98. Global Perspectives: Elle Ballard's Impact on Women's Empowerment

Hi, we're Cinthia Varkevisser And Michelle Walters, co hosts of mind power needs mystic.

Our weekly show is here to expand your mind to what's possible to uplift your spirits to move forward with competence and joy, and to create a space for your collaboration with the invisible. Welcome to mind power needs mystic Hello listeners of mind power meets mystic you are here with me today. I am Michelle Walters and I am the mind power part of this podcast. My partner Cinthia Varkevisser. Our mystic has the day off. I am very excited today because we are speaking to a wonderful lady who's kind of from my neck of the woods. Her name is Elle Ballard. Al is a catalyst for transformation, igniting change in the lives of women across the world. She is a dynamic holistic abundance mentor, and founder of the women of the world's network. She is an accomplished author, a captivating speaker, and she takes her clients on transformative journeys of personal growth and empowerment. Welcome, elle. I'm so glad you could come today.

Thank you so much, Michelle, for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

So I know you told me once you are from some distance, exotic place. Where did the journey of L Ballard begin.

So I'm from the country called Kazakhstan, which used to be part of USSR. So I was actually born in the country, USSR. My native language is Russia. And I came here to the US over 20. I've been here Well, 20 years ago.

Very, very cool. And I think you've said that you had family in Crimea or Ukraine. Is that right? Yeah, I

did. Yeah. Yeah, I did until recently. Yes. Crimea. Yeah. So that's where the origin actually comes. My, my ethnic, you know, ethnicity and my grandparents. That's where they're from. It's a different story. But my parents went back to kind of their homeland being Crimea at a time. And, yeah, and they've been there. Also over 20 years before.

Have you been in California that whole time? Or did you start off your US journey somewhere else? No.

So I started it in Phoenix, Arizona.

Yeah, that's a big change from Kazakhstan. Yes, yes. Absolutely.

And then I moved to Texas. And so I lived in Texas for a few years until I moved to California about six years ago.

And where were you in two? I lived in Texas to where were you in Texas? Houston. A north of Houston. New Orleans, Houston. Okay. I

was in Dallas. Okay. Okay. Awesome. But

yeah, the the Texas part of my journey, part of your journey. It's part of many people's journey, I think. And then there are the people who just stay in Texas, because Texas is that kind of place.

I love Texas. Yeah. It's a I still my family lives there. So I go back and visit, you know, but I do love California, as well. So a loving Yeah, it's pretty beautiful out here. Yes. Many place to visit? Yes.

Yes. Very, very nice. So l How did you come to start women of the world?

Yes. I. So when I wasn't back in my country, I was working full time for a big corporate company. And then I had a small sets business, which I absolutely enjoyed. And then I realized I do want to continue having a business but you know, when I moved here, typically when you move to a new place, you don't know what you really truly want to be you don't know who you're going to be, and in this new place, right? And having to support the family and everything and myself. I decided to put that, you know, in the back burner and go to MBA entered MBA program. And then I worked for software, software companies in the marketing capacity. So great experience, but I still wanted to do something on my yard. And that's where I decided to open you know, in lunch Women of the World network for women who are going through similar experiences, just like myself, you know, working on building their businesses and lives and that's kind of how women are the world network was born. Neat.

Well, I haven't been able to do a lot with women of the world but I did come to one of your meetings a month or two ago and what what What I noticed about it was a great group of ladies, a lovely conversation very well facilitated and chaperone. But what I loved one of the things that I remember most and I loved the most was your energy, your energy just lit up somebody was there from someplace far away like Egypt or

India or something like that. A couple of women from Cyprus? Yes,

yes. Or Cyprus, perhaps. And I was like, Oh, wow. And, and you just like, like, Oh, this is so cool. This is why I do this. And it was really, really neat. So tell us a little bit more about women of the world and who you're who your group is there to serve what what value your members and participants get from your community?

Yes, and you arrived, you know, it just warms my heart every time I see so many women from different countries. And I think it was either that particular meeting or the meeting before, where we had about 10 countries in the room represented. And it's just warms my heart, because this is why I do this. You know, different accents in the room, women of the world network is really truly celebrating diversity, embracing our uniqueness and who we truly are. Because each one of us is so amazing, and in the busyness of our lives, in the in this, you know, go go go go go and catering to a lot of the times other people than us, we forget this amazing things that we come to this world with, right? No matter where we're from. And that's what it's all about. I love bringing different women into the picture, supporting them with building businesses, we celebrate partnerships in the community business partnerships, and what I mean is when women form, they buy services from each other, basically, you know, and we celebrate that, because that helps them grow their businesses, we help them with visibility in our community, we have our own podcast called empowered global women in business. And then we also write books, we are about to publish our book number four in October, and very, very exciting. So although some of the This are some of the things that we're doing, and we are also expanding access to now professional women, as well, to bring all different, you know, a women into the picture in the world, whether they are, you know, working full time jobs and looking to open a side business, or they already full time in business. So we, you know, we want to cater to all of the women and yeah, I'm just, I'm just so excited and where we go in what we're doing. Yeah, and just just excited to see so many women in the world really, you know, stepping up to their power and, and growing and embracing that and love that.

