IAM513- Entrepreneur Inspires People Looking for a Spark in Life

Brenda has had a unique life filled with challenges that have propelled her growth into a successful, strong, mature woman. She feels inspired to share her views on how these learnings can help shape and improve the lives of women and men looking for that spark in their lives for enhanced joy, happiness, love, and success.

We will hear how pivotal experiences from her past have shaped her business and personal success, including raising six kids on her own after the unexpected death of her late husband, necessitating life-changing decisions for the sake of the family. Her fundamental values and principles of treating people right and using personal discipline and commitment have allowed her to stay the course to now follow her passion for lifestyle coaching and mentoring.

You will discover the methodology around visualization and the positive thought energy she uses to explore and achieve the art of the possible in her own life. Brenda follows a no-BS approach. Always telling it like it is – she will now share with us how her process has led to success as an Entrepreneur in Real Estate, Fashion, Health, Fitness, and Wellness and can help you with your mindset toward your goals and ultimate happiness.

• • CEO Hack: Morning routine: Visualizing, meditating, and coming up with gratitude
  • CEO Nugget: Have goals but be flexible
  • CEO Defined: There are no limits if you can think it

Website: http://www.brendadibari.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendadibari/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3vYuD3GbldS6aeiIfKR0Gw/

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Transcription:

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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 Brenda Di Bari of brendadibari.com.

Brenda, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Brenda Di Bari 0:38

Thank you so much, Gresham. It's great to be here.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

No problem super excited to have you on. What I want to do is just read a little bit more about Brenda so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

Brenda has had a unique life filled with challenges that have propelled her growth into a successful, strong, mature woman. She feels inspired to share her views on how these learnings can help shape and improve the lives of women and men looking for that spark in their lives for enhanced joy, happiness, love, and success.

We will hear how pivotal experiences from her past have shaped her business and personal success, including raising six kids on her own after the unexpected death of her late husband, necessitating life-changing decisions for the sake of the family. Her fundamental values and principles of treating people right and using personal discipline and commitment have allowed her to stay the course to now follow her passion for lifestyle coaching and mentoring.

You will discover the methodology around visualization and the positive thought energy she uses to explore and achieve the art of the possible in her own life. Brenda follows a no-BS approach. Always telling it like it is – she will now share with us how her process has led to success as an Entrepreneur in Real Estate, Fashion, Health, Fitness, and Wellness and can help you with your mindset toward your goals and ultimate happiness.

Brenda, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Brenda Di Bari 1:50

Thank you Gresh and what a beautiful introduction. Yes, I am happy to be here and I'd love to share sort of my methodology and what I find really works for me.

Gresham Harkless 2:01

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I appreciate you for doing some really awesome things. I get the honor to read your bio, but I know I touched on introducing you a little bit, I wanted to hear a little bit more about your story and what led you to get started in the entrepreneurial world.

Brenda Di Bari 2:15

Well, to be honest, I was born an entrepreneur which sounds that can sound kind of crazy. But I have actually never held an employment, like a job. I've never really been a job person. I've been kind of self-employed since I was a child. It started way back selling candy door to door when I was like 9, 10 years old and went through a lot of little initiatives like that. I ended up going forward to study fashion design and merchandising in college. I was a fashion stylist and I was an independent contractor. I did really well.

I was doing fashion shows and layouts and spreads for magazines and catalogs and such. So that was definitely another self-employed type of thing that went forward. Started my family and in my marriage, we began our own business of wine importing and distributing and did that for a number of years. That business never really spoke to my soul. It was never something I was passionate about. But it was what worked for my family.

But along the way, I became a licensed real estate salesperson and quickly went on in one year to be a broker, open my own brokerage, and sort of did those two worlds simultaneously, while raising my kids. That brought me forward to eight years ago when unexpectedly lost my husband, the father of my six kids, and our six kids. I mean, I guess he gets some credit.

Gresham Harkless 3:51

Just a little bit.

