With Keren Eldad, an acclaimed motivational speaker, leadership psychology expert, and founder of With Enthusiasm Coaching, you’ll discover the tools to transform your personal and professional life. Specializing in guiding high achievers toward true fulfillment, Keren has coached Olympic athletes, Hollywood stars, Special Forces operatives, and top executives from global companies like Estée Lauder, J.P. Morgan, and Nike. Her own journey of leaving an unfulfilling business career to pursue her passion fuels her mission to help others embrace autonomy, freedom, and authentic self-expression.

A TEDx speaker with over half a million views, Keren has been recognized as a Top Ten Executive Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Real Leaders Magazine, and Goop. With advanced degrees from The London School of Economics and the University of Jerusalem, she brings a global perspective, having lived and worked in 17 countries. Fluent in four languages, Keren now resides in Austin, Texas with her husband, Ryan, and their pets, continuing to inspire audiences worldwide.

Join our conversation as Keren discusses the power of authenticity, enthusiasm, and overcoming imposter syndrome. She shares insights on recognizing when success becomes unfulfilling, the importance of making bold changes for inner alignment, and setting clear boundaries to achieve true fulfillment. Keren also highlights the need to embrace conflict and decisively transition toward a more aligned path, all while supporting impactful organizations like Crisis Text Line and Bottomless Closet. Tune in to gain actionable strategies for transforming your life and career.

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Takeaways & quotes you don’t want to miss from this episode:

• The struggle of overachievers and success.
• How to embrace enthusiasm in work?
• Listening to internal vs external calls for change.
• Why should you welcome fear and discomfort?
• The importance of setting clear boundaries and embracing conflict.

“Enthusiasm doesn’t mean the disposition of a golden retriever… It just means fully charged. If you are not fully charged, you are depleted. And if you are depleted or just lackluster, this is simply not going to, as you said, climb the mountain.”

-Keren Eldad

Check out these highlights:

• 07:38 Keren discusses the moments before making transformative life decisions, i.e. leaving her job and marriage.
• 10:56 The two patterns of discontent…
• 32:25 How to distinguish between a calling from inside vs outside?
• 45:39 Keren shares how she approaches change at her own pace, likening her process to “an old man going into a nice warm bath.”
• 49:46 Listen to Keren’s final advice…

How to get in touch with Keren on Social Media:

Imperfect Show Notes

We are happy to offer these imperfect show notes to make this podcast more accessible to those who are hearing impaired or those who prefer reading over listening. While we would love to offer more polished show notes, we are currently offering an automated transcription (which likely includes errors, but hopefully will still deliver great value), below:

GGGB Intro  00:00

Here’s what you get on today’s episode of Guts, Grit and Great Business®…

Keren Eldad  00:04

You’re miserable about success. Hang on. What do we do about this? And there was only one answer, step back, enormously. Take a real big step back. Hire a lot more people, completely change the business. Go where you’re terrified to go,

GGGB Intro  00:21

The adventure of entrepreneurship and building a life and business you love, preferably at the same time is not for the faint of heart. That’s why Heather Pearce Campbell is bringing you a dose of guts, grit and great business stories that will inspire and motivate you to create what you want in your business and life. Welcome to the Guts, Grit and Great Business® podcast where endurance is required. Now, here’s your host, The Legal Website Warrior®, Heather Pearce Campbell.

Heather Pearce Campbell  00:49

Alrighty, welcome. I am Heather Pearce Campbell, The Legal Website Warrior®. I serve information entrepreneurs throughout the US and around the world. Welcome to another episode of Guts, Grit and Great Business®. I am super excited for our guest today. There’s a whole backstory to how I connected with Keren. But welcome to Keren Eldad.

Keren Eldad  01:13

Hi, Heather. It’s such an honor to be here. Thank you for having me.

Heather Pearce Campbell  01:17

Oh my gosh, it’s so fun. Well, we have a favorite human in common, Tracy Holland, right? The one and only. She’s fabulous. And we recorded a conversation sometime last year, and she’s just so real, she’s amazing. You definitely need to go listen to that conversation. But Tracy had worked with Keren, and actually in that conversation, I think she mentioned you, and then Tracy, I think, shared out. And then I got a message from Keren, and I had like, once we had the conversation, once I had the conversation with Tracy, I remember thinking, I should go reach out to Keren. Tracy’s raving about Keren. And then there you were in my inbox. And then I messaged you. Let’s get you on the podcast.

Keren Eldad  01:56

Here’s so funny. I know, I loved it. I just wanted to tell you, I loved that episode, and you did such an amazing job. Obviously, she always brings the realness, but such an amazing job, such an amazing show. And I wanted to say that was awesome. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  02:09

