IAM2690 – Life coach, Speaker and Author Helps People Transform Their Lives

Casandra Austin-McDonald is from Springfield, IL. She is a speaker, poet, life coach and the author of Unclothed Memoir of a Naked Soul.

Casandra founded the self-esteem empowerment movement, Be Pretty Inside, Inc; is the founder and CEO of the Live Greater Institute; and also the host of the Grow Thru It podcast. Casandra has a son in high school, a bonus son in junior high school, and is a wife to the love of her life.

Casandra can be found on all social media platforms.

• CEO Hack: My rituals – Journaling and meditating
• CEO Nugget: Trust the process
• CEO Defined: Getting out of the rat race, creating your own lane and living life on your own terms

Previous Episode: https://iamceo.co/iam411-life-coach-speaker-and-author-helps-people-transform-their-lives/

Website: http://www.casandraaustin.com/

Website Event: www.casandraaustin.com/events

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasandraMAustin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casandra.austin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/casandramaustin
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1540881075/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Transcription:

Casandra Austin-McDonald 00:00

The goal is to just help people to see that there's essentially no such thing as stuck and you can always get past it and move forward. And hopefully it encourages people to continue to take action in their life. And actually, that's what led to the Live Greater Institute is it's a personal and professional development business where I wanted to be able to provide tools and resources and the coaching and the content and workshops and retreats and all of these things to help people along those journeys.

Gresham Harkless 00:58

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I Am CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Cassandra Austin McDonald of Live Greater Institute. Cassandra, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 01:08

Thank you for having me. Glad to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:10

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Cassandra so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Cassandra is from Springfield, Illinois. She is a speaker, poet, life coach, and author of Unclothed Memoir of the Naked Soul. Cassandra founded the self esteem empowerment movement called Be Pretty Inside Incorporated. She is the founder and CEO of the Live Greater Institute and is also the host of the Grow through it podcast. Cassandra has a son in high school, a bonus son in junior high, and is a wife to the love of her life. Cassandra can be found on all social media platforms. Cassandra, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Casandra Austin-McDonald 01:49

 I sure am.

Gresham Harkless 01:50

 Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what got you started and your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 01:58

Absolutely. So I used to work in the criminal justice system and I did crisis intervention and counseling with juvenile and adult offenders for nearly 11 years. And while I was doing that work, I actually started my own journey of personal development. And I was kind of combining a little bit of the theories and the tools that I was teaching to my clients. But then I was also finding other methods that worked. And unfortunately, due to systems and policies and things like that, I was unable to use those things at work. And I wanted to help people on a greater scale. And so that's what ultimately led to me entering the personal development industry and wanting to touch people's lives and have a greater impact for those who really wanted to do the work and change their lives.

Gresham Harkless 02:55

 Nice. I. I definitely appreciate that because a lot of times, you know, people want to have a better life and they. And they want to do those things to. To, like you said, you know, put in the work to. To have that better life. But I think sometimes you sometimes will become a part product of your environment. And if you're not aware, if you don't know the tools or the way to do that, sometimes it kind of be kind of, I guess disempowering may.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 03:17

Be the right phrase. Absolutely. Absolutely. And it was, you know, I had my moments where obviously I was disheartened, you know, going to work day in and day out and coming across individuals who just lack that motivation to make better choices. And I'm like, geez, I wish I could show them. And the only thing I could think of was just lead by example.

Gresham Harkless 03:38

Yeah, that's often kind of like the best way to do it is because people get motivated by hearing your story, seeing you do, and reach the goals and dreams that you have. So I appreciate you for doing it, doing that. And I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper, hear a little bit more about Live Greater Institute and also about your podcast.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 03:56

Sure. So the podcast Grow Through. It actually started off as on a whim. I wrote a blog post late last year about why wait until the new year to start working on your New Year's goals? And the blog post I wrote, I was going in and going in and on about people always waiting until the new year to work on their goals. And I'm like, why did we do that? Why do we wait for this date, for this time to say, okay, now's the time? You know what I mean? And I, at that moment, I felt like. Felt convicted. And I felt like I had to eat my own words because I realized that I had been wanting to start this podcast and I hadn't done it yet. So I was like, no, what? I'm just going to do it. I'm not going to wait and say, oh, I'll do it when the. This mile mark happens, or when I achieve this goal, I'm going to do it right now because I feel it in my gut to do it, and I'm just going to do it. And that's what happened. I just did it. And, you know, we're what, 17 episodes in now?