Well, that's that's what I think is coming. And that's not to say that we don't value our men, they are valuable, there is a role for them. And there's a whole nother conversation to be held about sort of, how do we make sure that we are honoring and celebrating the male energy? Because I think that's, I think that I think that a lot of guys are confused right now. Because, you know, it's so important. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, but I do feel like this is the decade or maybe a couple decades of kind of our planet shifting a little bit to pay more attention to women put women in more leadership positions, women running more businesses, women doing more, more, more and more nationally, and, and internationally. We have so much to bring to the world. And it's so important to acknowledge and see and recognize each other because I think a lot of times, especially I mean, wives mothers like we tend to get we just spread thin and maybe overlooked. You know, Lee? Yes, absolutely. I'm going to remind all of our listeners that they are here listening to mind power meets mystic. It's with me, Michelle Walters, and today our guest is Al Ballard. Cinthia Varkevisser has the day off. So tell me a little bit more. You just came back from this really cool retreat. Right? Tell me a little bit more about your your retreats and the holistic abundant side of your

work. Yes. I just I'm so excited.

rocco, we will be doing it in: 2025

to health, I was gonna ask you about your dancing. Tell us about your dancing girl.

Yeah, so um, ever since. So I did do dancing a little bit in college. And then I wanted to go back to it. But you know, as we all get busy and all that, so I kept postponing. And so I recently went a few years ago, I started restarted again. And it's just been such an amazing experience, this mature awareness now, right now is different when I was in college, or when I was younger, but now I just have this awareness in my body and mind. And I've realized how much I can go into my body and get out of my head. And just really, you know, enjoy me. And that's where the inner work also works, right. And so that's where we kind of grow from inside out. And I love doing that. Because we get away from the warriors, we get away from the stress of the Daily we just in that space. And so it's not about knowing how to dance. It's not about knowing the technique of the dance. I just bring an introductory type, bring a different type of a dance depending what we're working on. But it's very introductory, it's very, you know, it's just really the idea. The point is just to connect to the body, not to not the technicality. Oh,

gotcha. And then it's so important, I think. I think in some ways, I mean, I guess you know, there's all these places around Mind Body studio and that kind of thing. But I do feel like in a lot of situations, maybe we've been encouraged. Maybe it's just kind of our culture that we tend to think of, well, there's your mind and then your body. But the fact is, it's much more of a it's much more of a cohesion or an interplay between the two. Right? And, you know, why are we here on Earth? I believe that we're, we're big spirits that exist all over the place all the time. But at the moment, what are we doing? We are here holding space in a body having an earth experience. So you know, dancing, walking, swimming, whatever, whatever you're getting is a huge part of why, why we're here. And with very few exceptions, you know, you should be embracing your body, even if it's not, you know, the shape, or it doesn't dance as well, or whatever. Like, it's what you got. You gotta love what you got.

Yes, yes, exactly. Absolutely, absolutely said

a couple of other things. And I know, we have a couple of other things in common that I are, or other reasons why I guess I love the idea of having you on our show today, because I have an MBA, just like you. And we both are John Maxwell. Coaches. So you know, there's another thing and now we're both into this like holistic thing. So we were just coming up with parallel after parallel after. And there was one other thing I was gonna say. I guess I'll come back to it. So anyway, I was thinking. Plus, my train of thought was about this. Oh, it was what you were saying about going to another country? Oh, yeah. I was reading in one of Maxwell's books over the last few days, you know, you don't grow by being in your comfort zone. Or, Oh, by being outside of your comfort zone. And one of the

rubberband he called us?

Yes, well, I think the theme weaves through various other of Maxwell's lessons, right? But, but it's so important to, to recognize, you know, you can learn a lot more, or you can grow yourself a lot more if you make a trip to a foreign country, and you can't read especially a place like Turkey where, you know, you can't read, you can't read the science. Yeah, like, you're gonna have to find a different way to get around. And I mean, traveling today is not the same as the last time I went to Turkey, which was in the 90s. But, um, it's, it puts you out of your comfort zone, and it encourages you to be that's what it was, and to be more open minded, you know, that, that travel is such a, such a winning, it's such a fun way and such a strong way to encourage people to be to be courageous and to be open minded.

Yes, exactly. Exactly. And, you know, I, it's funny, the moment I sit in the plane, usually, I just got into the plane, I start receiving different insights and ideas, especially if I'm working on something. It's just so interesting how that happens. And, you know, if I get out basically, when I get out of my daily environment, I always experienced that and that's what's just so fascinating to me. But yeah, there's, it's just a different world. It's a different foods, different traditions. So it's, it's almost like you're not speaking the language, but he almost tasting that part of the culture and all this, you know, influences because a lot of them have like Morocco, you know, we're gonna go they have all this influences, right? The French and Spanish and in all this, that reflects in their tilework, right, that reflects on the textiles and all of this interesting things

completely different. I guess. I also liked the places you go el because like Turkey, Morocco, like I that's not to say that I don't like you know, London or the south of France. But same here. I kind of like exotic so, so exotic. Nice. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

Yeah, me too. Yeah. Thank you so much for being on our show today. Oh, what would you like to share with our listeners? Do you have anything that you have coming up? Or you'd like to let our listeners know about?

Yeah, and we have the pre fulfilled and fabulous now that we are offering to and I believe I have shared link with you to the three keys to redefine the free forefinger. Fabulous. I also have free reels that I do one minute to free fulfilment, fabulous on YouTube and my Instagram. So your listeners are welcome to sign up to those. But thank you so much to Well,

thank you. Thank you for being on our show today. Everyone. This has been l Ballard. And thank you l for being on the show.

Great conversation. Great to see you.