Christie Whitehill: From Limiting Beliefs to Authentic Success

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Welcome to How to Be a Real One Percenter. This is a podcast where we're really redefining what it means to be ultra successful. No longer the obsessive, blinded pursuit of one form of success at the expense of everything else, but just learning to be our authentic selves, so dedicated to being authentic, living our authentic lives, and achieving our desired success in all aspects of life, both externally and internally. And most importantly, perhaps, just learning to love this experience called life. I am really delighted to have my guest joining today from the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia, Christie Whitehill. So, Christie, firstly, just thank you so much. I know how busy you are. And thank you for making the time to be on this podcast. I've been really looking forward to it.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah, thanks, Sridhar. Me too.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Awesome. Well, we might have quite a bit to talk about, and I have been looking forward to this, Christie, because I went back and looked at when did we actually start out, you know, talking about the 1% journey. And I was thinking it was 10 years ago, but it's actually a bit longer. So, it was longer. It was early 2014.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: That's right. Yeah. Where are we at now? I don't know.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Well, pretty soon, coming up on 11 years that we've been having this chat about. Yeah. So, I'm really looking forward to seeing where this goes and what comes out. And, you know, you've just done so many things like when I think about back then and where you are now and all the different aspects that you've you know, that you you've gone down roads. And, you know, one thing I’ll talk about the real 1% journey is possibly the most important aspect of it is courage.

And I was just reflecting on your journey that I’ve been a part of over the last 11 years and looking at that there isn't anything that you haven't been willing to go down the road and have the courage. And, you know, consequently, all the different aspects of your life that you've how do you say, you know, put under the microscope, examine, looked in the mirror. ‍

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah. Oh, gone deep.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: And gone deep, gone deep, which we'll talk about whatever you feel comfortable with today. And, you know, but when I look at your life now and I look at what you've done and some of the things which I'm really quite excited for having those things be talked about on the podcast, too. Like, it's just really when people come on the podcast, it's a time for reflection, you know, for me. And I think about the journey that we've had together. And when I think about yours, it's just like, wow, how inspiring.

So, well, let's jump in. And, you know, my first question for you really is just what we didn't call it the 1% journey back then. But really, if you look at it, that's what it's always been is the real 1% journey that we've spoken about. And the first question really, Christie, is what, what brought you to the 1% journey? So, if you take a trip down memory lane, what was happening and what brought you to the journey?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Great question. I've always really had this inkling and this knowing that in order to really attract and manifest what you want in life, there's just this inner work that you need to do in order to do so. And I think for me, from just my early childhood and the experiences that I had early on and beliefs that were formed throughout, you know, those years, when I came into, you know, my early 20s, and I really started to uncover and discover personal growth work, business, and, you know, all of those interests that I now practice daily and do daily. I really saw just the profound impact that by doing the inner work, it can really have such an impact on what you're trying to achieve in life and how you can help others.

And so, I think that's what really led me to you and the work that we did early on. You know, I was really experiencing some challenges during that time, and it had to do with relationships, and that's why we met. And, you know, there were so many layers that needed to be uncovered, and so many of my own beliefs and, you know, limiting beliefs they were, that I had to really uncover and really dissolve in order to really get into my true authentic self. And I definitely didn't nail it at the time, I think, over the years, this work is a daily practice, it's something that you really need to dedicate to in order to, yeah, continue to see the results in your life, because, yeah, it doesn't end. And I think we are always coming up against challenges in life, and we're always coming up against things that might trigger us. And for me, when those things come up, I kind of see them as a bit of a blessing, because it just shows me things that I need to work on.

And so, I think that's why I love the work that we do together, because I think especially working with a coach and a facilitator or somebody that can help you to really dig deep and uncover those can really help, you know, help you on your journey.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Yeah, wow, what a great intro and start to the conversation. So when you talk about limiting beliefs, for someone who like it's becoming more known now that we, you know, what's between the ears there and possibly deeper and what we call the unconscious mind or subconscious mind can be these blocks. But what more can you say about when you say limiting beliefs? Yeah, can you say a bit more about what you noticed or what you mean by those?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Hmm, so I guess they're like unconscious thought patterns, you know, for me, recently, I guess I could use the example of one that came up in one of our sessions was, I discovered that I had this unconscious belief that I don't matter. And, like, how damaging can that be, you know, if that's running in the background, and you're trying to achieve something, or you're trying to you know, really, you know, really, yeah, well, achieve your goals. And you've got a belief, like, I don't matter in the background, like, how is that going to impact your relationships and your work, and all of that kind of stuff. And once we uncovered where that came from, where it really stemmed from.