Gresham Harkless 04:56

Awesome.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 04:57

And I've been sharing my own personal stories and the stories of others who have grown through all sorts of life obstacles and challenges and made it out to the other side. So I created that as a way to show people the possibilities which exist for them while also highlighting people who I like to call or like the lights at the end of the tunnel. To show people that you can't make it through those dark periods and get to the other side.

Gresham Harkless 05:26

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that there's so much power in that because, you know, like I, like I touched on before. I think that there's like this perception that there's like overnight success or you get over something overnight. But I think to actually hear people that are going through the process of guilt growing through it as, as you as your podcast talks to touches on, I think that provides awareness of like sometimes people might be in a difficult decision, difficult position or a dark place and they don't. That they think that there is a light to the end of the tunnel. But to be able to kind of work through that and grow through that kind of speaks to that.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 06:02

Absolutely, absolutely. And you know, that's the goal is to just help people to see that there's essentially no such thing as stuck and you can always get past it and move forward. And hopefully it encourages people to continue to take action in their life. And actually that's what led to the Live Greater Institute is it's a personal and professional development business where I wanted to be able to provide tools and resources and the coaching and the content and workshops and retreats and all of these things to help people along those journeys.

Gresham Harkless 06:36

Yeah, that makes sense. So once you have that spark, you actually have, you know, an opportunity to kind of put that to work and do all the products that you guys have.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 06:45

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 06:47

Nice. And I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And it can be for you or your organizations, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Casandra Austin-McDonald 06:55

I have transformed literally every area of my life. I have experienced, I feel like I've experienced a bit of everything when it comes to mental breakdowns, pulling myself out of a massive amount of debt and had a terrible credit score to broken relationships, broken friendships, terrible self esteem. I mean, you name the category enough, probably experienced it and figured out a way to dig myself out of that. And I think because of those unique experiences, it gives me this multi level perspective when I'm working with people and I'm able to see things from more than one view and more than one lens and I really think that sets me apart, being able to see things differently, because ultimately, I think that's what creates change in people's lives, is showing them that there's more than one way to get to the thing.

Gresham Harkless 07:50

Yeah, absolutely. I usually say there's more than one way to skin a cat, and there's a lot of ways to kind of reach whatever that goal is. Do you find that, you know, with people you work with and you talk with that sometimes when you're in those dark places that you do feel alone, and sometimes when you do hear somebody that has gone through something, gone through the same thing or something similar, that you feel kind of like a one connection with them, and then you hear that they're able to overcome that, it kind of gives you a little bit more power as well.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 08:17

Absolutely, absolutely. I think the common thread with the testimonials I've received, whether if it was through coaching or speaking or one of my retreats I've done, is that people feel heard and they feel understood and they feel seen. And studies show that people struggle with depression and suicide because they feel lonely. And people feel lonely because they don't feel seen and heard. And so I feel like just that alone could give someone a massive breakthrough and help them change their lives in an incredible way.

Gresham Harkless 08:55

Yeah, absolutely. Because, you know, especially in this day and age, we have so many ways to kind of feel connected. Sometimes we feel lonelier than we ever have felt because, you know, I guess just for whatever reason, when you feel alone, sometimes it's hard to get out of that. That whole, so to speak. So I appreciate you for not only, you know, sharing, you know, your story, but also helping out so many others as far as, you know, filling that so that they can, you know, overcome anything.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 09:19

Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you.

Gresham Harkless 09:22

No problem. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call Aco Hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 09:33

Oh. I have to say, it's my rituals. I have things I do on a daily basis. Like, it's. I don't care if I'm traveling, I don't care where I'm at. I'm doing those things. And it's a morning and evening ritual that I have, where in the morning time I have, like, this sacred space that I call it. And I go there, and Tony Robbins calls it priming your mind for the day. And I go there and I prime my mind for the day where I'm meditating and I'm journaling. And when I'm journaling in the morning, it's not a journal as in what has happened, it's what I envision to happen. And so I'm setting intentions, I'm envisioning my future, I'm meditating on that, I'm praying I'm connecting with God. And I'm just really trying to get clear and focused for the day. And then in the evening, I like to actually do the journaling where I'm writing out what happened because I don't want to take that to bed with me. I don't want to want to take that with me into the next day. So I like to leave that on the pages, find three things that I'm grateful for, read and, you know, hone my skills with my knowledge and all that, and meditate again before going in bed. And so I. Those are non negotiables for me. I have to do those things on a daily basis. So I would say that's what contributes to my CEO head, as you call it.

