Changing The Story With Lana Dingwall

A phrase we hear often in the spiritual and entrepreneurial world, is to do ‘what is in alignment with you’. I am all for living and running an aligned business and life AND I am aware that those things will never look the exact same for two people.    We are similar and yet so vastly different, of course my goals and how I achieve them and your goals, and how you achieve them are most likely going to be different. That is exactly how it should be. We aren’t created in the same way, we don’t have the same hopes and desires, skills, experiences, lived realities or knowledge, therefore ‘my aligned’ and ‘your aligned’ are going to be different.    Some of us get hung up on the fact that what we want for our lives looks different than those around us, because that can make us feel as though something is wrong with who we are or what we want. There is nothing wrong with you.    In this week's episode we dive into…   How to tune into what makes sense for you  Why it's a beautiful thing that we’re all different  Wh

A lot of people are starting to reintegrate back into the world, which means that we’re starting to feel the strain of obligation creep up on us again.    Something that I have observed is that a lot of people are realizing that they feel out of alignment with some of those obligations and expectations to go back to.    There might be resistance in how you go about conducting business, spending time with particular people, dressing a certain way, or having to do certain activities. No matter what it is, there might be something that feels off.    One of the reasons for that might be because you had so much space from those situations, people, or ways of doing things that you’ve even had time to realize they don’t jive with you. Sometimes we do things not because we enthusiastically choose it for ourselves, but because we feel it's ‘just what we have to do’.    I would even say that a lot of things we do as humans are performative. Meaning, we play the role we think we need to play to fit the scenario, even th

I would say that one of the things the vast majority of people try to avoid in their lives is conflict.    It sucks, it takes up a lot of energy, it causes us anxiety and all around isn’t fun.    However, conflict really is an unavoidable reality of life, and entrepresigp. You can be the kindest, calmest, most on top of everything person with the greatest of intentions and someone at some point will still have an issue with something you said, something you did (or didn’t do), or how you approached something.    Conflict doesn’t always occur because someone did something ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. Conflict happens because we all have different experiences, expectations, ways of doing things, different values/rules we live by, ways of communicating, ways of interacting with others, we have different lens and ultimately this creates a lot of opportunities for mishaps.    On this week's episode we dive deeper into this topic.    On the episode, we discuss: How power dynamics come into play That the motto ‘the client is

Have you ever wanted people closest to you, whether that be your friends, family, or partner, to support you more when it comes to your business?    One question I get asked often is how to get people around you on board with your entrepreneurial goals and one thing I have realized is that sometimes it might take a bit of time to do that.    This isn’t because these people don’t care about us, or don’t want to see us succeed, it really just comes down to the fact that they don’t understand it. For many entrepreneurs, the only people who really get it are other entrepreneurs.    Our society doesn’t necessarily encourage people to become entrepreneurs, it encourages us to become employable - but not to become the employer. For our friends and family, we might very well be the only entrepreneur they know. Which is why they might not support us in the ways we desire - they simply haven’t learnt how yet.    If you want to hear more on this topic, check out this week’s podcast episode.   On the episode, we discuss:

Are you struggling to figure out what offer to launch?   Or what business to start? What career to build? What opportunity to pursue?   I hear this so often from many of my clients. They want to express themselves in so many ways, that in our one-dimensional definition of success, they start questioning their ambition for more than one passion.   We are constantly evolving beings. From the books we read, to the people we spend time with, and even how we take our coffee can change over time! We allow our tastes to change in certain areas of our lives, yet restrain them in other areas - often in our careers.   We expect perfection from ourselves and a straight line to success.   But when you’re a multi-faceted human, your success metrics are always evolving.   What if the industrialized rinse-and-repeat cycle is not the best success metric to aim for?   What if we set aside the old school masculine business methods that teach us to condense ourselves into a machine over a human?   I want to invite you to look a

Last week we talked about how transformation can feel like failure. Especially when we’re in the middle of a big project, everything is looking more messy in the middle and overwhelming us. This week, I want to go even deeper in this. What happens when you find yourself in this “slump”? Think of this week’s episode as my pep talk to help you climb out of it. When I’m in a slump, the support I always reach for is shifting my perspective, grace and compassion, and getting support. There is so much in business that goes on behind the tactics and strategies. So often, the biggest hurdle is our own belief that we have what it takes to come out the other side. If you want to hear more on this topic, check out this week’s podcast episode. On the episode, we discuss: Power of perspective How expectations can drive stress Having the right people around you I believe in you - you are doing way better than you realize!  Lana If you enjoy these conversations, check out The Lighthouse Collective. It’s a community for so