And as an adult, looking back on it, you're like, wow, when you go back, and you look at where did that come from? And how much impact did that have on me throughout my life? You're like, I want to get rid of all those because, yes, really, they don't serve you. And what I think we've realised, so we've had some pretty powerful conversations recently. And I just realised, like, how important self-talk and positive self-talk is. Because, yeah, it can just have such an impact.

And, you know, even the, you know, over the years, some of those beliefs that I had one being formed through my pregnancy, sorry, my birth with my first child, Zach, I experienced a 16 hour labor, I didn't dilate, I ended up having emergency C section, it was quite an ordeal. And I remember that in that moment, I was just so devastated with myself and so, like, angry at myself for not being able to birth my child naturally, which is just ridiculous, right? Because we live in a world where these medical interventions can save you. And, you know, obviously, there was a reason.

And through the work that we did, you know, I got quite unwell as well. If you remember, like, you know, for quite a few years, that I, and it wasn't until we did a session, I realised I'd formed this belief during that birth that my body fails me. And so, when I became unwell with gut issues, and during the pregnancy of my second child, I became very unwell and had serious health complications. Having a belief like my body fails me is not going to help me heal, is it?

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Definitely not.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: So, you know, so when I, yeah, I'm talking about those limiting beliefs, you know, that's just a few, and they were major, powerful ones that had major impact on me and my physical, you know, my body, my physical body. And, you know, me being now in the health industry, I really realised how much those beliefs can harm you, if they are serving you.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Wow. And, you know, I just think about, you know, being a male for a woman, just having a baby in whatever way that you're going to have a baby. I can't imagine, like, just, I think you deserve like a medal, you know, or some sort of, whatever the highest kind of honour is, you deserve that for just doing it. So, to come out of it with that, you know, that's quite the impact.

And, Christie, we also know, you know, from that, for those that might not know, and there'll be a lot better watching or listening that do know that you're an entrepreneur, as well as, you know, a quite a great entrepreneur. You're a wife and mother, you have, you know, a great, hopefully going to talk a bit more about the brand and some of the businesses that you've done some incredible things in the business world as well. What I'd like to do, so if you think about it, you mentioned the impact of that story.  

I do want to say too, just quickly before that, before I ask you the question, you did some real work because we'd been digging for quite some time, you know, when we introduced this call and it's like, it's been 11 years, you know, it, that one, that story that you found that you're not important. Like we hadn't, we'd come around it, but it took, you know, you just kept digging and digging until that one. And, you know, to uncover that, that level of story is, I just see the change in you. Like it's something that's just fundamentally changed, you know, when you got that one.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: It's a big one.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: It was a big one, you know, and I think about just the effort that you've taken, you know, you talked about daily practice and continuing to do that. And I think that's what allowed you to get to that depth of level where you've got something life changing, but before we go to how it changed, well, if you look at those different areas that we spoke about, you know, business and family, and you talked about relationships and pregnancy. Well, if you look back, how did that story, you know, of impact all of those different areas, you know, how did it impact you?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah. So really, I noticed it impacting me the most when I was pregnant with my second child, Ava, who's now five. And at the time I was building a company called Tech Ready Women, which recently I exited to a company called Scolari Partners. And so, I had that business for seven years, but throughout building that business, I actually had the two kids, so Zach and Ava, Zach's now eight. And I mean, having children anyway is another job in itself. And so, to build a business and a staff at the same time was very taxing.

And so, I was working long hours. I wasn't looking after myself as I should have been from a nutritional perspective, getting enough sleep and all that kind of thing. And so, throwing a couple of babies in on top, definitely for me, a recipe for burnout. And that's where I was at the time. And so, by the time Ava, I was pregnant with Ava and remembering I had it, you know, had that traumatic birth experience with Zach, which at the time I didn't like, even though it was pretty chaotic and it was pretty traumatic, I didn't realise I'd formed a belief like that. And it wasn't until, yeah, I experienced those health issues as I was burning out from, you know, a bit of over exhaustion and working at the time.