Gresham Harkless 10:55

Yeah, no, I appreciate those so much. And I love the point that you, you made as well about journaling at the end. Because I think a lot of times, you know, when you have a stress day or you have a day where nothing seems to go right, which definitely happens, you know, you want to make sure that that stays in that day. So you have to have a way to release that. So I appreciate you for mentioning that because I think a lot of times we will just. I just want to go to sleep and just go to sleep. And next thing you know, you know, the next day you still kind of harboring some of those things.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 11:23

Absolutely. And I think people don't realize the mental stress and anguish that it can cause on you and your well being when you hold that stuff inside. And because our thoughts are invisible, we can't see them. Right. We just feel what's happening within us or we start to see the manifestation of those things in our external world. And so because I'm cognizant of that, I really try to be conscientious about dumping, as I call it, and getting that out. And it also helps you to put things into perspective where you may feel like you came across this problem during the day, but as you write it out, you'll find your solution in there as well.

Gresham Harkless 12:01

Yeah. And sometimes you can even find maybe it wasn't as big as we thought it was in that time. And I remember the quote and I'm gonna butcher it. But it's like your thoughts become your actions, your actions become your. Or your words or your words become your thoughts, and so on and so forth. So it's great to kind of stop that, you know, when you get a chance to do that.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 12:18

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 12:20

Nice. And. And so now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Casandra Austin-McDonald 12:30

Trust the process. I'm laughing because I know that's, like, what everyone's saying right now, but it is so true. When I started this journey, I thought that everything. Like most entrepreneurs, I thought I'm supposed to hit it big right now because I just took that leap of faith and I put my book out there and I'm speaking and sharing my story, and that is not how it works. So really, just trusting the process and just trying to absorb as much valuable knowledge and lessons and content as I can and just release the rest.

Gresham Harkless 13:07

Yeah, that. That. That makes so much sense. And I usually talk about, you know, the idea of the overnight successes, and I think I read a quote where the secret to the overnight success is that it takes 10 years. And a lot of times, when you look at, I think there's a. The book by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers, he kind of talks about how a lot of people don't realize the number of hours, the 10,000 hours that you put in to. To be a master, to be an expert, to reach success, whatever that may be, that there's a lot of work behind the scenes that we sometimes don't realize. So, yeah, absolutely. we got to kind of remember that.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 13:42

Yeah, I think I realized that on this journey, and it's actually put things into perspective for me where I'm actually grateful I'm not where I thought I wanted to be, because I don't know if I was quite ready for that level. And I realized that you have to grow and allow yourself Grace to expand and grow into those new levels so that you can handle it.

Gresham Harkless 14:04

Exactly, exactly. And definitely even appreciate the level that you're at, because the time that it took to get there is something that you kind of have to respect as well, too. I appreciate that perspective and that reminder. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping I have different, quote, unquote, CEOs on this show. So, Cassandra, what does CEO mean to you?

Casandra Austin-McDonald 14:29

I believe it's getting out the rat race and creating your own lane and living life on your own terms. That's just as simple as that.

Gresham Harkless 14:40

Well, that's a great reminder because a lot of times we have the tools and ability to be able to do that, to get out that rat race and we just have to take that action, as you kind of even talk about, you know, in your podcast. And you know, you have to take that action in order to do that. So I appreciate perspective and that definition.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 14:56

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 14:57

Nice. Well, Cassandra, I truly appreciate your time and all the awesome work that you're doing. I wanted to pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a hold of you.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 15:09

Sure. Absolutely. I am actually having a breakthrough breakthrough retreat on Saturday, October 12, 2019 here in Springfield, Illinois and they can find details of that on my website, www.cassandraaustin.com. it's Cassandra, spelled with one S and I'm on all social media platforms. They can also sign up to my email listing to get updates on when a digital course will be released and to just be kept abreast on what's going on with us and what's coming in the future.

Gresham Harkless 15:50

Nice. Well, thank you so much again, Cassandra. We'll have those links in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can follow up with you. But remember, it's Cassandra with one S. But Cassandra, thank you so much again and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Casandra Austin-McDonald 16:02

No problem. You too. Thanks again for having me.