Oh, thank you. Well, it was super fun. I love my guests. I have a great time on my podcast, which is the only way I ever wanted to do it. I launched it at the start of COVID, and I just told myself, and I had all my systems set up. Everything before I ever launched, I’d recorded, like, I don’t know, 30 episode, like it was just, yeah, I told myself, I cannot do this in a way that stresses me out. Needs to be enjoyable. It always has been from the start, and we’re past the three year mark now. We’ve climbed to the top 3% of podcasts in the world. That was the last time I checked, which has been a little while. So anyways, it’s been fabulous, and I absolutely adore my guest. I know that people are going to get so much value from this conversation if you are joining in today and you do not know Keren Eldad. Keren is an acclaimed motivational speaker, leadership psychology expert,  and founder of With Enthusiasm Coaching. Before, oh my gosh, and even that name, we’ll have to have a separate little chat about enthusiasm. But before becoming an internationally-recognized coach, Keren had an illustrious business career, and a husband – neither of which she cared for. Oh my goodness. After finding the courage to get a divorce and quit the high paying job, she turned inward and did the work – turning her life inside out, establishing her business, finding real love and now vowing to help anyone else who wants freedom, autonomy and professional expression do the same. There are some amazing things in there that I think people, so many people, can relate to. And I can’t wait to hear more about your story. My joke. I went through a divorce, and at the time, of course, it was devastating, right? I just felt like, Oh, such a failure. I can’t even make like relationship number one work in my life, right? And then I remember hearing my favorite DJ on the radio, who had a couple kids say, and one of them was going through a divorce, and he just said, you know, everybody needs to get one of these under their belt. It was the first time I had laughed about it, and then I couldn’t stop. I was like, Oh my gosh. Like, it’s not just me, you know. Anyways, it’s welcome. It’s an honor to have you, and I can tell there’s a lot about your journey that is really important to share.

Keren Eldad  04:30

I mean, your show is called Guts, Grit and Great Business, right? And that’s where great businesses come from, guts and grit and a real transformation. So I really love starting with this particular bio, and not the here’s what Keren has done, and here’s who Keren works with, blah, blah nonsense. The second thing I want to say is I really want to just play off of what you said in the beginning, which is, I decided to make this fun. I don’t think there’s any point not making this fun. And the moment in my life that started the transformation was when I looked around and I had everything. So and none of it was fun. What’s the point of being in the top 3% of podcasts if you don’t actually like it? I don’t see the point.

Heather Pearce Campbell  05:06

Well, there is no point. That’s the reality. And I think it’s, you know, this whole connection to work and how we feel about it just cannot be stated enough how important it is that we if we don’t already, and I’ve seen it written different ways, and some things I agree with, some things I disagree with, but if you don’t already love your work, like either go through the process of finding something to love and be enthusiastic about when you show up until you create the next opportunity, right? And the other thing is, like…

Keren Eldad  05:42

Or burn it to the ground and just go for it.

Heather Pearce Campbell  05:46

Absolutely, if you’re not ready to make that step, like, let’s pretend you’ve got some real practical constraints, right? You may need to build the bridge rather than just leap, of course. So there are different pathways for getting there, but this whole thing about having enthusiasm and love for first of all, it’s how you move mountains. You don’t move mountains without enthusiasm, without like a tremendous commitment that is bigger than just the outward accolades or the thing you know that you’re striving for. And you don’t enroll people along the way to your work, to your process, to whatever it is that you’re doing or delivering to the world without being enthusiastic about it.

Keren Eldad  06:26

It’s the truth, and it has to be authentic. You know that word enthusiasm is sort of like the word happiness? A lot of people have decided it’s either abstract or untenable, and neither is correct. Both of these are academic terms, just FYI and measurable, and all enthusiasm means it doesn’t mean the disposition of a golden retriever, which, let’s be honest, is adorable. It just means fully charged. If you are not fully charged, you are depleted. And if you are depleted or just lackluster, this is simply not going to, as you said, climb the mountain, and certainly not going to get anybody to come with you, and that’s really what the brand is about. It’s about getting people just excited about being here, being in their life, being in their body, being in this world.

Heather Pearce Campbell  07:10

Was that so your business, you know? And the name, the fact that you actually built enthusiasm into that, what came before that for you, I’d love to hear, you know, because it sounds like kind of a from the ashes type of story. And I think it’s really important that people hear those stories, because so often, if we’re at a point of like, oh my gosh, I either have to burn this down or, you know, find some way to do it differently, we can really beat ourselves up about reaching a point like that. 

Keren Eldad  07:38

No, absolutely. And I think there are two faces to the pre-conditions that brought about this rise of Phoenix story that I do have, and it is a rise from the ashes, but I want to talk about us to a specific type of person, and so that they can recognize it within themselves, if they see themselves in me, I have always looked enthusiastic. I’m like pink. Pink says, even before she went to therapy and she found herself, she was brassy and supercharged and joyful looking and social. And unfortunately, that’s a mask. It’s a mask we’re very conditioned to wear. And that’s something that we’re we can preternaturally do. It comes easy to us. So not most people cannot tell that anything is wrong. And even worse, we cannot tell for very long periods of time that anything is wrong. So I look fine. My work is fine. I’m working at a C suite position in a C suite organization. I am in my early 30s, so still young, still bubbling enough money. Was married to a tall guy, which is, you know, Heather is the ideal. Everything looks great on Instagram. The house is really big. I got it all right, until I started to ask myself, Why do I feel like every morning is so hard to get out of bed? I knew it wasn’t a clinical condition. Because I functioned at a very high level, and I could have great moments of joy in interactions with people. But I started to examine my life and understand that pretty much every one of my selections was not really my own choice. It was a conditioned choice. It was something I was trained into. I was taught this was, what a good life is. This is what appropriate looks like. This is what looks right on Instagram and to the world. And also, I, unfortunately, bought into a lot of limiting beliefs about my abilities. You can’t start your own business. Women can’t manage money. Who are you to get out there and to do something by yourself? Divorce is a big no no and would be a huge stain on the rest of your life. Maybe some of these are resonating with you, so I’m thinking, all right, let’s just keep the systems going and look as happy as possible. Luckily, because of this inner juice, I guess I couldn’t tolerate that for a very long time, and it all. Came crashing down, and it was by my own hand. I was the one who said, I’m getting divorced. I’m out of this abusive, horrifying marriage, which, by the way, did look very good on Instagram, but felt awful to be in. I did live in a very big house, but it was in Zurich, Switzerland. And I don’t know if you’re familiar with Zurich, Switzerland, but for a New Yorker, that is like death, only slower. And the C suite job was great, and it was a very nice job, but it was nothing compared to what I knew I could do with my own life. So one after the other, I quit the job. I got out of the house. I have zero money. I go sleep on friends couches, and I start my life from zero. And that was, that was the beginning of everything.

