One On One With GiGi Diaz
She’s on your radio, leading networking events and speaking at summits everywhere. She’s GiGi Diaz, a Cuban born, iHeartRadio personality, serial entrepreneur and Mindset & Business Coach for women. The positive vibes she spreads with each professional hat she wears has earned the moniker of The Conscious Influencer and she lives up to it daily. GiGi Diaz is on air on 939MIA in Miami, Mia 92-1 in West Palm Beach and in multiple other markets throughout the United States. Her first business, a dance studio called GiGi’s Academy, was founded in 2003 right after she graduated from high school and was recently ranked Top 3 Dance Studios in its city. Her second business, Seizing Happy, is a Mindset & Business Coaching Program dedicated to teaching women how to tap into their inner happiness source to lead more empowered and purposeful lives. It offers networking events, one-on-one coaching, courses and workshops. We sat with this busy bee for a few questions and here’s what we learned. With all that you do, how you keep it all afloat? I can confidently say I am a time management queen! When I was much younger I literally worked myself into an urgent care. I was losing my hair, had break outs all over my skin, and while driving from one job to another, one day I practically lost my vision in the middle of the highway. It was really scary. To make a long story short, after getting checked out my doctor pretty much told me I was working myself sick. That day changed everything for me and taught me that no matter how passionate, driven, or eager you are to achieve the success you dream of, you need to put yourself first. I manage my time by listing tasks, then prioritizing them, then delegating what I can and giving myself a deadline to complete the tasks I keep for myself. Even though it looks like I’m doing 100 things all the time, I focus on only one big project at a time. What causes you stress and how do you overcome it? A lot of my stress comes from overthinking and uncertainty about what’s coming up. If I’m planning an event, launching a new course or workshop I tend to overthink and worry. I know this happens to a lot of people. Breathing is an instant stress reducer for me. When I feel the stress creeping I stop whatever I’m doing and do some mindful breathing. I inhale for 4 seconds, hold it for 3 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. I repeat this a few times trying to make the exhale longer each time. This slows down my thinking, my heart rate, and allows me to step away from the stress to look at everything more clearly. I meditate every morning for a few minutes and I do it again every night before bed. This has helped me tremendously with clarity, anxiety, and unnecessary worry. Is there a mantra or quote that helps you thrive? Yes! I’ve been closing my shows with “la felicidad es una decision” for years! It translates to “happiness is a choice.” I feel that when your happiness is found within, no one and nothing can take it from you. When you seek joy in life and within yourself, instead of in outside influences, you own that happiness. It’s unshakable. I love affirmations too, I use them every day. I even made my own affirmations eBook to share with friends and it was such a hit I started offering it to clients too. What tip do you have for those people trying to launch a side hustle? I tell my clients this all the time: KNOW YOUR WHY. Why are you doing this? Whatever that answer is, ask WHY again, and again, until you get to the root of why you want to do this. Knowing your deepest reason why is what’s going to keep you motivated when you’re tired and disciplined when you fail (and, yes, you will fail, probably many times). Independence, financial freedom, and reasons similar to those are good, but go deeper. Way deeper. What is the biggest mistake people make when launching? There are so many! I have an entire episode of my Chats with GiGi podcast dedicated to this question! But I’ll go with the first that came to mind when you asked: investing in the wrong things. A lot of launching entrepreneurs spend a ton of money on website designs, business cards, and other aesthetic things. The most important investment to make when launching is in guidance so you avoid as many mistakes as possible. I have spent thousands on coaching and it’s exponentially grown my business. The other investment I think that is very important is delegating! You need to spend your time creating and SELLING, not worrying about the daily tasks of entrepreneurship. I know investing in these things sounds like a luxury to many, but it’s my expert advice, what has worked for me and what works for other successful entrepreneurs. Talking to GiGi was a treat. She’s passionate, energetic and in love with what she does. You can find her on Instagram as @GiGiDiazLIVE, learn more about her at gigidiaz.com and listen to her on 939MIA, Mia 92-1, RUMBA and on the CHATS with GiGi podcast on the free iHeartRadio app.