is still needed and awesome. But I found a lot more opportunity and a lot more instant gratification to see that the ripple effect I can make by changing someone's day in that little fitness class could really make a ripple effect outward, and they're nicer to people. Then those people are nicer to other people. I just felt more validation from it. My company is called B_inspired because the Latin root of the word inspiration is to inspire to inhale. I'm figuring out like, why how do we live every inhale? How do we live inspired? Yes, we're going to go through ruts and be super stuck and we're going to fail more times than we succeed, honestly.

I'm trying to figure out even in those places where we fail, and even in the places where it doesn't feel good, and we have a broken heart, or we have to transition into a new job. How do we find inspiration to keep moving forward to trust the transition, and to really just dive a little bit deeper into the little time that we have in this world together? So that's where it was born. I started teaching yoga, and it started snowballing where it wasn't just yoga, but now I was making change on a small level. How do we make it bigger and organically it started to grow into workshops that are three hours then weekend seminars, then even bigger into retreats.

Now we host six international, call themselves ventures that are retreats with a lot of self-development aspects in it. Because we're self self-development company that's trying to help you figure out your transition and help you get re-inspired after what's inevitable is that the only inevitable thing is change. So how do we in this life continue moving forward the retreats are a mixture of mantras, exercises, eye staring, dancing, sweating, and having a lot of fun, we value fun too at night and so it helps people move forward in a really productive way.

It's organically kind of grown from me just wanting to help people and figuring that out and using yoga and fitness as an outlet to get there. Now it's like the onion layers, you start with fitness, that's the outer layer, and then it gets a little bit deeper, then we go into the mind and the heart, and then even deeper into like clarity and purpose. These trips are just really fun.

Gresham Harkless 5:09

No, I definitely appreciate that I'm sorry to hear about your mom, and everything that happened, but just that clarity that you talked about, it's something that I think a lot of us sometimes forget just every, like you said, every breath is a gift. A lot of times, we don't know if you find this as well, but I feel you don't really have that set time where you should figure out what those breaths in life are supposed to be going towards.

Until you take time to look and search a lot of times within yourself and do different ways as you mentioned, dance and yoga and all those things to figure out who you are, why you were put here on this earth, and what you're kind of meant here to do. I feel like there's not enough time to set a time for us to do that you have to kind of just figure that out, or you run into people like you, of course.

Katie B Happyy 5:50

Thanks, I stoke the fire. I don't promise any results, besides the fact that you'll be beautifully motivated and re-inspired after we spend a little bit of time together, whether that's a 60-minute fitness class because that's perfect and that's awesome. Or if it goes a little bit deeper into some of the online courses that we offer or the retreats we actually take the big jump and go to an international space where your body and your mind, you're in a totally different world.

There's a molecular change that happens when you're in a new place with new sounds and smells and sensations with brand new people, something gets to shift in you. When you come back home nothing has to change in your world, besides the way that you look at it. So we help you shift your perspective in ways that keep you propelling forward in the direction that you want to go.

Gresham Harkless 6:34

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I've definitely found that and I don't know if this is kind of speaking to what you were talking about as well, too. But a lot of times, I think even on a smaller level, some people get ideas I've gotten ideas sometimes mean in the shower, and just because you changing your environment, but obviously, I've been able to do it as well on vacations. I don't know why. But I guess it's speaking to what you were talking about where you're in a different environment, you're thinking about things differently, you're doing things differently than the norm. A lot of times when you come back and you start to look at a problem differently, or come up with a different product or whatever it might be just look at things differently, you start to appreciate things a little bit more fine.

Katie B Happyy 7:04

Yeah. That exact notion is what kind of got me started on the international retreats in 2013. We did do some, we did them up in Ohio or different areas of America and personally, I even thought, Okay, let's just start small, because I'm located in San Diego, so small for me is driving across the border down to Mexico. I still do that many times a year and on that very first trip 20 minutes across the border, the world is completely different in all these beautiful ways and your heart is just tugged in places where you come home, grateful at the end of it. We teamed up with a local orphanage, it was 2014.