Brenda Di Bari 3:52

That led me to sort of want to reinvent myself completely. I took some time away, I moved to Italy, lived there for four years, and did some freelance type work I was doing translating to speak Italian fluently. So I was doing some translation for businesses. I was doing some photography. I'm pretty creative and artistic and I've always loved to explore that. I also worked in the real estate world over there a little bit. It's definitely wild, wild west. Then I came back to the States and I've been studying in these years a lot about energy and visualization and meditation.

I found that when I started making a concerted effort to combine that with my professional goals, things just started happening. It does take discipline. I've always been someone who holds myself very accountable. That has to happen if you're going to work for yourself. There's no one else that's going to do your job for you. No one else is going to set your goals for you. So it's kind of part and parcel you have to sort of have that in your mind. If you are going to make it happen for yourself. Along with studying I am by trade, what I do is real estate brokerage. I have started getting my certification, and I'm pretty well along the way of life coach.

I really find that, in itself, just studying these things and sort of following it organically, I'm finding quite a niche marketplace for myself in real estate, sort of approaching it, not just from like, Okay, I need three bedrooms, I need this, I need that. But really, in talking with my clients, and sort of approaching it as an entire life, what do you do with your life? What do you want to do when you wake up on Saturday? Where do you want to be like, what kind of energy do you need around you? What's the neighborhood, so I'm a little bit more niche in my approach to finding where a person should live. As I go along, I'm sort of leaning heavily toward the life coach skills that I've attained and I use them for myself, for my family, for my friends, and I use them in my work.

I'm starting to combine what I'm doing in an overall bigger view, involving the real estate, but also health, fitness, wellness, the whole kind of what we're here about, like, the whole approach to life. It's amazing what it's bringing, to me, it's bringing opportunities, left, right, and center, it seems like every day, I'm invited to join another initiative. I know that what I'm doing gives to people and that, of course, is a huge get. Because I feel like, you can sound sort of like cat ladyish with like, oh, giving is receiving. I really believe that it's the approach I take to business and I find that it just is reality. It's just you give, you give, don't worry about what's coming back, because it's coming back.

That's sort of my approach to being an entrepreneur completely. Referring back to the piece that was picked up on your CEO Blog Nation part about what entrepreneurship means to me, I did say that it basically means the same thing as being a successful human being. Because those are the elements that I really feel like no matter what your profession is, no matter what product, service, whatever it is that you want to do, those same principles apply to everything, and are absolutely the key to having life the way you envision it, the way you want it. So that's my philosophy on it.

Gresham Harkless 7:46

Well, I definitely appreciate that, and obviously, you are sorry to hear about your husband. It sounds like that experience happened, that happened. Then you I don't wanna say pivoted, but it was a life-changing moment. So it also changed your life as well as I'm sure your children as well. But it's funny, as you were talking about life skills and even when I was introducing you, a lot of it that resonated with me was that sometimes we try to separate a lot of those things in our lives, whether it be business with the mindset, with the health and wellness.

But to me, and I don't know, if you would agree with that holistically, you have to approach it as we're a whole person. So if you're having issues with your health, that's going to affect your business, if you're having issues with your business, sometimes that might affect your health, or it might affect your relationship. You have to have that mindset, that mentality, that approach to energy and wellness, as you've talked about, as well to be that holistic person.

Brenda Di Bari 8:40

Right, exactly. I find that people do tend to separate like, well, that's my business persona and this is my personal persona and this is my mom hat, or my dad hat, or my wife or husband hat, like, it really shouldn't be separate, you should be true and authentic to yourself in all avenues of your life. What happens is it builds a kind of synergy, and it just works a whole lot better. I always feel like if you feel like you're working like a dog or all those types of sayings, you're doing something wrong. It shouldn't feel like that. It should feel passionate and something you love, and it's just part of you.

That's when I think people hit their stride and it starts to really work for you, and not you working for it. Because you really shouldn't feel like let's say you work eight or 10 hours a day or whatever it is, you really shouldn't feel like that's not your life, that life only starts at seven or eight or whatever time pm that you come home, from the office or your workplace. It really shouldn't ever feel like that. If it is feeling like that you need to take a minute and sort of think that through and think of maybe reframing it in your mind. Because maybe logistics, make it that way, maybe you're not in your ideal job, even though you have something that you want to do.