Heather Pearce Campbell  10:41

Talk to me about the times right before each of those decisions, because I feel like there is a time that people hit that need to make decisions like this, where they either make it or yeah, don’t it becomes even harder to make it?

Keren Eldad  10:56

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. So there are two patterns that I identified in myself and that I now see my clients that will start to indicate this for you. The first is increasing aimlessness, just it’s almost like it doesn’t feel like sadness. It just feels like a lot of what am I doing here? Is this all there is and just moments where empty exactly like you hit accolades and you don’t understand or not processing them as joyful. So that’s one hallmark. The other is traumatic events start to happen. And they do happen. They 100% start to happen. When you’re in the wrong life, you will see you will start to literally attract those conditions. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  11:34

Someone’s trying to kick you out of that life. Literally it is, yeah.

Keren Eldad  11:38

And in my case, there were just a couple of things. First, he was treating me very, very badly. And secondly, I got robbed. I realized that he hadn’t paid the insurance, which made the robber even worse. A whole bunch of other moments just collapsed into me, almost like a car crash. And those were big, Wake up and smell the coffee moments you are in a distressful situation, and they became more and more intense, until the point where I just thought, I don’t have anything to lose anymore.

Heather Pearce Campbell  12:06

So did you feel like it was an active choice, or that you got pushed a little bit of both?

Keren Eldad  12:12

Yeah, I’m kind of glad that I got pushed, because I think I was a fraidy cat. Before today, I would have jumped ball by myself, but back then, I really was absolutely terrified of what these choices would mean.

Heather Pearce Campbell  12:24

You know, it’s so interesting because, like so many other guests, you know, telling their stories where it’s involved any amount of hardship, or even, like excruciating hardship, where once you are in the right lane and in the right life, like you have so much gratitude for those experiences. Like my first husband, I have so much gratitude that he cheated on me, because that’s what was required for me to exit that marriage, right? And that was not the right place for me to be. Never was.

Keren Eldad  12:55

Exactly right. I got to bump into my ex husband in Geneva a few years ago, and he literally said, I’m sorry. And I remember looking at him and saying, Are you kidding me? I would have written an even bigger check to get out of that gave me a big, big master’s degree in life, and I really meant it. Of course, if I could have spared myself suffering and others’ suffering, I certainly would have, but we learn the way we learn, and ultimately, it sets us exactly, exactly on the path we’re supposed to be on. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  13:28

Oh, it’s true. And every woman that I know that is, for lack of a better analogy, that’s like a diamond, right? Like, so beautiful and so tough and so like, they’ve walked through the fire. They’ve been forced through these positions where, you know, they’ve had to make hard choices, and they did, and they massively accelerated their growth, what they’re capable of, you know, what their opportunities are, all of it.

Keren Eldad  13:56

And, you know, Heather, that actually brings me to how far I’ve come today, I can anticipate how useful this is going to be. If I start feeling angry or bitter, uncomfortable, I know favor is coming. I’m glad because I understand that what is happening is the systems are intolerable. It’s time to move. And in that sense, I can say with great confidence, today I would leap back. Then I needed a push.

Heather Pearce Campbell  14:21

Oh, it’s so powerful. You know, I was talking with somebody who’s whose episode will come out relatively soon, and he lives in the spiritual space, and he’s very much also about guiding, but really exclusively in a spiritual way, like upper level CEOs. And he just said, you learn to welcome that discomfort. It is the sign you are in an up level, right? Like something is about to change. And so it’s, you know, it’s so contrary to human nature. Because what do we crave? We crave safety. We crave comfort. We crave, you know, in a lot of ways, sameness, you know, at least from the and I think. For women, too, in particular, those needs for safety. This was part of the conversation with Tracy right the need for safety and security, it’s like…

Keren Eldad  15:10

It’s a human emotional need. Carl Jung said this even before Tracy did about 100 years ago. Essentially, we’re all wired the same way. However, I want to distinguish between what we crave in order to feel emotional safety versus what we need for ultimate ascension or self actualization, the highest end of the emotional needs pyramid, and that is you actually need growth. You need change, and you need problems. And whether we like them or not, they are calling forth the next level. And if you can start to like, literally meet those moments, like your spiritual guide has said with let’s get a shot, because this is a really exciting moment. Favor is coming. You’re in a different zone.

Heather Pearce Campbell  15:54

Absolutely. So share with us. So you make this series of decisions that are hard decisions, right? You take this leap, talk to us about some of the early like building days. Where did you go? What did you encounter along the way? That have been some of your best lessons. And then we can talk about where you’re you’re at now. 