Now, every year, every trip I go on, we do some sort of karma or give back component because I think it's one of the hugest components of feeling good and happy in your life is being able to give back and contribute to something that contribution is critical. There are three things to happiness as I say. There's growth, gratitude, and giving. If you believe that you're giving back to something even small in your life, I think that it contributes a lot deeper to your day-to-day happiness. You add that to a retreat where you're already getting away and we go volunteer at an orphanage or even just raise money for them as part of the proceeds from the retreat. Then you feel like you're not just doing something for you, you're doing something for a little bit bigger purpose.

Gresham Harkless 8:16

Yeah, that makes so much sense. It's definitely powerful. Just as you kind of spoke to me, I feel like I started to create that energy. That energy starts to propel itself, as you mentioned, whether it be just a fitness class that you do you feel like from the first minute to the 60th Minute you see that energy. Then you start to see it and see that change and start to manifest how people are looking at their lives, and maybe interacting with their loved ones and their job and so on.

It creates that entity that makes the world an overall better place. I definitely appreciate that. I know you touched on a little bit about some of the things that you're doing. Is there anything additional you didn't really touch on that people who are listening want to get involved? Not sure basically how what would be the best step for them as far as being inspired.

Katie B Happyy 8:55

There are some big things in the works for 2020, where you can virtually get a little bit more involved to be announced because it's kind of rolling up soon. But I would say as of right now, the biggest way to be involved is by showing up to any of the big events that we host. So we host bicoastal in New York or San Diego, a big event on the flight deck of the Intrepid or the Midway, where there's like 500 people and we get out there and we sweat we have a good time. I always say we get to work out and work in because you're able to feel good. That's a component. You need those natural drugs adrenaline endorphin dopamine, you need those to pump a little bit. But then you get to connect with people.

We do some weird eyes staring stuff and a great way. You just get on the sunshine and it's for a good cause. So you can get involved in the fundraising component five, Eventbrite is also a 501C 3, there's a component where you can get involved in that way and even just fundraising in your community because we give back to people that are trying to transition out of a space of loss. Whether that's the orphans that we raise money for in Mexico in India, or I run a free retreat for cancer survivors every twice a year in April and October, I sponsor 40 cancer survivors to go on a free retreat to figure out what's next after their loss, and it was loss of an identity.

In addition to this survivor's cancer identity, and of course, it's in my mom's memory. But that's another way to involved. There will be some online components dropping if you're not able to come to an event on the East Coast, the West Coast, or an international trip, which is obviously the bajada. If you can get on a trip, you'll come back and sanely reinspired in a way that you'll just be infectious to everything in your life. Yeah, I understand that sometimes the time and the financials don't align. So that would be something to look forward to.

Gresham Harkless 10:33

There we go, Well, we got to get our popcorn because something's coming up, and something's broken, depending on when you're listening to this. I definitely appreciate that. You might have already touched on this. But I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and it could be for you or your organization but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Katie B Happyy 10:48

I highly value aligning up with a clarity of your calling and your purpose. I think that your purpose and purpose a debatable words. Alignment is my favorite word because I'm trying to figure out every day where I'm trying to align in the flow. We are constantly on the receiving end of everything, we've got all these like imagine these little antennas. All day we're receiving from outside factors, we're receiving from the read notifications on our phone or emails, we're receiving from other people information to dues. So many things on a level that we can't understand as well as the vibrations.

Being able to just slow down a little bit every day and internationalize your movement is critical. So whether it's with my team members, my retreat leaders, my trainers, or especially the participants in my courses, or retreats, we always start every session every day with an alignment of some sort. What is your optimal state? What is the intention behind what we're doing, even before I go into a yoga class, I wash my hands. I like to intend how I want to get out and not take it on myself.