And so following, you know, the birth of Ava and starting those symptoms really starting to come out, I was doing all, you know I went to see the naturopaths doctors, you know, every, I probably went to five different practitioners and doctors and I did every protocol that they would tell me to do. And I would follow it like a T, but it wasn't until like two years in to trying to heal my gut and over these symptoms that had come up. Like I was experiencing fatigue, light fog, brain, you know, sorry, light fog, brain fog, light sensitivity, fatigue, was just like depression, anxiety, so many different symptoms. And it was quite debilitating at the time.

And by after two years of doing all these protocols, I was like, why is, why am I not getting better? You know, and that's when I started going back to set work and I reached out to you and I was like, Sridhar, I'm not getting better. Like, why is this? And then we started working on, you know, looking at what, what could have been those stories that I was really telling myself.

And it was interesting because I remember when we uncovered that belief of, you know, my body fails me, and realise that I was really treating myself, not in a nice way. I was not talking to myself nicely at all. All of a sudden, my symptoms started disappearing and I was starting to get better. And it just, yeah, started dissipating and I started getting my energy back and, you know, motivation. And I just think the correlation between your mind and your body is just so strong and it doesn't matter what you could do physically, if you're not also working on your mindset.

Like, obviously it's all a holistic approach, but if you're not also working on your mindset, while you're trying to heal, you know,  nutrition, you know, feed your body good food, drink plenty of water, get sleep, all that kind of stuff your body does need, you know, it'll take a long time. And so now I'm like, anytime a symptom like will come up, I'm actually quick to go, okay, you know, what emotional thing have I got going on right now? Or, you know, that could be in correlation or, you know, as well as looking at food intake and that kind of thing, but it's just all linked and it's so important to look at it holistically.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Oh, you're just saying something so important right now, Christie, because, you know, we don't still, I think as a mainstream society, we don't look at it. Like when we have something going on with our, with our bodies, we do look at just the physical side of things. And what you're saying right now is so important because it, you know, if we don't understand that mind aspect of it, you know, there's an exercise, I know you've done it before, but it's quite demonstratable. When you remember you take the lemon, so you close your eyes and, and you act like, you know, you tell yourself, well, I’ve got a half-cut lemon in my hand and it's really, really juicy and it's got a lot of seeds in it. And you take a bite of it. And, you know, when you do, it's like your body processes it.

I know mine, my body actually creates saliva to, and you look at your hand and there's no lemon, right? And it really goes to show that the mind doesn't distinguish between actual reality and what we're telling it. And, you know, if you're telling ourselves, and as you said, and I'm so thankful for you sharing at this level, you know, as you said, it's these unconscious thoughts. If your repetitive thoughts said, hey, we're not important or we're not worthy or not good enough, or, you know, it's our fault that you know, like you said, it's your fault for the pregnancy, etc. And blaming ourselves for things, what's our body going to do with that information, right? It's going to tighten up, it's going to tense. And of course it's going to start to not work as well as it could.

And when you think about over time, it just gets more and more and more. So yeah, I did, as I said, I know this conversation could go so many different places and I should have known with you that we would have gone to health. Cause you're, well, again, you know, we're going to at some point talk about into wellness, your health brand that you're launching and doing amazing things with. But I think before we get there, perhaps let's go through the journey a little bit more.

Cause I'm remembering just back in the early days, you know, when, you had, tech ready women, you had some other businesses and I'm just thinking about like, we'll just go wherever you want to go. And we don't have to go anywhere you don't want to go, but I just, you know, when you think about your story and, you know, they're not important and all the different aspects that are around that. I just think about some of those early days about some of the chats we had about business and, you know, it's like, we have these motives, right? When we have these stories, then we're not doing things just because we love to do them. We're not building the business just to build it.

And I remember our chats, if you're willing to go there about, you know, you were going for the big thing, right? It was always the big thing. And can you see the story involved in that? Like, well, or remember our chats about how, yeah, what, can you say something about motives? Cause I think this is something I didn't say just before you answer is a lot of this work has to do with what we don't know; we don't know. Like when I had my turnaround in life from drug addiction and everything else that I went through, I quickly realized that I needed to understand a realm called what I just don't know, I don't know.