I’ve been having so many conversations with my clients and within The Lighthouse Collective when it comes to transformation. Many of us are finding ourselves in this energetic space of change and kind of knowing where we’re going without actually knowing where we’re going.   If you’re in this space, and even if you’re not, I recorded this week’s podcast episode with you in mind.   It reminded me of all the caterpillars we’re currently seeing here in Ottawa. What I recently learned about caterpillars is that they actually turn to mush in their transition. To unbecome a caterpillar and become a butterfly, they must disintegrate into mush for a period of time.   Are you in the mush phase? That middle phase where you’re no longer who you used to be and not yet your future version. Or your business is no longer what it used to be but not yet its potential.   Remember that when it starts to feel like there’s no progress happening in this phase, it’s because you’re in the mush phase of your evolution. Transformation

Subject: Having a Hard Time Making Money? Is This Social Construct Holding You Back? Do you feel shame around wanting to be wealthy? Commerce and capitalism are not one in the same. Capitalism is a newer economic model in relation to how long humans have had goods and services to trade for. Commerce exists outside of capitalism and in many ways can actually be apart of what dismantles it.  I share this because many of us have deep social constructs running through our minds when it comes to wealth and capitalism. This shows up in how we speak to potential clients and our audiences. We project our feelings when it comes to making money, capitalism and wanting to be a good person. We can (or others can) confuse the idea that wanting to be wealthy AND wanting to be ethical and support our communities are mutually exclusive ideas. That it has to be one OR the other. But that isn’t the case. Making money (or a thing you can barter+trade with) existed before capitalism and it will exist after capitalism. This is a

Entrepreneurship signifies the possibility of what could be. We might not know exactly what something will look like, but we still have this feeling of what it could be and we follow that feeling.    However, there’s also an aspect of entrepreneurship where sometimes we’re trying to prove something. We create it into this magic pill to cure a job we don’t like, a salary we’re not happy with, work we’re not fulfilled with.   Our energy is the most important compass for our business. In anything we do, we can look at the root energy force that is fueling our actions.   The power of perspective is that if we’re approaching something and not getting the results we want, then we can shift our perspective and approach it from a different direction. This shows up often in social media and feeling like the algorithm is against us and no one is engaging with us. The answer is not to grind harder. The answer might be to ask yourself: how can I approach social media from a different angle? What can I change if this isn’

So many of us get caught up trying to keep up that we fail to realize how we might be doing ourselves more harm than good - both emotionally, physically, and in our businesses.   Today I want to talk about my favourite topic: ditching the should’s and doing what feels like fun.   Consistency is one of the most important muscles in your business, but consistency doesn’t come from sheer motivation and grinding it out. It comes from being passionate and intrinsically motivated to show up and do the thing.   This is why there’s no cookie cutter playbook for the right strategy and schedule - because it all depends on what energizes you, what feels like fun for you, and what makes you come alive.   What are those for you? What tasks energize you?   Consider how you show up on social media. We can feel socially pressured to show up in a certain way online, or in a specific way, or on an intense schedule. How can you show in a way that’s more aligned with who you are instead of how you think you “should” show up?   I

We go through different periods of life and our business where we feel overwhelmed. It can be easy to actually add onto that overwhelm simply from our own expectations and how we expect ourselves to show up.   As entrepreneurs, we inherently have the intrinsic motivation to push ourselves to build our business and life in a way we desire. But every strength has an opposite trait - in this case, a tendency to push ourselves past what is necessary, or even healthy.   When we are feeling overwhelmed, our inner motivation can take on a new energy and become a little too pushy.   I’m in a period of my life where I’m launching a new business while also continuing to grow my core business, which is business coaching. Going through this experience and learning to balance my own energy in a way that keeps me from burnout is actually what helps me relate to my clients and help them push through a busier time of their business with grace and compassion.   If you want to hear more on this topic, check out this week’s pod

This week I want to share a beautiful conversation I had with Errin Weisman about a topic that many of us can relate to and have probably experienced to a certain degree in our business or careers. It’s the idea of sacrificing everything in our life to pursue a “good profession” and then once we’ve made it realizing that we actually feel empty and have lost so many years just blindly husting without stopping to appreciate what’s in front of us. It’s waiting for the delayed gratification to come and realizing that it’s not going to come. Errin Weisman is a family physician turned life coach who is all about calling out the bullshit on the hustle culture. She did what many professionals might be afraid to do: moving out of a career that we’re told by society is “good” and that we’ve “made it” - and instead pursuing a career like coaching where there is so much judgement and negativity that it’s not a “real job”. If you want to hear more on this topic, check out this week’s podcast episode. On the episode, we di

We can’t let what we “should” do get in the way of what we “can” do.   We’ve all added many “should’s” to our to-do list. Whether that’s social plans, a strategy that our friends or peers are following, and even limiting beliefs that we hold.   Ironically, I recorded this week’s episode almost a week later than I usually do. So many opportunities unlocked this past week - from launching the next cohort of The Lighthouse Collective, as well as my new passion project, AND still working through the final renovations of my rental property.   So when it came to recording this episode, I’ve been pushing it off because I can’t find a long enough pocket of time to record the length of episode that I always do. I filled my head with so many “should’s’ - I should record soon, I should make it a long episode, etc.   And then I looked at today’s topic and I laughed.   I sat myself down and reminded myself that I can be okay with a shorter episode this week and the episode will be just as valuable as it is meant to be… an

At the age of 22, Mallory co-founded what quickly became a multi-six figure, globally recognized powerlifting apparel brand. After experiencing a major burnout, she knew there was a better way to build businesses. By the age of 27, she'd built three multi-six figure businesses. Today, she helps entrepreneurs build without burning out.