But how I can be a receptacle to transfer the energy to other people so that they don't have to hold it all on themselves? Whatever that looks like in a company or a business, how you can internationalize and align every single day to that day's purpose or the greater purpose than if you're paying attention to the large purpose of it, then the smaller stuff when the red notifications and the emails come in and don't seem so tedious or hard. Yeah, that's exactly it. That's the secret sauce. I think.

Gresham Harkless 12:16

There you go. Absolutely. I know you gave us a hack and a nugget, did you have anything additional that you think would be hacks or nuggets that we can kind of take away to be entrepreneurs or business owners?

Katie B Happyy 12:24

I think especially as a business owner, my staff now is about four people, depending I've got trainers who are my teammates who align with me on retreats, and then I've got a staff that's more every week. So it's not huge by any means. But it's growing. In my growth patterns thus far, in the five or six years I've been doing this business. I think my biggest component is always coming back to their personal what I call a 3g gangster-like growth, gratitude, and giving because I want to check in with them at all times.

If they're in alignment with me, Do they feel like they're being given enough gratitude from me? Are they also expressing? Are we expressing enough gratitude to the social media followers, to the people who do our online courses, to the retreaters? Are we spending enough time and gratitude both me as a boss, and then as a staff and amongst each other too? Then also, are we giving back enough? Do we feel like there's a purpose in what we're doing?

Yeah, with the 501C 3 is great. We do these things for cancer survivors and the orphanages. But then on a personal level, I'm like, Okay, are we doing the three G's, because this is important for us, as human beings to not just be in this for the business, we're not. We've got to be in this for something greater because if at any moment, we could stop anything,  at any moment, we can expire.

If we don't feel like our day-to-day has those things in it, giving gratitude and growth then I know, it's the secret sauce to the component of of leadership. Also, I always want the people who are working under me, per se, to be better at what I'm doing than me because that's the only way I can grow forward. That's the only way I can go up or sideways or left or right or whatever. I need them to be better at what I do now than me so that there are more opportunities for me to grow and create and see what's next in the flow.

Gresham Harkless 14:04

Absolutely, I would definitely agree with that. You might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you my favorite question, which is a definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Katie, what has been CEO mean to you?

Katie B Happyy 14:16

A CEO to me, means trusting the transitions, that the only constant thing is change and who I am in the transitions, who I am every time I fail, which is a lot, the grace in which I can offer my employees and my students and my participants, my clients.

Gresham Harkless 14:33

I love that definition. I definitely appreciate it and I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do is pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know. Then of course, how best they can get a hold of you get in contact with you find out about all the awesome things you're working on and things that come in the next coming year.

Katie B Happyy 14:48

B_Inspired is a self-development company. We do workshops nationally, and we do international retreats. So if you're feeling like you want to get out and get re-inspired and uniquely see the world, we do a sweat base in the morning, we adventure in the culture throughout the day and see what the culture has to offer. Then we have a really good time at night. I'm all about balance. I love tequila. We had a great time with lots of fun things that night. So if that's something that people you're specifically interested in next year, we do India, Italy, Greece, Thailand, and Mexico many, many times.

Every year, we add different trips to the docket. But it's a place for you to just feel safe and loved. No matter if it's a workshop, or if it's an international trip, or an online course, it should feel like you're coming back home to who you are because I'm not teaching you something that you don't already know. I'm just reminding you of maybe parts of you, you've forgotten, which is really, it's the best feeling in the world. So there's free stuff online on my YouTube as of right now where you can access workouts, it's Katie B Happy. Then there are free online meditation courses on Udemy, or my website binspired.life. The Instagram is @katiebhappyy. We're building up the business one to launch and Jan 2020 of holding on to new stuff. So I look forward to that.

Gresham Harkless 15:59

Awesome. Well, thank you so much. We will have those links and information in the show notes. Thank you so much for shining a light on us as well to to remind us of some of the things that we may not pay attention to and definitely it's very important to get those reminders of of who we are and what we can be. I appreciate you obviously for having all those events and everything as well too. So, again, we'll have our show notes and appreciate you, appreciate your time. I hope you have a phenomenal day.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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