So, I knew what I knew, and I knew what I didn't know, but I didn't know what I didn't know. And that was the area where all the change really happened. And that's really the area that we work with in our conversations. You know, this is why I'm asking for a bit more information from you because a lot of people just won't even know that they're operating a business from a place of having a motive behind it, instead of just something they do. So, do you remember those days? And if so, what could you say to the people that are viewing this about that?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah, in the early days, so I started my first business when I was 26 and, I’ve always been quite an entrepreneurial mindset. So, I was somebody who didn't, well, I pretty much almost failed my school. So, I was put into the category of, you're not smart enough or good enough. And, you know, I even had a teacher tell me, you should go and marry somebody, you know, off you go. Because I was quite, I mean, dyslexic and I learned by doing, and we all know that that's not, you know, back then, especially with the way school taught. And so, I really didn't fit in. And so, I definitely, in my younger years, had some beliefs around, I'm not smart enough or I'm not good enough.

Also my relationship with my parents as well, definitely came into play on, you know, they were entrepreneurs, always quite busy. And yeah, definitely felt of abandonment and neglect and not getting enough attention throughout those years. And I think that was a big driver for me wanting to start business was to have, I'm trying to prove myself worthy, right. Or trying to prove that I am smart enough, you know, back in the day I was mini modeling and, you know, was very much about my looks and everyone, you know, even though I was doing retail management and doing some things in like in the business side, but it was always about how I looked and that kind of thing.

And so, when I actually started my first business, I had this huge drive to prove that I was good enough and smart enough. And especially entering a male dominated industry, like the tech industry, it was even more so. Because literally I would be the only woman in the room at any kind of meetup or any business meeting. And I was this 20 something blonde girl, who was very, ambitious and very optimistic about my big goals that I had, which were probably really unrealistic for the stage that I was at. It's not a bad thing in terms of like giving yourself the courage to have, but it definitely was detrimental. And that can cause a lot of stress because you're like, well, realistically to get to Richard Branson's level at that stage with no experience, you know, and not history, work history as well.

I think for an entrepreneur, the journey of entrepreneurship is so different for everybody because everyone comes into it with different skill sets, different experiences, different experiences on, you know, how to manage businesses versus, you know, what they were doing in their past work. But for me, I was starting, I had worked in retail management, so I had a sales and I know how to sell things, but that was about it. And it was entering a tech startup industry in that time, which at the time was 2011. So, apps were just getting on the app store, and I had these big ambitions. Everyone was saying billion-dollar unicorns.

Well, if he can do it, which is, you know, but then now when I look back, I'm like, I actually don't want to build a billion-dollar business because I’ve got nothing to prove anymore. You know, like I think over those years, like I remember doing a few sessions with you on that. Like what is the drawback of that kind of, because that requires a lot, a lot of attention just on business. You know, we all know that you put a lot of energy in every one area, that's where you're going to excel.

And I think for me, I did for years put a lot into, like I was working 60, 70-hour weeks, easy, 70-hour weeks, weekends. This is pre-kids, and that kind of effort is required in order to get a skill set and things like that, but it's not sustainable to do for a long time. And yes, I could build a billion-dollar business, but maybe I'm not going to have that many lifestyle that I also want. It's just, I remember doing the work on values versus, you know, real, like the realist, how, yeah, just being real on what it actually takes. And did I actually want, I think that's really important for any entrepreneur to think about when they are building businesses as to what is their goals, you know, like, and what are their values and how does that align with the lifestyle you want as well as the business you want to create?

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Yeah. I mean, look, we often talk about, you know, what do you want, but what do you really want, you know, and that's, it's a lot of times people get something that they think they want, and then it becomes one of the worst things that ever happens to them because they weren't aware of all the things that were going to, going to come along with it.

So, I use the term gold in here, Christie, in this podcast quite a lot, because, you know, there's just gold nuggets that are being shared. And I had a feeling there'll be quite a bit of gold coming from you and there already has been, you know, and I think this is one where it's worth just putting a bit of a spotlight on this, because you think about how many people, you know, you said a few things there, you know, it's, when I started in the business world, it was, you know, for what I do, it was like, have, see if there's somebody out there that wants to have a difference, you know, I had some great things I could share with them. Is there somebody that wants to have a difference? And then, you know, maybe then there's another person to do that. And then there's, you know, perhaps, you know, hopefully that that, when it did, it grew into more and more.

But now when I talk to businesspeople, it's like, yeah, they want their first business to be that billion-dollar business. And it's like, well, there's a lot you have to go through or A, to get to that. I mean, I often say, you know, Richard Branson, wasn't Richard Branson at the beginning. He was just learning like the rest of everyone that started in business. And he obviously had some mad skills in doing that as you do, but it's experience and growing. And I think what you're saying about that, and also A, doing it to prove it instead of that's what we truly want and B, not actually seeing that there's a massive cost to that, you know.