Keren Eldad  16:14

Well, I didn’t get off and set off into the journey of starting my own business, let alone becoming a teacher and a coach, but it came to me through the inner journey, which is why I always say go on the inner journey with no agenda and just watch what happens like let yourself unfold and see what comes through you. And luckily, because I had nothing to lose and I was broke as a joke, I had all the opportunity in the world to just explore, explore and go as deep as possible for as long as possible, and in this because of the frustration, and especially because of the lack of autonomy that I felt. I felt like my hands were bound to a corporation. They were bound to a marriage that I hated. They were bound to somebody else who was managing my money. That anger was a desire for autonomy and for freedom and to run my own life. This is what ultimately leads me to start my own business. I began to understand very quickly that there is no such thing as the American dream or a linear life anymore. Probably not, hasn’t been since the 60s, which means that their life stage correlated with your age, doesn’t exist anymore that you can no longer expect good education, good career. Retire at 65 enjoy the rest of your life, anymore that the only way for me to actually enjoy a life on my own terms was to create it. And this is where everything comes into place. With the business that I launched because I didn’t have any money. I did it the safe way. You said, build a bridge sometimes, instead of just take a leap, I did. I took all the low hanging fruit of what I knew how to do, and I knew I was going to sell and put all those in motion so I could pay the rent and so that I could make some money. Could have enough money to build my business too, because building businesses cost money, and then so does coaching, and all of those had to be paid for, not to mention, you know, cat food and my soul house membership. And in addition to all of that, I launched the coaching business. I launched the coaching business in 2017 almost exactly seven years ago. And I think I was in a headspace that was so clear about what I wanted to do that. I, within 24 hours, sold out my first program, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Heather Pearce Campbell  18:27

Oh my gosh, I love it. Well, and what an affirmation from the universe about that shift onto the right track. Oh yeah, you see those moments. I mean, when I decided to create my second business, which is the The Legal Website Warrior®. I didn’t have a website. I literally just messaged people, and these are people that were at the top of their industries that I knew I could help, even though I’m like, you know, we’ll see if they work with me. Like, who knows. But I got great business coaching, and my coach at the time, who also has been on the podcast, Jacob Roig, who’s phenomenal, said, Go to the top. Who can you help? Go to the top and start offering to help them. And so I had enrolled like dream clients, without a website, without like, you know it, and I just remember it like clicking into place, like these people and a whole slew of them, I’m not even talking just like one dream client, like five, you know, in a matter of like, a couple weeks that were like, Yes, we had just put on the schedule to meet and talk about hiring counsel this week. You know, yes, we were just and every time every person that I reached out to had this story of like, yes, it was actually on our agenda. We lined up calls with three other attorneys. We’ll have those meetings, but we’ll get back to you. And what do they did? They got back to me, and they hired me. 

Keren Eldad  19:48

Yes, it is an energetic alignment. You know, you’re, of course, making me think of the phrase leap and the net will appear. And for those who don’t see it clicking quite as fast, I don’t think that should disappoint you, or dismay or anything like that, but you may still be energetically not aligned with what you want, in other words, not fully ready to accept that you’re ready, that you really are ready. I think that’s what’s usually happening with with the cause for delays.

Heather Pearce Campbell  20:18

Yeah, no, that’s so true, and it’s such a good such a good reflection point. I think for a lot of us, when we’re having those moments of like, gosh, this is a little crunchier than it should be, or something’s not quite clicking, to really, like, go back again and do that inner exploration before. And I know that this is going to go wonderful ways, but there’s a question, because you raised it like the amount of like anger or frustration or resentment that you were feeling. I think this is a really important topic for women. I’m reading several books right now that probably I should have read years ago. I feel like so many of us as women learn to really become acquainted with anger in our adult lives, right? As children, it’s not okay. It’s generally, societally not okay to express it. It’s especially not okay if you are female, right? And so hard, no, and it’s, I feel like a really like, necessary part of the journey. And I’ll mention the three books, just because I love books. And whenever I say it like, Oh yeah, I’m reading books, I realize people listening may be like, what is the book? Let’s hear the title. So three of them, one all about love by bell hooks. Been around a while, 20 years, right? But it’s looking at love through the construct of like, what our patriarchal system has done to it, how it’s viewed, how we show up to it, even our definition of it. The other book is rage becomes her really, really important book by Soraya Shamali, all about why women experience and it’s such an important conversation, and I just feel the need to point this out. And then one by Gemma Hartley, fed up right emotional labor women and the way forward so, but they all are intersecting at this point of women boundaries, the patriarchy and what our anger is telling us about what needs to change.

Keren Eldad  22:16

Bell Hooks had a very lovely approach to it, because she did not turn this into resistance against men. It was about a union with rather than a resistance against. And this is a very important thing to understand about rage or anger. It is a gateway emotion. It is a very useful emotion. And it is a gateway emotion, and once we come to terms with it and understand what it means, which is what I was saying before, and that’s also why, by the way, you have to check your energetic availability for the next level, not just at the inception of your business, but again and again and again as your business grows and evolves, which I hope we’ll talk about a little bit more. And anger will always be your indication and to repress anger and to not allow anger See, I don’t know if people can detect the sexy accent, but I am Israeli, and we have a terrible reputation for being angry all the time, almost laughably so. So I learned very quickly, since I learned I lived outside the country almost all my life, that this is unacceptable behavior and you must make it as British as possible. My demeanor, my posture, has to always be pleasing and lovely and not hysterical and not argumentative. So I learned to tone it down. Tone it down instead of thinking or maybe the fact that you’re frustrated and angry is indicating to you that something doesn’t work and should be changed so that you can evolve into hope, into joy, into acceptance, into enthusiasm. And if you start to understand anger as that it’s a gateway emotion that’s all, you will start to rage. Find rage becomes you. Gosh, I love that. That reminds me of the great movie from the 80s. Death becomes her starring the one and only. Meryl Streep.