I think if you reframe that, and make it a get to do so that I can get to this next level and do this next thing, it makes it much easier to do, and less taxing on your person, on your energy on yourself. When you project, that sense of positive energy, it just comes back to you. It really does. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, there are going to be challenges, setbacks, broke days, no paycheck coming, nothing guaranteed and that's scary, right? But if you look at that as freedom instead, it's amazing how those tough moments just don't stick. They just go and you get on about your way and you get towards your goals.

Gresham Harkless 10:58

Yeah, that makes so much sense. It's like a lot of times if we look at things in a different type of way, it's not necessarily that things are different. It's just your perspective based on its changes and a lot of it will create that energy, as you talked about so it propels you.

I know you might have already touched on this, but would you consider being able to do and look at it from a life coaching and all aspects of your business to be like your secret sauce and the thing that kind of sets you apart?

Brenda Di Bari 11:25

Really that's what I was saying. When I said I'm finding it to be a niche. That's what I met like it's something that my people, be they business connections, personal friends, my kids. I'm newly engaged my fiancee, it's sort of all-encompassing, and it is the secrets, it is special and each one of us has that special in us.

Gresham Harkless 11:52

I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app or book or habit that you have, or what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Brenda Di Bari 12:03

I know that what makes me more efficient, is and this can sound like not everybody's into this. But I visualize things and meditate. I come up with gratitude every single day. It's my morning routine. I do it before I do anything else, I run through at least three things I'm super grateful for.

Gresham Harkless 12:27

Yeah, and I was going to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So that could be like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self? Do you think that opportunity mindset is part of what you would tell your younger business self?

Brenda Di Bari 12:40

Well, I think that it definitely is. I think that when we're younger in general, and I know it was true for me, you don't necessarily have a grasp of that authentic self yet. So you're you're trying to force, round pegs and square holes, and stuff like that. So what I would say is to look at things as never set in stone, like you have to have flexibility. You have to have goals. I'm not saying float through things, you have to have a pathway that you envision, but you have to be able to turn left or right at any moment of any day, even multiple times in a day, and still keep going toward your vision and not giving up.

Gresham Harkless 13:28

I appreciate that, that extra nugget. Now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote and quote, CEOs on the show. I know you touched on this before, but what does being a CEO mean to you, Brenda?

Brenda Di Bari 13:40

A CEO, in my mind, takes off all limits, it takes away all barriers, you're not in a box, there's no limit to what you can do. If you can think it, you can do it and no one's there to tell you no.

Gresham Harkless 13:55

I definitely appreciate that definition. Appreciate your time, even more, Brenda. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get ahold of you and find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

Brenda Di Bari 14:08

I'm really going down that path of providing the service with life coaching as it applies to an entire life being health, fitness, fashion, and fashion is so much fun. This is the thing that we present to the world and where we're living, what direction we're going that's what I'm really doing with my life. Working on putting together speaking opportunities and traveling and doing things sort of on a global level, doing a lot of things in Europe, working on investments for Hudson Yards where I'm living, working, playing, doing the entire lifestyle, all in one place.

You can look me up on my site, www.brendadibari.com, I'm sure the spelling will be in there somewhere, it's not too hard. You can message me that way and I would love to hear any input that anyone might have questions or collaboration ideas. I'm always open to that sort of thing. I think that a big part of what I wanted to do was to work with women, women empowerment, becoming a widow after marriage and everything, it requires a lot.

I was alone with six kids to take on the oldest being 17 and the youngest being 22-month-old twins. It was an element. It was a challenge. But resilience is a big part of my message. So those are all topics I'm trying to incorporate in business in any moment I have business and life. That's kind of where I'm going with my career path. Sort of mentoring, coaching and still tying it together with my real estate work and things like that.

Gresham Harkless 15:57

Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Brenda, you are awesome. I appreciate all the awesome things you're doing and all the positive vibes you gave to us in this interview, you're doing holistically in your entire life.

We will have those links in the show notes as well so that people can follow up with Brenda Di Bari. We'll have that as well, as I mentioned in the show notes so that everybody can click through and follow up with you. I appreciate you and 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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