The G-List Interview: Leah Goard

May 24, 2016 704 Comments

Welcome to the G-List interviews. We wanted to share our favorite cool, confident, career-minded women. The kind of awesome girlfriend you want to have over for dinner or drinks…every night of the week. Enjoy. -- Elena

Today’s G-list girlfriend interview is with Leah Goard, my go-to business and life strategist who continually coaxes, challenges and holds the space for me to thrive and become my very best self. She's a girlfriend at the top of my speed dial list! I first met Leah at an event in San Diego six years ago when in a crowd of a thousand, we sat next to each other and immediately hit it off. Leah has been a serial entrepreneur for over 20 years, owning businesses in Australia, England, Japan and Canada in health and wellness, marketing, import/export and education.

Today, she is wildly fascinated by what makes us groove. She is in hot pursuit of the multi-layered answer to the question: What does it mean, and what does it take to truly thrive in our life?

I asked Leah some fun questions:

1. Tell us about a favourite ritual.

My current morning ritual includes: journaling, oil pulling, hot water and lemon, matcha tea, 10 minutes of yoga, quality time with my son before he leaves for school then I throw the ball for my dog or head to the beach with him, work out (Pilates, running or weight training), down a Vega Shake and sit down to work. I know it sounds like a lot to jam into a morning but I don’t do it all every morning – based on how I’m feeling and my work schedule. It’s all about getting into a rhythm and setting yourself up so it’s easy. You can check out an article I wrote on how to create your morning ritual for some helpful tips and a powerful worksheet to help you create your morning road map.

2. Perfect activity with girlfriends?

Last year, I made a decision to really focus on nourishing my relationships with my close girlfriends. Life gets so full that it’s really easy to let them go and pretty quickly you realize that you’ve lost a whole level of connection and fun in your life. Life happens in the moments in between running the kids to soccer, cooking dinner and launching new products. I just don't get twisted up about throwing a big fancy shin digs (although that can be fun too – just not for those of us who missed the Martha Stewart gene)!

Instead I focus more on the small ways that I can reach out to connect and have fun on a daily basis. I am often sending notes, photos and sharing inside jokes or funny videos. And when I do get together with girlfriends: we go for a hike, plant in the garden together, go out for a simple dinner or find something different to do together.

3. Secret vice?

I’m in better shape now at 42 than I was in my twenties (as a personal fitness trainer) and at the core of that is Pilates on my reformer. And switching from coffee to Matcha tea a couple of years ago made a huge difference in my skin, energy and moods!

Vices – oh so many but my staple vice…amazing chocolate, my favourite is La Petite Souris.

4. How would you describe your style?

Simple, casual and a little edgy. Black, white, grey and browns make up most of my closet. Jeans and t-shirts, sexy flip flops or a great pair of boots.

5. Favorite quote?

“It is the moment by moment decisions you make that bring you closer to your dreams or further away.”

Pin or Share the quote above on social media and tag us on Instagram or Facebook!

6. What is something fun in your business that you're working on right now?

I’ve just relaunched my new website which I am super stoked about. I am also running a “Clear Your Path Challenge" - a free springtime challenge filled with fun, inspiration and tools to explore key areas of your life that are blocked! You will receive powerful ways to clear your path, simplify your life and bring more meaning into your world.

7. What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?

Honestly, I don’t know that I really believe in failure. Failure is about our relationship to what didn’t work and the reality is that if you want to create an amazing life then you need to take risks. And if you live outside your comfort zone, chances are things aren’t going to go how you might have wanted them to all the time – but this isn’t failure – this is (as a good girlfriend of mine would say) just another f***ing growth opportunity!

Every time I have “failed”, something greater was waiting for me on the other side. So, I keep challenging the stories of what I believe to be possible – every single day - and keep on moving forward. Two steps forward, one step back… I like to think of it like the Cha Cha.