And if it's what you really want, you know, if somebody just says, look, all I want with this in this life, is I want to build this amazing, you know, billion or multi-billion-dollar business. That's what I want to do. I understand all the, you know, quote unquote sacrifices involved, but I love doing that. And that's what I want to do. Then that's great. But it's, I find that that's not the case. Like I’ve worked with a lot of, you know, very successful people and I find that, that's not the case, but, you know, the ones who do get there find out, oh, I didn't realise it was going to cost me that. And I, you know, I didn't realise that that was going to happen.

But how many people, Christie, do you reckon, and this is why we're doing this podcast, how many people actually are able to, or know to, or ask the questions, let me get what I think I have to prove to everyone else out of the way. Let me get what I think I need to do out of the way. Let me get my stories out of the way and just sit with this. I've got a precious life here. What do I really, really want to do with it? What would I love to get up every day and do? And I think that's, what's inspiring because from going there in the beginning and having that, you know, and the work that you did, have been doing all along and I call it disengaging or disidentifying from that story and knowing that it's not you bit by bit, you know, I'm just watching your life.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: It's a fantasy, a fantasy. I had a fantasy on this success. I remember. And yeah, like you said, there are sacrifices when it comes to trying to build something like that. And also like the motive, I think for me was not right. Now, when I look at, you know, when you sit down and you go, actually, what do I want to do with my life? And it's really just about who do I want to serve and why, you know, rather than what is this outcome of what I'm trying to achieve from a business goal or perspective. It's a, how many people can I impact and help these days, you know, which is way more rewarding.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: That'll make you the most successful, right. That'll also make you the most successful when you're coming from that, what can I do rather than it's about you. So yeah. Interesting that you said that, like, it's a fantasy and its mind blowing to me how many people are actually doing what, you know, what we're doing because of a fantasy, because it's, we think it's going to mean something if we do it. And then we just, you know, we wake up one day and say, well, look, this is my precious time. You know, this is our greatest asset in life and is our time. That's what we never get back. And it's, what do we want to, you know, want to do with it. And I think what you're saying is just so important to that.

So, what would you say, Christie? So, you've done quite a number of things. You know, the work that I do with the people I work with is quite varied. You talked about values for me. I call that clarity now, and that's really the work of just really getting to the heart and connected with who am I and what do I really want with life, which is a significant piece of work. But to say it's worth it is, I think, an understatement. There's a whole bunch of different aspects of it. What would you say, because you've done so much of it and you've delved so deeply in it, what would you say to someone out there who's just not, you know, something about the work or something about what you've learned that, you know, we didn't know, we didn't know kind of thing that you would share with people that could help them make a difference in their life. If they're there saying, look, I want to live my greatest life. I want to find out who I really am and what I really want. What would you say? What part of the work has, or what you've done with it has stood out to you that you would share?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah. So, I think that it's really important to not only surround yourself with the right people, have the right mindset and, you know, help you to do that in a authentic way, I think that is really, for me has been number one, you know. I think when you do realise and you run this long journey, right? Because not everyone's work. And I think that's why you become a 1%, to be a 1% right is this journey is not easy. And so, and sometimes your darkest fears and challenges or looking at emotions or have impacted you or triggered you or looking at situations and scenarios that may have caused you some stress, like sometimes that is hard work, right? It is not easy. And sometimes it's not really doable on your own.

And I think working with coaches like yourself, as well as surrounding yourself with people who are also doing the work can help you to fast track that process. I think for me, when I do the work, I see the results tenfold. You know, like the investment in myself is the number one thing, because yeah, you just see so much results. And so, I think it's really important to, if you're on this journey, to be really investing in yourself, surround yourself with the right people, and people that know how to help you to get the results, because ultimately, you are going to see success from them. It's a win win, you know, bettering yourself, or, you know, working on yourself. It only makes the world a better place, you know, for yourself in your mind, but also for other people.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Yeah, well, the world really is in our mind, isn't it? Because the world that's in their mind is the one that we project and the one that we see and live in. So, what would you say to someone, they said, well, how did you accomplish that? Like, what did you, what's something that, you don't have to go to personally, or whatever, just go where you want to go, but, or you just go wherever you feel. But what's, when you say that you've done that, right? So, you obviously have shared that you had some beliefs, we all do. We have limiting beliefs. If we just stop and investigate our thoughts, we'll see that many of them are debilitating. They're not encouraging to us to, you know, and supportive of us achieving everything that we want. They're counterproductive, you know, like the stories you've been sharing.