Entrepreneurship is an energy - it’s a specific way of thinking and being. For this reason, I want to plant the seed here today that this entrepreneurial energy is what allows us to build a business in our own unique way and on our own unique terms. I fundamentally believe that we will be more fulfilled without a cookie cutter strategy - because this energy of freedom and experimentation should not be contained in the same rigid box as a corporate job is. How your business looks today isn’t necessarily how it will always look, nor should you want it to. You have the freedom to build and grow your business in a way that aligns with your own personal growth and ambitions. When you’re willing to take responsibility for your life and future, you will be more willing to take on the difficulties that come with entrepreneurship. When you’re growing and scaling your business, also look at how you can grow and scale your life. It’s a balance of how much money will give you more free time to do the things your heart cr

Community is, without doubt, the number one asset in our lives and business (other than ourselves - and we are a part of the community). The type of community that we surround ourselves with is a reflection of who we are. It helps us generate and test out our ideas, build our network, create opportunities for ourselves and others, collaborate with people to create new things and more.  The more encouragement, space, and support we have around us, the more we are able to flourish.  I strongly believe that community is my own, and should be everyones, #1 business and personal growth strategy.  In this time of mass isolation, the trap we can find ourselves in is perpetuating our feelings of isolation by trying to do everything ourselves, to not reach out for support, to think we have to do life alone. Even my own energy is very determined and resilient, but that can lead me to think I can do everything on my own by sheer will. I convince myself that I can do everything alone - even though I can’t.  But not every

Feeling uninspired is actually a normal ebb we all go through. We aren’t machines. Even those of us who are typically optimistic and positive can find ourselves in a funk and a low vibrational energy that makes us restless and uninspired. It’s important to notice how we label these emotions, which is often “bad”. We think being in a funk is bad, being unmotivated is bad, and being overwhelmed is bad. But because we are cyclical beings who experience the full range of emotions, we will continue to have light and heavy emotions. The personal development industry pushes us to fix anything that is “bad”, and so we internalize this need to “fix” ourselves anytime we feel a “bad” emotion. I’m here to remind us, myself included, that we can simultaneously want to change and evolve and grow, while also recognizing that we’re whole and amazing just as we are. Sometimes there’s nothing to fix. Sometimes we just need to sit in the emotion and gently move ourselves through it. If you want to hear more on this topic, chec

When we shoot for the stars, it’s important that we acknowledge the powerful magnetic force of gravity. When things fall to the ground, it’s all part of nature - not a sign we don’t have what it takes to try again.  When things metaphorically fall in our business, we should take the same perspective. Failure and quitting and making mistakes - it’s all part of the journey.  In the context of sports, taking shots and missing them is encouraged because it means the chances of scoring become higher.  Growth and “failure” are embedded in the process. Teams lose games, and seasons all the time. In fact only 1 team every year actually ‘wins’ the championship. In sport you recognize that in order to win, you have to be prepared to lose, grow, learn, and lose some more. No team ever has a perfect season and no matter how amazing a team is, there are always going to be seasons where winning a championship isn’t in the cards that year.  I want us to take the same approach in life and business. We can become so hyper foc

We aren't here to build empires that require us to sell our souls. We're here to make a massive impact and income, while also creating more time and energy for ourselves.   My goal is to help you set up your business in a way that you are doing things you love and that includes how you find your clients. There’s a big difference between asking where and how to find ANY client versus where and how to find you ideal clients.   There’s also a second layer, which is how do we nurture those leads after we’ve found them?    If you want to dive into this topic, I invite you to download my free guide 15 Ways to Find New Clients AND Attract Consistent Leads. I cover the 15 ways I personally use to find new clients, and then the 9 steps I take to nurture my leads.   I give some insight into where and how I’ve found clients over the years, including how social media might not play as much of a role in finding new leads as you may think.    If you want to hear more on this topic, check out this week’s podcast episode.  

How do you show up for your dreams even when it feels like you’re stuck in a shit storm? Entrepreneurship feels like an uphill battle, even on the best of days. It requires persistence and pushing through the resistance we are feeling. But we want to look at persistence from the wholeness of our lives, not just from the single slice of our life, which is our business. Persistence can become harmful when we’re just focused on one single area of our life and when we think there is only one way to get to our goals - and so we push ourselves into burnout and overwhelm. Persistence should be tied to the wholeness of our full life, not just to the singular area of our business pursuits. We all feel stuck at different parts of our entrepreneurship journey - it’s not a sign that we are doing anything wrong, it just means we are in a temporary transition phase. We might have to show up differently at this time or take on a side job or reaching out for help. This is not the time to panic and spiral in thoughts of shame