Heather Pearce Campbell  24:08

All right, let’s pause for a moment and hear from today’s sponsor. Are you an entrepreneur who is on track to make a million or more in revenue this year in your business? If so, your business is likely facing a host of legal issues that are right for support. And if you are like so many of my clients at this level, you are likely tired of taking unnecessary risks and a DIY approach to legal support in your business. You’re ready to tackle the mess of legal documents, six legal gaps that you have. You want to take care of your IP, your clients, your business, and avoid unnecessary conflict and risk in the process. If this is you, and beyond just being an entrepreneur, you are a catalyst and are committed to your mission and your impact in the world. I invite you to get in touch. You could be a fit for my catalyst club, a small business legal support program that I designed for my high level clients. Just like you, you can find out more at legalwebsitewarrior.com. Just click on the Work with Me tab to learn more about the catalyst club and other ways that I support my clients, a fabulous group of world changing entrepreneurs, I might add, you’ve done the initial legwork in your business. And now you want to soar. And you know that you can only go as high and as far as your legal foundation lets you go. So get in touch today, hop over to legalwebsitewarrior.com, click on the Work with Me tab. And if you have any questions, get in touch through the Contact link on my site, I look forward to connecting it would be a joy to support you on your path. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  25:51

I love that you point out like anger is the signpost. It is the way. Because I think so often, even now, like I look at my relationship to anger, it’s uncomfortable to, like, be there, stay there, really dissect it. And yet, the beautiful theme that is coming out of these books is, like, pay attention to it. It’s not bad. You just, you know, it is that calling to expand, to look beyond, to, you know, figure out what it is that needs to change. And anyways, I love that, and I love that.

Keren Eldad  26:21

It ties back to what you asked before, which is like, how did I find the indications of the fact that I was being pushed forget the traumatic events for a second? You know, the problem with anger is it appears for very different people with different behavioral styles in different ways. There are people who show it up as rage. There are people who are fed up, but there are also people who have quiet frustration. There are people like me who experience bitterness.

Heather Pearce Campbell  26:44

Yes, or resentment. It shows up as resentment. 

Keren Eldad  26:47

Exactly my version of anger is not how it’s how am I being overlooked this way? The indignation, these are all anger. They’re all the same thing, and that’s a very, very exciting thing to understand.

Heather Pearce Campbell  27:02

Oh, totally. Our familial culture influences it. Our personal biology influences it, like women who tend to be more Alpha women are more capable of expressing anger in traditionally angry ways that would normally be assigned to male expression, right? But it’s all it’s so important because, first of all, it’s so present for most women in a variety of ways. And it’s not something to be avoided. It is the sign. It is the signpost. It is the past. So anyways.

Keren Eldad  27:35

I love that. So a critical, I just want to say one more thing, it’s a critical skill, because as part of business, you want a great business, conflict is part of the game, whether you like it or not, and people like me who are super conflict averse, I like to joke that I have the spine of a gummy worm. I’m a sweetheart, Heather. We have to learn that conflict is part of the game, and your job is to have strong boundaries and to be okay with conflict and anger is part of it.

Heather Pearce Campbell  28:04

That’s it. That’s it. The core teaching, even though I deliver legal support and legal services, the core teaching for most of my services is boundaries. It is about protecting the thing that you’re building so that it can operate in the world at its best ability, right? And, yeah, structure and boundaries can make people really uncomfortable, but also, at new levels of business, you get to create new boundaries, right? You’re constantly going to have people cross boundaries all the way up, all all the way. It’s not something that stops you get better at it and you get better at managing it. That’s a skill set that’s really important, especially for women, to develop, but it is just about knowing and expressing those boundaries clearly, and your business will thrive so much more. Anyways…

Heather Pearce Campbell  28:53

I love that. I love that you raised it. I think it’s a really important piece of the conversation for women, including about how we get back to Joy, back to enthusiasm, when we see those signpost posts of anger and resentment and like, something’s going wrong. So share with us, like, and I know we’re just picking out pieces of your journey, right? But share with us at what point you made this leap. I obviously you said, like, right away you enrolled all these clients. Like, you filled up your enrollment, and you know, from there, the rest is history. So that’s been the last seven years. Yeah, talk to us about some of your learnings from those seven years, and then we can shift into who you serve what they’re doing in the world, right?

Keren Eldad  29:41

I mean, the first thing I learned was to say yes to the calling, right? And to feel the feelings, but then to understand what the message is in the feelings. And the analogy I like to give people, Heather, is Lieutenant Dan in the storm. Do you remember Lieutenant Dan in the storm, and it was shaking and the boat was rocking, and they might not make it through the night. And he’s yelling at God, is that the best you’ve got? And then in the morning, the ship comes in, right like they get all their shrimp. And Forrest Gump says, I believe in that battle, Lieutenant Dan made his peace with God. You will resolve the issues. You will make peace with them. You will accept where you are, and then there is only way, and it is up. You don’t even have to lift a finger. You will literally just start to move up. And in order to move up, I think my biggest lesson initially was just do it. I think I think most women should run a business. I think most women should break the barriers. I think the fact that only 2% of us make it to seven figure, business is appalling, and we must transcend this stat. I have everybody else can. I’m not special. And the only thing that changed this for me was the decision to get over my imposter syndrome, get over the many conditioning ideas I got throughout my life that I can’t, and here’s why I can’t, and decided to just go for it today. It seems so obvious, because I’m successful, and it’s worked out, right? But back then it was like, I think I can, and I did, and that was the huge, huge thing is just go for it. Just keep going. And if you’re willing to do that, you will do it again and again in your business, and that’s how your business will grow.