When you say that you looked at it, what's something that you've done to have that change? What's something in the work that you'd say to people, hey, this is what you can do? Like someone sitting there going, I want that freedom. What's, you know, what's a, I won't say technique, but what's something that you've utilised that you could share with them that they could do?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah. I mean, I think some of the tools that we go through and the questions that you have set out have been really helpful in terms of helping look at what those limiting beliefs are. And you know, I think of a process, right? Like, by sitting with it and really trying to, you know, go back to some of those moments and uncover what maybe were you thinking at that time? Like there's definitely a process to that. And I think the questions that we go through can help uncover that. I think that's been really helpful for me. And then I think just the daily practice of positive self-talk, like, you know, that's something you can do on your own daily, you know, like, and really filling your mind with positive things. You know, I'm always plugging into podcasts and reading books and, you know, I’ve like really, especially when it comes to letting go, I think that's been a big control has been a big thing for me, like wanting to control things and the outcome of things.

And so, you know, recently I was reading a really great book called letting go and practicing that. And I know we've done some work on letting go of like some of those limiting beliefs. I think it's just the biggest thing. Right. And then that just creates so much freedom when you've got that freedom in your mind and you know, you are thinking good thoughts, it just makes you feel good throughout the day. And energetically you are going to be much happier and also then attract in much happier situations and people. And yeah, good things will come.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Good things come when you're open, when you open yourself to it. Yeah. I'm really thankful that you've really, you've painted a picture for us today, Christie, which when you talked about your early life and your parents and what you felt you had to do and really helping us to see, because I could see, you know, before I started to get involved in this work, if I listened to someone saying about that, I'd be like, Oh, you know, do I have limiting beliefs? And, you know, I mean, some of us is just easy for us to see it and others just go, what, you know, what does that mean? Like limiting beliefs? I'm just thinking what I'm thinking.

I think you've done a great job of showing how they actually develop, you know, through you looking at your parents going, oh, well, that's who I have to be in order to be worthy in order to be important. I have to do something like that. And then it backfires and leads to the opposite. And then we start, you know, living our life and maybe not even knowing that we're being run by these stories and these thoughts. And, you know, and again, this is just gold to say, what I'm hearing from you is the importance of just stopping and saying, what are they like coming to understand facing them.  

I know for myself without knowing it before I became consciously aware of the limitations that I was, or limiting thoughts that you're speaking about, I suppress them. Like I tried to sort of act over the top of them and, and act like they weren't there kind of thing. And just, that was the only thing that I could do. And it was the worst thing that I could do because it just kept getting worse. And, but when I stopped and just faced them, like you're saying, that's really the first step, isn't it? Like, and to actually say, hey, this is what's there and get present to them.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah. And I think there's some warning, there's some signs, right? So, if you ask someone who's like, I don't have just limiting beliefs or I don't know that they're there. Right. I think for me, when I know that I need to be doing the work a little more than usual, it's, you know, I’ll start to see signs, symptoms, it might come out in my relations, you know, there'll be resistance, there'll be, you know, challenges, a lot of challenges come up, there will be illness, you know, and I really just now stop and I’ll listen to my body. I'll listen to my thoughts.

And you know, journaling is a really good way to try to get out what might be going on in your mind all the time. And what stories you're continuously telling yourself, like, if you are continuously thinking negative thoughts or projecting blame onto somebody or, you know, not taking any kind of responsibility, and people are reacting to you in a negative way, it might be a good sign to stop and go, okay, well, is there anything that I’ve got going on in the story perspective that I'm projecting and write that down and write those things out. Because that can be, you know, those kind of situations where lots of negative things are happening, you're getting ill all the time, they're really good signs and symptoms that, hey, maybe I need to stop and see if there's a story or a pattern going on here.

Especially if you keep repeating the same thing throughout your life. And you're like, why does this came to me? It's like, well, maybe we can stop and go, okay, what might be going on from a belief perspective, or a story perspective, you know, that you're telling yourself. And that's why that action is still happening, you know.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Yeah, well, that's definitely the next moment of gold there, Christie, because, you know, I don't know how many people would see that what is limiting in here is showing up out there, showing up in our bodies, for one and showing up in our relationships and our work like that's probably a big thing for some people to take in. But it's true, isn't it? Like, I loved what you said, if something that keeps happening, and it keeps happening, then it's worth looking at, okay, well, I'm the one that's always there. What's going on in here that happens? And what's really interesting, I know you've experienced it, and I have is that when you do identify it, and as you're saying, let it go, or I call it disidentify from it, all of a sudden, these things change, like that situation doesn't keep showing up anymore. Or, as you said earlier, quite a profound thing, the body changes as a result of like, whatever it is that's showing up, it actually changing the inside changes the outside.

