My guest this week is Chanel Dokun, an author, life planner, and relationship expert trained in marriage and family therapy. Through her speaking and coaching, women get clarity on their life purpose so they can unlock their potential and build a life they love. In addition to working with clients one-on-one, Chanel is the co-founder of Healthy Minds NYC, a thriving group therapy practice in Manhattan. Prior to her work in mental healthcare and coaching, she worked in publishing at Hearst Magazines. Her first book, Life Starts Now: How to Create the Life You’ve Been Waiting For, releases Fall 2022. 2:48 – Chanel 101 She loves drinking honey lavender lattes, volunteering with local entrepreneur organizations, and spending time with her family. When she’s not working, she splits her time between New York City and Atlanta with her psychiatrist husband and son. 9:51 – Finding life purpose People take themselves too seriously, and we put too much pressure on ourselves to figure everything out. There’s more joy, uncertainty and discovery when you take the pressure off yourself. Three questions to ask yourself: Who am I? Where am I headed? How am I going to get there? 12:47 – Living from the outside in People are intent on living from the outside in. We have so many voices. We are so connected, and it feels like we are pressured to conform to a particular way of living. We take on other people’s voices as their own.  Women, in particular, are looking at external reference points. We need to shift from that place that often leads to us getting things we don’t want or aren’t satisfying. 22:02 – Standing in your own identity Chanel nearly drowned in shallow water as a child and finally figured out she could stand up and save herself. In women’s lives, they often feel like they’re drowning and failing in life even though from the outside everything seems good. You need to stand in your own identity 37:32 – Reclaim your morning Do a morning dump and figure out what’s plaguing you. Then have a clean slate to start your day. We tend to pile everybody else’s needs and expectations on ourselves. 41:35 – Get to know you Strangest pet peeve? When people text her. Memorable or impactful experience? Taking her son to see her book in a bookstore. FEATURED QUOTES Who am I? What do I do well? What are my gifts? Where am I going with my life, and how am I going to get there? People take themselves too seriously. People are intent on living from the outside in. We have so many voices. We are so connected, and it feels like we are pressured to conform to a particular way of living. CONNECT: https://chaneldokun.com/ https://chaneldokun.com/lifestartsnow About Chanel:  Chanel Dokun is the author of Life Starts Now: How to Create the Life You've Been Waiting For. She is a certified Life Planner and Relationship Expert trained in Marriage and Family Therapy. Chanel specializes in helping women step into their life’s true calling through her Women of Consequence life planning organization. Prior to running her own business and co-founding a therapy practice, called Healthy Minds NYC, she worked in publishing at Hearst Magazines. She now splits her time between New York City and Atlanta with her psychiatrist husband and son. Chanel's writing and contributions have appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Real Simple, Woman's Day, Essence, Moneyish, Christianity Today, and Relevant Magazine. Thank you to our partners of the show! Are you looking to clean up your household cleaning products this year? MamaSuds would like to help! The best way is to simply start with one product. Every time you run out of a specific cleaning product, replace it with a non-toxic one. Another tip, purchase a product that has multiple uses. The MamaSuds Collection has many multiple use products (castile soap or the toilet bombs are just a few!). Their blog has lots of great tips and a castile soap recipe that you can print and make a lot of your own effecti