Heather Pearce Campbell  31:24

Well, and I can’t remember the exact phrase. There is a brilliant phrase that is like, you know, just beginning is half the battle. And that’s the piece that speaks to like, making the decision to go do it, and then taking the action that says, I’m serious about this, and I’m following up.

Keren Eldad  31:41

Well, and you just have to have a big why. You don’t have to have a big explanation of why you and that’s a big problem. Most people are always thinking about it. Well, let’s justify my existence here, especially women, right? But don’t justify your existence. Just make a decision that you got to do this, because you can’t deal with another second of living under the thumb of oppression. That’s it. That’s all you need.

Heather Pearce Campbell  32:03

And I meant, I heard you mention the name like I responded to the calling, right? The phrase, how do people know? Because I think some folks, and I think it depends on energetically, how we’re wired, like things for me, are either a clear yes or a clear no, right? But some folks, they have to really think about it, it takes more time to really process and digest. How do you recognize when something is a calling?

Keren Eldad  32:25

That’s a wonderful question. I hope everybody’s listening very, very closely. Put your ear right on the headphone right now, there are two ways to receive a call. One is from outside the house and one is from inside the house. Do you remember that movie? I Know What You Did Last Summer. The call is coming from inside the house. In this instance, the call coming from inside the house is the good call, and anything coming from outside the house is a bad call. A call that’s coming from outside the house is a call that is motivated from external factors. I need, I must, I should. It usually feels not comfortable. It feels like it’s full of resistance. It feels like something I really need to think about. And it feels like the the consequences will last forever. They’re very high stakes, like getting a tattoo or something.

Heather Pearce Campbell  33:09

Yeah, and it’s the push the boulder up the hill.

Keren Eldad  33:12

Eaxtly. Whenever the consequences are really, really heavy, and the outcome is very, very heavy, you’re listening to a call from outside the house, a call from inside the house feels like a basket of kittens. It is exciting. It’s interesting. You sort of want to know where it goes next. You’re not particularly obsessed with the details. You are just following a rabbit down a hole. That’s a completely different call, and it’s really easy to tell the difference, because everybody knows the difference between. It feels tight in my chest when I think about this, and it feels exciting and open and delicious.

Heather Pearce Campbell  33:48

I love the way that you’ve just described it. It reminds me of one of my clients, one of the teachings in her book. This is from Tara Moore, who talks about the two different kinds of fears, right? And I think a lot of times things can feel like fear to us that are really that falling like she has. I think the way she described it as Prad, which is one type of fear, and then you’re Ra, which is the other type of fear, and it’s actually what you’ve just laid out in a slightly different way. She says, Prad is the fear of imagined or projected things. This is the thing about the heavy weight, the huge consequences, the worst case scenarios that we think of, right that are like, Oh, we we have to do this, but it feels heavy. Versus Ura, which comes to us, she says, when we inhabit a larger space than we are used to, with awe, serenity, exactly, reverence, vitality and passion. It’s like, yeah, juiciest part.

Keren Eldad  34:52

It’s funny. As soon as you said, your eye said, I thought to myself, That’s Hebrew. It means awe. Awe is a different kind of, of course, it’s like a little, oh my god, this is really big, but it’s the very different kind of. It’s like, I’m about to get on the roller coaster at Disney World, not am I ever going to come out of this tunnel alive. These are completely different kinds of fear, right? And you have, you do know the difference, that’s the truth. You do know the difference, and you can learn how to listen for it. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  35:25

No, and I love it. And I just think it’s a really important conversation for women to also get comfortable around that little bit push and pull of fear and being able to recognize, is this the good kind motivating me in the right direction, right with that pull energy, not the push energy and anyways, but I really like the basket of kittens. I want everything. It can’t be the basket of kittens.

Keren Eldad  35:47

Agreed, agreed.

Heather Pearce Campbell  35:51

So you know, here you are doing work that you love, right? You’re in the right lane. You have some things immediately go right for you. That confirms that, right? And we’ve talked a little bit about how that’s a process. It’s not a place that you land and you just stay in. It’s a process. What have you learned in working with your clients over the years? What are some of your like, most valuable learnings or teachings that for people listening, I mean women, for sure, right? But this is going to be an audience of men and women. What do you think are some of the most valuable things that either that we need to know, that we continue to get stuck around, even as high performers, even as people that hold themselves to high standards, right, or that, you know, our mindset shifts that we can make to make things a lot easier.