And that's, it's still something I think people are getting on to, but you know, it's a long way to go for us to understand just how powerful we are. And, yeah, again, it's why I did this podcast, and why I'm so thankful for you sharing that kind of thing, because that can make a big difference.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Yeah. I think health conditions are a big one for a sign to stop and, you know, really start to look after yourself, your mindset, your body, you know, everything. I think so, it's just the first thing that comes out. Like, for me, back in April, remember, I got really ill. I contracted mycoplasma pneumonia on a flight over to Bali, and I got stuck in a hospital in Indonesia for two weeks in ICU. I've never been hospitalised for being sick before or had any kind of serious illness like that. Like, I’ve issues and things but never been hospitalised in ICU. And I was there for two weeks. And I remember at the time, so I was, prior to that, getting that ill, I was launched into wellness, into Mecca. That my business partner had gone and had a baby, so she wasn't there.

Like, she'd just gone on maternity. I was, we're a startup. We've got a small team. We had a ... into Mecca stores, 80 Mecca stores. I was selling my previous business, Tech Ready Women to Solari, at the same time. And Dave was away, travelling. And I was really starting to feel the stress and everything on my mind. And I took the kids to Indonesia, got contracted something on the plane. Obviously, my immune system was down. Went into hospital because I got so unwell. And I remember while I was in ICU, by myself for seven days, the kids, thankfully, because Dave was over in Europe, travelling for work.

And I remember sitting there and reflecting. I was hooked up to a ventilator, couldn't breathe. My stress was high. And I remember thinking, wow, like, you could get a typically healthy person, right? How do you get to this point? Obviously, a lot of build-up, a lot of stress going on in my life at the time. Also selling a business that I had built, and I'd built a real idea around. And, if you look up the spiritual meaning of lung conditions, it actually means grief and transition. And I was like, wow, I was actually grieving, like, letting go of the business that I had built, that I am very much about.

But it was such an emotional time for me to hand over something that I cared so much about to another person. And I had so many fears. And it was no wonder I got that ill, you know, like, and I remember being in the hospital and the doctors were like, how are you so, how are you so sick? Like, you were like a typically healthy person, no other condition. So, it was a crazy time. And it was a very surreal time. But I was, I actually was like, wow, what a process. And I wrote some amazing letters to people that I'd worked with who had helped me build that business over the years while I was in hospital and wrote, you know, wrote down a lot of things that I was so grateful for. And really just, you know, it was such a process.

So even though I was, very time, it was just such a beautiful time of practicing, letting go and being at peace of like what was happening. And yeah. But I recovered really well after that. ‍

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Oh, you've done, you've recovered incredibly well. And I didn't say recovered, you just turned that whole thing around into utilising it as an opportunity, you know, when you even just think of saying that it's not where most, you know, I think it's not certainly how we're taught to think about illness, and it's just a bad thing. And then, you know, we get over but it's, you know, I think what you're really offering here, that's another gold here is that we've known for a long time that stress creates physical problems, right? That's in the medical world is quite clear on that stress is, causes a whole bunch of different kinds of physical, kinds of physical ailments.

But you know, what I’m, what's really great here in this conversation, and what you're saying is connecting the mind to it and what you were thinking, you know, things like fear and grief and emotional states. And what's causing those emotional states was, you know, I don't want to let the business go or, you know, what is, I'm losing a piece of myself or whatever the case might be.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: I'm losing my identity, you know, like losing.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: That was what happened.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Identity that I had. Yeah.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: I mean, this is a, you know, how many people it's like, when you say, you know, when we go to a party, or you go somewhere socially, you know, what's the first question we ask someone, you know, what do you do? And it's like, what we do somehow becomes our identity, right? I mean, sometimes people ask me, because I'm just fairly, you know, I just call it, I'm just truthful. And people say, well, what do you do? I do lots of things. I hang out. And I go, oh, you mean, what do I do for my job? Oh, I'm a mindset and strategy consultant or whatever. And it's like, we, it's that identity, right?