Keren Eldad  36:50

So the same lessons I learned are the lessons my clients have learned. They’re both men and women, but we all have one thing in common. We are all overachievers, and forget highest echelons of society, or whatever kind of C suite executive I serve, etc, etc, or founders, or whatever. We are intensely wired. That’s what we have in common. And you can be intensely wired as a phenomenal yoga instructor. It’s a behavioral disposition. This behavioral disposition comes with an enormous pitfall, and that is way over exacerbating the needs for significance and certainty. The first is really identifying with myself as a person who has achieved a certain rank and who must achieve this is something that causes us emotional safety, or the illusion of emotional safety. So we feel that we need to maintain it at all costs, also the facade of it as being our significance, as being our hallmark of how we look to other people and other people giving us the validation that we are what we think we are. That’s another trap. When we start locking ourselves into these positions and gaining more success, we have a very, very big problem, and that is when success becomes painful. The most common things that I’ve seen in my clients are the downfalls of success, and that’s essentially when your life looks really good on Instagram and doesn’t feel good on the inside. That’s how I describe my former life, right? This can happen in lots of different and insidious ways. I’ll give you an example from my own business, because it’s a great example my business a couple of years ago, so I was going well, going well, going well, going well. And then two years ago blows up, as in 2x overnight. I have not developed the ability to grow into this yet, because I’m still running on the old focaccta systems I had from the beginning, and because I’m still not interested in levels of conflict, and because I have not really programmed myself for that level of success. And as a result of that, success feels terrible, it’s exhausting, it’s overwhelming. The profit margin is garbage, even though the money is great, I mean everything and the conflict that was staggering. It was astonishing, like from canceled contracts to bizarre legal battles to stuff that I just had not anticipated, right? And I know a lot of people relate to this. The reason this happened was because I was not willing to let go of whatever status and certainty I had acquired up until that point. So my point is, this comes and recurs again and again. Even if you’ve gone within and transcended you, it’s so easy for us to default to those old positions, because that’s what the nervous system knows, and that is what the nervous system will continue to default to. It was my job to, in my infinite wisdom, coach myself and go, Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you’re miserable about success? Hang on. What do we do about this? And there was only one answer, step back, enormously. Take a real big step back. Hire a lot more people. Completely change the business. Go where you’re terrified to go. Use the Ah and expand in the direction that is both scaring and scary and exhilarating. This is I call it the overachiever paradox, or the superstar paradox. If you do not transcend it, you will be so attached to physical demonstrations of power that you will never really experience joy that’s let alone fun. And again, we said at the very beginning, right, Heather, that’s the whole point. If you have all the success and no fulfillment, why are you even doing this?

Heather Pearce Campbell  40:34

Yeah, it’s, you know, I was just having this conversation with a friend who I feel like is in one of the middle of these big upheavals right where it’s like he needs to close this door over here, because he’s no longer really meant to serve those people and do what he was doing the way that he was doing it. And he’s in this weird mode of like, needing to transition and go over here. And it’s also ironically or not So ironically, I think the same challenge his clients face, right? Because he’s all about mindset and abundance and growing like growing and constantly expanding our ability to lead, our ability to build. But it’s that we were also having this exact conversation about the tug of war between ego achievement and really reaching inner alignment so that you don’t have to live in that place of like having life look great on the outside and not feel great on the inside.

Keren Eldad  41:37

Yes, and unfortunately that as long as that tug of war is going on, you are going to keep climbing, but every 10% you add is going to feel like you have lifted another elephant onto your shoulders, a very, very heavy lift, if you decide, however, that you are ready to burn it all to the ground, to let go of the clients, who you are Just not for anymore. To the jam that is just not your jam anymore, to whatever you feel is simply not in your zone of genius, which means, literally, in my case, letting go about 80% of what was making that business work. You will not 2x you will 10x you will start to have a much easier time. You will have to a much, far faster expansion too, and you’ll be ready emotionally.

Heather Pearce Campbell  42:25

So in your process, because it sounds like yes strategy, being willing to make the business decisions that go along with supporting that growth are key. How did you reach the inner alignment place of knowing, right? This is the 80% I need to let go of.

Keren Eldad  42:44

I felt very bitter and very angry. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  42:46

Oh, listen up, ladies, here’s the bitterness and anger again.

Keren Eldad  42:51

Just bitter, angry, miserable, unrecognized, disrespected, all those feelings. And then I went, that’s not you. Oh, man, what’s happening? Oh, you’re in the wrong place again. You’ve put yourself at the wrong party again. You gotta leave the party.

Heather Pearce Campbell  43:09

How to find the right party, right? Because I think the question becomes, for people that know something was this way, like, what’s next? How do you re envision that?

Keren Eldad  43:18

I made a decision, and I don’t execute decisions overnight. I do not have Tracy Holland’s behavioral style. I do not move fast. I move slow and easy, like an old man going into a nice, warm bath. And I closed off what I needed to close off, tied up all the loose ends, but started to already inform the world that this is what I’m available for, and this is what I’m no longer available for it. These programs are terminated. This is no longer available that door. That’s right, exactly. And then we just moved into the next phase, and we’ll continue to do that, hopefully in the years to come. But it was a decision to, above all, just honor my preferences, and again, for the third time in my career, trust my desire, trust that this was available to me, trust that I will not die of hunger. If I make this leap, some people will come with me.

Heather Pearce Campbell  44:13

It’s so good, I mean, and I want to shout, what you just said, so that, particularly the women that are listening hear this, but it’s going to be valuable for anybody. Decision to honor my preferences, right? Starts with the decision that clarity, to just decide, and then to take that action, to follow through with actually closing the door. These programs are no longer available. I’m not going to offer this thing anymore. I’m not going to serve people in this way, whatever it is, right? And then, negotiable? Yeah, no, that’s right, you have to actually close the door. And I think a lot of people get caught in that middle ground of like, oh, I still gotta pay my bills while I’m moving to this, you know? And that’s the trust part. That’s the trust part of like, actually letting go.