Yeah, I know, one of the biggest things that happened for me was during the questions process that you referred to, and I share it bit by bit, sort of in the recap, because I do a recap of these podcast sessions, and just to put a little bit more context to some of the things that we've spoken about. And one of the biggest ones that I got was just realising my business isn't me, like, it's just, it's just a business, like, it's a thing, it's got nothing to do with who I am, as a person. But when we identify, like you're talking about, look at the impact that it can have.  

But I think what I'm hearing you say, even though you didn't use the words is that through going through that process, you became free of it. And that's quite obvious looking at you now, when you think about how recent that was, it's kind of quite obvious, just in the way that your face is. And how you look and your energy, how that you've used that as an opportunity to actually to move forward and to get to connect with a new aspect of who you are. So, it's really awesome to see.

So, well, Christie, you've said a lot of really great things. What I think would be amazing just to hear is like, as the journey, we've talked about 11 years, and you've talked about primarily today, which is really great. Again, I didn't know which part of the work that you were going to go to, but I should have known you'd focus on belief, you know, addressing, because you've just done so much of it. And, you know, it's, you've never shied away from any aspect of it, whatever area it was, whatever you had to look at, you said earlier, it's not easy.

It's, I kind of say, I just want to add for people that are viewing, it's definitely not easy, but neither is holding on to them. You know, like when people go, it's just easier to hold on to the beliefs. I didn't find that as my life was just miserable when I was doing that. But can you take us through a journey as we, you know, it's a great way to probably summarise. Well, as you've done that through the years, what's happened with life in various aspects? What can you share with us of like, where perhaps where you were then and where you are? And I think you've done some of that already. But is there, if you put it in sort of a nutshell, what would you say in terms of where you were and where the journey's got you, you know, taking you so far?

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: I think, you know, early on starting the journey, you know, by doing the work was very much, in my early 20s, I was quite unconscious. And I think, you know, throughout doing the work, I became conscious, more aware. And I think the process of uncovering anything that's no longer serving you only helps you to be your more authentic self. And I think we're all striving to be more authentic. And we all want to feel amazing in our skin. And we all want to show up and help people and help and do good in the world. And so, I think I recommend for anybody who is wanting to feel good within themselves, be your authentic self, then this kind of work is exactly what you need in order to do it.

You know, for me, you know, lately, I’ve just had some pretty profound realisations of just, yeah, how much you learn to love yourself and feel good about yourself, how much more you attract into your life that you want. It's just so simple, even though it seems so hard to do. But like you said, it is actually harder to hold on to those things that don't serve you and those thoughts. And yeah, it's because they're just stories and your mind can play many tricks on you. And I think, you know, once you're out your who your ego is, I call her Susan.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Yes, you've given her a name.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: And I don't let those stories keep playing and playing and I really stop them in their tracks, then you have so much control in your life, you know? Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, it's, I just recommend it for anybody just wanting to go on this journey.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: Oh, yeah. Well, thank you for saying that. And, you know, the most inspiring and fulfilling thing for me in my work is just to watch the differences that that, you know, when people do have the courage that you have and don't hide and confront and deal with the stories and, you know, question them, find out what's underneath it, what's true and what isn't true that's been running your life. And when I think about your journey over the last 11 years, like it really blows me away to see how far you've come and not just one or two areas, but in every aspect.

And as you've said, particularly in who you are and how you've you know, you do love yourself and how that's just radiating into everything that you do, you know, including bringing this amazing brand of into wellness so other people can benefit from the physical health side of things. You know, Mecca is not a small place to get your products into. And so just the things that you're now doing for yourself, for others, it's just been such an inspiring journey until now. And it's just been such an amazing experience.

It's like, I mean, you know, I kind of feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world because this is what I get to do for a living and just watch people do what you're doing. So all is really left to say, Christie, is thank you again. Thank you for taking the time to be here to share your story. It's quite an amazing one. And I think people will get so much out of listening to you and hopefully they'll have the courage to be able to say, hey, look, you know, I’ve got some things going on and let me get honest about what they might be and start taking a look at that. So, thanks for who you are, for everything you've done and for coming on and sharing with us what you have today. It's been absolute gold. I really appreciate it.

CHRISTIE WHITEHILL: Thanks, Sridhar. I really appreciate chatting with you today. Thank you.

SRIDHAR KRISHNAMURTI: All right. Well, thank you. And thanks everybody for watching. And we'll look forward to seeing you on the next episode of How to Be a Real 1%er.