Keren Eldad  44:56

You can’t bargain with the universe. It knows. Exactly what you’re doing. So you’re either going to go or you’re not going to go, and those are your two options, which…

Heather Pearce Campbell  45:05

It’s clear signals, the universe responds to clear signals. Full stop has to be clear. That’s true. It’s not clear to the universe. It’s not going to be clear to your clients. It’s not going to be clear to you know, the people that need to walk away and the people that need to come in. Oh my gosh. I love this so much, and I feel like I have 89 other questions that I could ask you for just out of respect for your time, I’d love to have you share for folks that are listening, that are thinking, oh my gosh, I need to go. I need to go connect with Karen. I need to follow her. I need to find out more about her work. Where do you show up online?

Keren Eldad  45:39

@coachkeren on Instagram is the best place to find us, because I share a lot of fun stuff and cat videos, and Keren is filled with two E’s. And then if you’d like a consultation, or you actually want to read more about coaching, it’s kereneldad.com

Heather Pearce Campbell  45:55

I love it, and we will share those also on the show notes page. So if you’re listening, you can pop over to legalwebsitewarrior.com/podcast, find Keren’s episode. And that’s Keren, K, E, R, E, N. Keren, you said a couple of really important I mean, this whole conversation was full of important things. But right before we we shifted, you mentioned that you move slow, like an old man getting into a bathtub. And first of all, I love that. I think that people need to hear their different ways, to decide, their different ways to lead yes and to honor their own system, their own process. Not everybody has to look like Tracy, not everybody has to look like you, right? It’s different. That’s right. I think that’s important. Because I think a lot of people also hear stories where it’s like, you know, yeah, Tracy’s a powerhouse. I mean, it’s like, in her branding, that’s right. And not everybody decides or moves the way that Tracy does. And some people, I think, count themselves out of leadership or of like, obtaining profound results, because they think, well, like, I don’t look like that.

Keren Eldad  46:58

Yeah? Or starting a thought leadership brand, or becoming a motivational speaker, and they all think that this is about being assertive a certain way and being extroverted a certain way, etc. And this is simply not true. More than 50% of CEOs are introverted people. I am an ambivert, by the way. I would rather spend at least 50% of my time in bed in a bathrobe surrounded by cats and once you understand who you are, and you operate at your own pace, with your own authority, your whole life changes, it is the most important decision you can make. Ultimately, it’s even more importantly, more important than what you’re going to launch, because if that’s not aligned to your soul again, why even do it?

Heather Pearce Campbell  47:39

Oh, so good, so so good. Keren, who do you love to support? Who are your people?

Keren Eldad  47:44

Oh, man, I love everybody, but it’s hard. It’s hard. Yeah, I adore Madonna. Thank God is on tour right now. And Abraham Hicks. And if you’re not familiar with Abraham Hicks’s work, first, Tracy, I’m sure, talked about to death, as you know. But I love their work very, very much. And I support two big organizations. One of them is Bottomless Closet, which is sort of like dress for success. And they’re coming up on their anniversary. And I think the most important organization that also got me started on the path of coaching is Crisis Text Line. It is the biggest suicide hotline in the world, and we’re all volunteers. It’s an amazing organization. So if you want to send any love, send it to Crisis Text Line. Oh, I love it.

Heather Pearce Campbell  48:30

Those are great shares from a client perspective, who do you love and who do you support?

Keren Eldad  48:37

I adore. Very, very strong out, intensely wired superstars, and that that’s pretty much that runs the gamut. I especially love founders. I currently am an executive coach at Nike and Estee Lauder and Deutsche Bank and big, big companies like that. But I adore founders. I think founders are braver than everybody else, and what they’re dealing with is much harder than what everybody else is dealing with, especially if you’re a founder that is on a thought leadership track. In other words, your job is also to be visible. If I had a tiny, slight preference, it would be for that.

Heather Pearce Campbell  49:17

I love that so much, and yes, I mean to the courage, and it’s why I love entrepreneurs and, you know, even small business owners in general, because of the courage that it takes to step out and say, you know, I’m going to build this my way. I’m going to do this thing that I think I can do in the world.

Keren Eldad  49:32

Yeah, exactly that. Yeah. Man, thanks.

Heather Pearce Campbell  49:35

Oh, I love it. Well, I so appreciate you. It’s just been such a joy to spend time with you and hear a little bit about your journey. What final thought would you leave our listeners with today?

Keren Eldad  49:46

Just do it. Do it. If it’s been on your mind for a while. I’m sorry to tell you, this is not going to get quieter. It’s going to get much louder. And the reason you’re listening to this podcast and every single episode in it is because just do it. It is exactly your jam. Just find your way to do it. 

Heather Pearce Campbell  50:03

Oh, I love it so much. Goosebumps, and I love it when we get to end on goosebumps. Keren, I appreciate you so look forward to being in touch.

Keren Eldad  50:10

Thank you, Heather,

GGGB Outro  50:12

Thank you for joining us today on the Guts, Grit and Great Business® podcast. We hope that we’ve added a little fuel to your tank, some coffee to your cup and pep in your step to keep you moving forward in your own great adventures. For key takeaways, links to any resources mentioned in today’s show and more, see the show notes which can be found at www.legalwebsitewarrior.com/podcast. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and if you enjoyed today’s conversation, please give us some stars and a review on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast so others will find us too. Keep up the great work you are doing in the world and we’ll see you next week.1